Why is My Toilet Running?

Is your toilet running or making noise long after you have flushed? This is a sign of a leak in the tank. While this is not an extreme emergency to worry about, address it quickly to avoid wasting water. There are a few usual suspects for a toilet running problem. But, you will want a plumber to narrow down what exactly the problem is and how to fix it. It all starts with taking the lid off the tank and looking!

Float Height

Firstly, the float is how your toilet knows when to stop filling the tank with water. Water could be flowing into your overflow tube because your float is too high and needs adjusting. Sometimes you have to lower the float arm if you have a float ball. The same principle applies to a float cup. Both can be adjusted by loosening the screw, making the adjustment, and tightening them back up. . A professional can help you make the right adjustments to your float to stop your toilet running.

Flapper Needs Replacing

On the other hand, the flapper at the bottom of your toilet could need replacing to stop the toilet running issue. This is the disk at the bottom of your toilet made from rubber. This raises when you flush, allowing water to flow into the toilet bowl. The flapper falls back into place once enough water leaves the tank. However, if the flapper is broken or does not seal properly, water will continue to flow into the bowl and cause the water to continuously run.

Additionally, the chain that lifts the flapper may be too long or too short, which will need adjusting. If the chain is too long, it may catch under the flapper. If it is too short, the flapper will not be able to seal. I professional can help you either adjust your chain or replace the flapper.

The Fill Tube or Overflow Tube

One more problem that could cause a toilet running issue is your refill tube not being properly positioned. The refill tube sends water down the overflow tube to refill the bowl. It needs to be positioned over the overflow tube to work properly. It could be that the tube is too long and needs to be trimmed or the tube has fallen off.

If you are at a loss as to what could be causing your toilet running problem or need someone to make the repairs, please give us a call! Valley Fire Protection & Plumbing has the expertise to help you with your constantly running toilet.

Related Topics: Residential Plumbing // Toilets
By: Tom Hartel
I acquired my expertise by directing day-to-day operations of the business for over 20 years. Continuous hard work helped me become a nationally recognized speaker and expert on fire protection, fire sprinklers, special hazards, and plumbing systems. In this blog, I share my knowledge that will hopefully help you make better decisions for your projects.

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