A toilet that rocks at the base, ghost-flushes at 2 a.m., or runs up the water bill is telling you something is worn out or leaking. HT Strenger Plumbing & Sewer has been replacing and installing toilets across Lake County and the north Chicagoland suburbs since 1911, and we’ve seen most of the failure modes hard water and century-old flanges can throw at a fixture. When repair stops making sense, a clean, code-compliant replacement is the better call.
Expert Toilet Repair & Unclogging
Over time, toilets can become outdated and less efficient. As they age, leaks at the base may occur or blockages can happen, sometimes this can require the toilet to be removed from its base and rodded and cleaned. In addition, various parts on the toilet, such as the flush valve, fill valve or flapper, may need to be replace periodically to ensure proper functioning. Call H.T. Strenger plumbing a family-owned company with qualified & reliable plumbers to fix your toilet today at an affordable price.
Expert Toilet Replacement
Don’t trust replacing and installing toilets to just any plumber or fly by night service – HT Strenger plumbing has been providing expert toilet plumbing since 1911. Choosing an experienced & friendly plumber from HT Strenger to get the job done right the first time. Call (847) 234-9440 today to schedule an appointment.
We Service & Replace all Makes and Models of Toilets.
- American Standard
- Kohler
- Toto
- Duravit
- Sterling
- Jacuzzi
- Saniflo
- Delta
- Gerber
- Eago
- Woodbridge
- Swiss Madison
- Anzzi
- Zurn
When Repair Makes Sense, and When It Doesn’t
Not every wobbly toilet needs to go. A worn flapper, stuck fill valve, or corroded flush valve seat can often be rebuilt in under an hour. Cracks in the porcelain, a rusted-through tank bolt area, a bowl that no longer clears waste on one flush, or repeated wax-ring failures usually point to replacement. Toilets installed before 1994 also use 3.5 gallons or more per flush, so upgrading to a 1.28 GPF high-efficiency model can pay back quickly on the water bill.
We specialize in “Same – Day” Replacements and Repairs.
Choosing the Right Toilet for Your Bathroom
Toilets aren’t one-size-fits-all. A few decisions we walk through with every homeowner:
- Rough-in distance. Most modern homes use a 12-inch rough-in (wall to flange center), but older Chicagoland houses sometimes have 10-inch or 14-inch. Getting this wrong means a return trip.
- One-piece vs. two-piece. One-piece toilets are easier to clean and less prone to leaks between tank and bowl. Two-piece models are lighter to carry up narrow stairs and generally cheaper to service.
- Bowl shape and height. Elongated bowls are more comfortable for adults; round bowls save a couple of inches in small powder rooms. Comfort height, roughly 17 to 19 inches to the seat, meets ADA guidelines and is easier on knees and backs.
- Flush performance. Look for a solid MaP score (Maximum Performance rating) of 600 grams or higher for a household toilet. WaterSense-labeled models use 1.28 GPF or less while still clearing the bowl reliably. See the EPA WaterSense guide to residential toilets for details.
What a Proper Installation Actually Involves
A clean install is more than setting a new bowl on a fresh wax ring. Our plumbers inspect the closet flange, which in older Barrington, Libertyville, and Waukegan homes is often cast iron corroded flush with the finished floor. A cracked or sunken flange gets repaired or built up with a flange extender before the new toilet goes down. We replace the wax ring (or a waxless gasket where slab conditions call for it), swap the shutoff valve if it’s the old multi-turn type, and add a braided stainless supply line. Every install is set level, shimmed, caulked at the base per Illinois code, and test-flushed before we leave.
Hard Water, Old Homes, and Illinois Code
Lake County water is hard, and that mineral load builds scale inside tank components, under the rim jets, and in the trap. Older homes on the North Shore often still have lead bends or cast iron soil stack transitions that need careful handling during a swap. Every job is performed by plumbers licensed under Illinois Department of Public Health plumbing regulations, state license #055-013973, and we hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Same crew, same standards, same phone number since 1911.
Schedule Your Toilet Installation
Ready for a quiet, efficient toilet that seats properly and stops running? Call HT Strenger at (847) 234-9440 or reach out through our contact page. We’ll help you pick the right fixture, handle the removal and disposal of the old one, and leave the bathroom cleaner than we found it.