Many people who face this kind of price tag wonder if they can get away with patching their pipes. But if the sewer line is old there are almost certainly bathtub repair other bad spots that will give you problems now or in the near future. A series of patch jobs isn't cheap. In the long run, it just makes more sense to replace the entire line.
With a putty knife, carefully scrape the remaining parts of the wax ring from the area. Clean the spot so that the new wax ring will be level. Place a new wax ring on the opening and replace the toilet. Bolt it back onto the floor, reconnect the water line repair supply tube and watch for leaks as the water is turned back on.
This so impressed me, that I thought, here is the man who might fix my sink problem, and I told him about my kitchen sink. The look on his face was priceless, as he said, "Ridiculous! Sinks don't leak if they're new." He even showed me what to do. He took out a big heavy-duty screwdriver with a big flat-head blade and showed me. "This is what's probably lose." He put the blade of the screwdriver in a notch the size of a giant screw head that was right in the center of the drain basket where the plug sat in.
Dirty waste water, after all, leaves your house following the law of gravity. Waste water goes downward to the sewer or septic tank, nice and easy. Behind this simple rule is the multitude of vents and traps to keep the process of waste removal possible. Vents allow air to fill drainpipes, precious air that allow waste water outflow. Traps are those curved S-shaped sections of the pipes under the sink drain. Traps perform a crucial role in forcing most of the water through the drainpipe, but leaving some to seal the area and prevent sewer gas from backing up.
Here are some general cautions. Do not begin jobs on holidays, weekends, or at times when plumbers raise their rates or are difficult to reach. Do start early leaving plenty of daylight to call a plumber if something goes wrong. Study the situation carefully. Think about what might happen if something suddenly broke and what the effects would be. Old corroded copper tubing might break in the wall when you are wrenching an angle stop that supplies the water line repair to your toilet. A flood in the wall could be costly. If the angle stop, on the other hand, is new and shuts off easily and you have another toilet in the house then it might make sense to repair the toilet yourself. Be honest, too. Are you handy with tools? Did you do well in shop classes in school?
Keep your hands clean and dry. Plumbing jobs get slippery, so it's important to work with a pair of sturdy gloves so you don't lose your grip and accidentally hurt yourself or break something.
Then, you can take your new shower parts home and reinstall them in the inner assembly. It is very important that everything be aligned properly and tightened to prevent leaks. Beware of over tightening, however, since this can also cause problems. Once you are sure everything is installed properly, replace the cover plate and turn the water back on to test your repair work. With a little bit of work, your do-it-yourself shower repair project can be a success. It does not take an expert, just a little effort and know how.