A weak flush is a siphon, a valve, or a concealed cistern
An exposed cistern siphon, fill valve and donut washer is S$130 to S$240. A concealed cistern diagnostic through the plate is S$80 to S$120. A choke is a different visit. This page does not invent a third flush price.
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Photo: Bodhi Peace, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
How it works
- 1
Send one photo per task on WhatsApp, with the block and whether the home is HDB, condo, or landed.
- 2
We match each task to a published band, or we say quote on inspection.
- 3
You confirm the scope before anyone comes. Licensed work and permit work are named, not folded into the hour.
- 4
The fitting is repaired and tested. Parts that a row does not include stay off the invoice.
What this job actually is
A flush that runs, or barely clears, is usually inside the cistern. Exposed cisterns in older HDB flats are the siphon, the fill valve, the button rod and the donut washer. The toilet page prices that set at S$130 to S$240. This page repeats it so a “flush repair” search does not grow a new number. If the cistern is a concealed plate, you are on the concealed-cistern page: diagnostic S$80 to S$120, and a fill or flush valve S$180 to S$350 through the plate, not by hacking tiles.
A bowl that rises is a choke, not a tired siphon. Stop flushing. The auger row is S$120 to S$240 for a toilet bowl or a bathroom floor trap. Chemicals poured on top of each other are how the next person cannot safely open the pan. Tell us what went in. The floor below staining is often the collar, S$260 to S$480, not a flush button. Three symptoms, three rows. Name which one you see.
Parts you bought must match. A siphon for a different brand will not seal, and the visit becomes two trips. Photograph the cistern brand if it is visible. We do not publish a call-out for the wrong part. If the water will not shut off, the angle valve may be the first job, S$110 to S$180 when it is the spray, hose and brass valve, or quote on inspection if the isolator is seized in a way that sentence does not cover. Do not leave a running cistern overnight if you can reach the stopcock.
HDB noisy rules barely apply. This is quiet work. Condo water may still be on a riser the management wants shut for a valve. Landed high-level cisterns need a stable ladder. The high-ceiling lamp price is not a cistern price. If we cannot reach it safely, we will say so. A seat replacement will not restore a flush. The seat page is the other search.
Send a video of one flush and a photo of the cistern or the plate. Say if the neighbours’ bowls rise too. A common stack is the town council, not another siphon. We will not auger a stack that is the council’s pipe and charge you the bowl rate for a building.
Homey Furnishing Pte. Ltd. (ACRA UEN 202018148K), 27 Mandai Estate, #06-10 Innovation Place, Singapore 729931, invoices the permit-exempt visit. V On Construction Pte. Ltd. (ACRA UEN 201611708H), on the HDB Directory of Renovation Contractors, invoices hacking, a new layout, windows that are not exempt, and the household shelter. Homey Furnishing is not a MOM-licensed employment agency and does not place helpers, nannies or caregivers.
What to do first
- Stop if the bowl is rising. Do not keep flushing.
- Say exposed cistern, concealed plate, or rising water.
- Photo the brand and what chemicals, if any, went in.
- Use the siphon, concealed, auger or collar row that matches.
- If the stack affects the neighbours, call the town council.
| What you see | Safe check | Stop |
|---|---|---|
| Water runs into the bowl constantly | Exposed siphon or fill valve | S$130 to S$240 if that is the set |
| A plate on the wall, no cistern in the room | Concealed diagnostic | S$80 to S$120, valve S$180 to S$350 |
| Bowl water rises | Auger, not a siphon | S$120 to S$240. Stop flushing |
| Ceiling below is wet | Often the collar | S$260 to S$480 |
HDB, condo and landed
The building changes permission. It does not change a band that already has a sentence, and it does not fill a blank.
| Question | HDB | Condo | Landed |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDB | Exposed and concealed cisterns both appear. A permit is not required to change a siphon. | Town council for common property. Weekday drilling. | No town surcharge. |
| Condo | Same parts. A shutdown only if the supply valve is being changed and the riser requires it. | MCST for noise, water shutdowns and deposits. | Deposit is not our fee. |
| Landed | A high cistern is still the same parts if you can reach it safely. | No HDB permit. PUB and EMA still apply. | No house hourly rate. |
How you're charged
How you're charged
These four lines are the published handyman charges. A job that already has its own band uses that band. The hour is not added on top of a band unless the written scope says so. There is no fuel surcharge.
| Charge | What it covers | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | Permit-exempt handyman time | S$45/hr |
| Minimum charge | One task on one visit | S$55 |
| Call-out | The same single-task visit. No separate trip fee | S$55 |
| Materials | Parts, unless a job row says they are included | quote on inspection |
Small, medium, and large visits
Times are planning estimates for the work itself. They are not a promise of when someone arrives.
| Size | Example tasks | Planning time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | One generic hinge, tap labour on the existing outlet, or a socket on an existing circuit | Often under an hour |
| Medium | An exposed cistern siphon, one silicone zone, or two or three small tasks on the same visit | About 1 to 3 hours |
| Large | A typical HDB bathroom regrout, a dishwasher bay, or an exposed storage-heater labour visit | Half a day or longer |
What a handyman can't do
What a handyman can't do
Permit-exempt fittings stay on the Homey Furnishing invoice. These do not:
- A new cable, a new circuit, or a consumer unit. That is an EMA licensed electrician. A socket on an existing circuit is the S$55 row. A dedicated appliance circuit stays S$220 to S$450.
- A new or relocated water point, or a hacked chase. That is a PUB licensed plumber. Tap labour on the existing outlet is S$55.
- Piped gas. That is a Licensed Gas Service Worker.
- Hacking, a new layout, or the household shelter. That is an HDB renovation permit through V On Construction Pte. Ltd. UEN 201611708H.
- A hole in a fire-rated door that the fire detail does not allow.
- Common-corridor lights, stacks, and letterbox banks. Those follow the town council on the S&CC bill, or the MCST in a condo.
Handyman vs licensed contractor
| Work | Who does it | What this site prices |
|---|---|---|
| Existing fitting, no new cable or pipe | Handyman visit | S$45/hr, or the job band |
| One small task | Handyman visit | S$55 call-out |
| New circuit or DB | EMA licensed electrician | S$220 to S$450 for a dedicated circuit, or the DB bands |
| New water point | PUB licensed plumber | quote on inspection |
| Hacking or a new layout | HDB permit, V On Construction | quote on inspection |
Ways to keep the bill smaller
Ways to keep the bill smaller
- Put several tasks on one visit. The S$55 call-out is one task. Extra permit-exempt time is S$45 an hour, not a second trip.
- Buy the part when the row is labour only. Tap labour is S$55. Toilet-bowl labour is S$168. Instant-heater labour is S$108 to S$260. Exposed storage-heater labour is S$188 to S$380.
- Send the photos first, so the reply can use a published band instead of a vague hour.
WhatsApp the photos to +65 8561 0630.
Price, or quote on inspection
Published rows only. A missing row is quote on inspection, not a rounded guess.
| Scope already published | 2026 band in the repo | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Exposed cistern siphon, fill valve and donut washer | S$130 to S$240 | Toilet bowl repair |
| Concealed cistern diagnostic | S$80 to S$120 | Concealed cistern repair |
| Concealed fill or flush valve | S$180 to S$350 | Concealed cistern repair |
| Toilet bowl or floor-trap auger | S$120 to S$240 | Toilet bowl repair |
| Toilet pan collar | S$260 to S$480 | Toilet bowl repair |
Anything not in that table is quote on inspection. A second trade, when the law requires one, is named. It is not folded into a handyman hour.
WhatsApp the photos to +65 8561 0630. The reply uses a band already printed on HomeySG, or it says quote on inspection. It does not invent a third number in the chat.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
How much to repair a toilet flush?
An exposed siphon set is S$130 to S$240. A concealed diagnostic is S$80 to S$120. A choke is S$120 to S$240. Use the row that matches the symptom.
Should I keep flushing?
Not if the water is rising. You will flood the floor. Stop and send a video.
Is a new seat the repair?
No. Seats do not restore a flush. A plain seat is quote on inspection on the seat page.
The neighbour’s toilet rises too. Is that my cistern?
Often it is the common stack. Contact the town council. Do not pay for a private auger of a common pipe.