A running toilet is more than just an annoyance — it can significantly drive up your water water bill when unaddressed. The good news is that most running toilet issues can be boiled down to a few common, fixable problems. Below are the most frequent solutions I come across when fixing a running toilet (Ranked by most to least common).
1. Clean or Replace the Flapper
This is the most common problem I come across. The flapper is the part that creates a seal between the tank and the bowl. When you flush the handle, the flapper gets lifted up to allow the water in the tank to drain down into the bowl. If if is dirty, worn/warped, or not sitting properly, the flapper will lose the ability to complete a full seal. As such, water will continuously leak into the bowl, and then the fill valve will then activate once the water in tank drops below a certain level. Cleaning or replacing a flapper is inexpensive and quick to do, and often solves the problem immediately.
Note: Some toilets use different flushing mechanisms, such as canister flushing – these parts can also can be easily cleaned or replaced.
2. Check/Replace the Fill Valve
If there is a continuous running of water (or sometimes sounds like a hissing sound), then it may be that the parts on the fill valve are worn or have mineral buildup, causing water to continue leaking into the tank (instead of stopping the filling action). Eventually this will cause water to flow into the overflow tube and into the toilet bowl. Replacing the fill valve is a bit more extensive, requiring the toilet tank to be drained in order to remove the old fill valve.
Important Note: Make sure you adjust the height of the replacement valve and floater before you finish the install, as it will impact how much water fills up in the water tank.
3. Inspect the Float on the Fill Valve
The float controls when the Fill Valve stops filling the toilet tank. If it’s set too high or gets stuck, the toilet may never shut off. In most cases, you can adjust the float height easily to resolve this issue quickly. If it is getting stuck, I’d recommend replacing the Fill Valve completely (#2 above)
4. Shorten or Lengthen the Chain
Sometimes, a chain may be set too long, which then gets caught under the flapper after flushing, preventing a tight seal (same symptom from #1). Alternatively, a chain that’s too short can hold the flapper open. Making sure the chain has a little slack that allows the flapper to fully close but not get stuck under the flapper will sometimes solve this issue. However, this is not very common since either of these problems would be noticed immediately as they would cause your toilet to not work properly.
If your toilet keeps running or you’d rather not troubleshoot it yourself, a handyman can quickly diagnose the issue and make the repair — saving water, money, and frustration.
Help Me Henry serves towns in Somerset County, NJ, and can easily help you with any of home repair needs!