A constantly running toilet can be immensely stressful for so many reasons. It can lead to flooding, water damage, money wasting and headaches in general. The good news is that you may be able to fix a running toilet all by yourself. How to fix a running toilet? Pay attention to the following steps.
Check Inside Your Toilet Tank for a Leaky Flapper, Poor Fill Valve, or Overflow Pipe at the Incorrect Height
A leaky flapper may give you a poor flush. If you’re able to get a full flush, toilet flapper leakage may not be the reason.
Flush the toilet again. If you flush the toilet and notice that the flush is far from productive, then a new fill valve may be in the cards for you. An old fill valve that no longer does its job correctly may contribute to incessant running water sounds and a whole lot more.
Think about the overflow tube of your toilet. This tube is associated with its flush valve. If it’s higher than it should be, adjusting that may help eliminate your weak flush woes.
Check the Flapper
A faulty flapper is typically the cause of a running toilet. Flappers, in short, are rubber stoppers in tanks that elevate as a means of putting water into toilet bowls. This happens during flushing. Flappers tend to wear down gradually. A worn out flapper typically is an older one. An old flapper may enable water to escape its seal. You can test the effectiveness of your flapper by pressing down on it. If your toilet instantly responds by ceasing running, you’ve successfully pinpointed the cause of the nonstop running.
Replace The Flapper
You can kick things off by switching off the water for the toilet in question. Fortunately, you should be able to locate the shutoff valve right below the tank. Flush your toilet in order to eliminate any water that may be lingering inside the tank. After you do that, you can take out the flapper. If you want to replace the flapper correctly, you have to read the replacement instructions. You can find all sorts of flappers at your local hardware store.
Check the Fill Valve for a Leak
Perhaps pushing down on your flapper earlier did nothing for the running issue. That may mean that your fill valve tube is the problem. This little plastic tube travels from the toilet fill valve right to the overflow pipe. This pipe drains out remaining water any time the tank gets too full. If you notice that your toilet overflow tube is below water, push it back to make it higher than the water level.
Check The Float
Toilet floats exist in two separate categories. One category is the cup float and the other is the ball float. If your toilet is older, odds are high that it may have a cup float. Float height is a big consideration. Correct float height can spare you many headaches with running toilets. If the float is overly high, the water level may move higher than the overflow pipe. This may lead to a tank that drains endlessly. How on earth do you repair a ball float? Just bend the float arm. If you want to repair a cup float, look diligently for the adjustment mechanism in place. It may involve “pinching.” After you pinpoint it, move the float down the middle tube it surrounds.
Remove and Replace Old Toilet Fill Valve
Your ball float, fill tube and flapper may all be perfectly functional and reliable. If that’s the situation, you may have to swap out the old fill valve with a new one.
Install the New Fill Valve
You can begin the refill valve installation process by draining out your tank. Unscrew the water supply line in order to remove the faulty fill valve from its spot. Unscrew the lock nut from the tank’s exterior as well. If you want to avoid the mistake of buying the wrong kind of toilet fill valve, you should have the old one on hand during your shopping trip. After you return, put the new fill valve in its designated position. Put the float at the water level of your preference.
Lower the Water Level in the Tank
Toilet bowl water level issues can be a big problem at times. If you have a low water level issue on your hands, you may have a fill tube that isn’t working correctly. You may have a fill tube that isn’t in the right spot, too. Put your fill tube in a spot that enables water to move into your overflow tube with ease. If nothing changes, fill tube replacement may be the way to go.
Adjust The Flapper Chain
Your flapper may not be in the correct spot for whatever reason. If your flapper is tired out, it will make water drip incessantly from your tank to your toilet bowl. Take the flapper out by detaching the flapper chain from your designated flush handle lever. Remove the flapper from the pegs that are situated on the flush valve tube’s sides. Put the brand new flapper on by linking its ears to the aforementioned pegs. Attach the lever and the flapper chain. Switch on your water.
Inspect the Flush Valve Chain
Maybe your flush valve chain is overly tight. If it is, the flush valve won’t be able to shut completely. This may force water to leak into your toilet boil without pause. If your chain is especially loose, on the other hand, insufficient amounts of water will drain into the bowl. This may contribute to a flush that’s seriously inadequate. It may help to re-clip your chain to another tilt lever opening. Try this and wait for the right fit.
Why My Toilet Won’t Stop Running
A number of different things can lead to a persistently running toilet. If you want to learn how to fix a running toilet properly, you should meticulously evaluate your toilet tank, tank lid, float ball, water supply, flush lever, overflow pipe, float cup and more. Getting acquainted with the inner workings of your toilet and tank may help you nip tank issues in the bud quickly. It may help protect you from water bill spike headaches, too. Pay attention to your toilet’s water control. Assess how its tank fills.
Be sure to keep overflow tube difficulties in mind as well. If the float is excessively high, water might constantly drain into the tube. This may contribute to a toilet that never seems to stop running even for half a second.
Zero in on the flapper chain of your toilet. If this chain is excessively long, it may hang in a manner that’s particularly low. You may realize that it’s caught underneath the flapper as well. This quite understandably may lead to a flapper that isn’t able to shut completely. If a flapper cannot shut completely, it may allow water to leak. Luckily, wire cutter use can often come to the rescue here. You may not have to hire a professional plumber to take care of this matter. Just use your cutters to meticulously trim your chain. Taking care of excess chain may be all you have to do.
Most toilets experience flush valve flapper issues from time to time. If your new or old toilet won’t stop running, a faulty flush valve flapper might be the bad guy. A handful of things can bring on the deterioration of flappers. Mineral deposits can contribute to this sort of deterioration. The same applies to excessive water submersion and normal wear.
Don’t assume that an ineffective flapper is the only flapper issue that might disrupt the operations of your toilet. If your toilet refuses to cease running, you actually may have a flapper that’s soiled. If your flapper is the polar opposite of clean, that may stop it from sealing the drain the right way. If you want to thoroughly clean this piece, you should start by draining the tank fully. Detach the piece next.
Why You Should Never Brush Off Toilet Running Concerns
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that a running toilet is no big deal. If your toilet keeps running, it may actually lead to a flood in the comfort of your own home.
Floods are dangerous and unhygienic. They can cause water damage, mold development and a host of other hassles you simply don’t need or want in your day-to-day life. Excess water has the ability to flood your septic tank. That’s precisely how it can bring on drain field saturation and failure.
If you want to safeguard yourself from anxiety-inducing plumbing nightmares of all kinds, you should fix a running toilet without any reluctance at all. Reach out to a qualified, seasoned and tireless plumber as soon as you can to set up an appointment for toilet repair. Drop the Emergency Plumbing Squad staff a line today to pencil in an appointment.