How To Fix A Running Toilet

A running toilet can be a source of frustration because it may continue to run for several minutes. It may also cycle on and off constantly wasting a lot of water every day. For this reason, you should know how to fix a running toilet. That said, here is some information by Gerald Carpenter on how to fix a running toilet.

How to Fix a Running Toilet: Toilet Typical Toilet Tank Components

Before you attempt to fix the running toilet, you should know all the toilet tank parts, including the following:

Flush Lever

This lever activates the toilet flushing action and it extends from the handle that one presses to a chain connected to the flapper valve. In most cases, a single nut secured against the toilet tank wall holds the flush lever in place. If the flush lever in your toilet is made of steel or brass, it can corrode and break over time.

Flapper Valve

This valve essentially controls the water flushing process. It sits at the bottom of the toilet tank and it lifts when you push the flush lever to allow water to flow into the toilet bowl. Although it is made of rubber, it can become hard and brittle over time. As a result, it may break or fail to plug the water hole properly leading to continuous running of water.

Float System

The float system controls water flow into the water tank after every flushing action. It consists of parts such as the float ball and float arm. When you flush water down the toilet bowl, the float ball activates a switch that opens a valve and begins to refill the tank with water. At the same time, the float ball rises with the rising level of water until it reaches a preset level and shuts the water inflow valve. A fault in any part of this mechanism will affect the inflow and outflow of water and your toilet is likely to continuously fill and empty itself.

Other parts that you should familiarize yourself with before you fix running toilet include fill valve, float arm, washer, and float attachment screw.

Diagnosing and Fixing a Running Toilet

To diagnose a fix running toilet, start by removing the toilet tank top and then observe the flushing action as it takes place. It is important to note that, even though most households use recycled water for their toilet systems, the water is generally clean and safe to touch. In general, a toilet will run continuously because the fill valve that allows water into a toilet tank does not close properly. On the other hand, a toilet will run intermittently because the fill valve constantly opens and closes for a few minutes. Still, figuring out why this is happening could take several minutes.

Since leaks anywhere in the tank can make your toilet to run continuously, you should take care of them as well. For example, if there are leaks around the fill valve, tightening the locknut should solve this problem. If you cannot pinpoint any leaks, flush the toilet and observe keenly what happens. If you are not familiar with the flushing action, repeat it several times until you get a good grasp of how it works. While doing this, you should pay careful attention to the following parts:

Fill Valve

Water overflowing into the overflow tube indicates that there is a problem with the fill valve. Remove the cap on top of the fill valve and check the washer inside. Replace it if it looks cracked, worn out, or damaged in any way. Make sure you replace it with a similar washer. Alternatively, you can replace the entire fill valve instead of going through the hassle of finding the right washer. Remember to turn off your toilet’s water supply and then replace the fill valve or washer.

Flapper

With the water in your toilet tank still running, apply some pressure on the flapper. If this causes the water to stop running, the flapper is the culprit (it does not seal the water outflow hole completely). Once again, turn off the water and flush your toilet to get rid of water that might be in the tank. Remove the existing flapper and install a new one. Take note that flappers vary from one toilet tank manufacturer to the next. Removing a flapper could be as easy as lifting it from the ears of the overflow tube or involve unscrewing it from a water tank attachment. When attaching a new flapper, leave some slack on the chain. Turn on the water and flush your toilet to test whether it is working well.

Flush Handle

Your toilet could be running incessantly because the flush handle is broken or worn out. In such a case, you have to replace it with a new one. This should be easy and may only need a screwdriver or a pair of pliers. Unscrew the old broken handle and screw into place a new one. Be careful when unscrewing a toilet tank handle because the nut holding it in place is likely to be reversely threaded. This means you have to turn it left to loosen it and vice versa to tighten it.

Float

The type of float in your toilet’s water tank can malfunction causing it to run continuously. The majority of old toilets have ball floats while modern toilets tend to have cup floats. If the ball floats too high, water will rise above the overflow tube and keep draining. One way of solving this problem is by bending the float arm upwards (at the middle) gently. This applies extra pressure on the fill valve by forcing the float ball to sink further below its usual level. Flush your toilet to see if this action has remedied the problem. If it does not work, consider replacing the ball float with a new one or a cup float. Make sure you get a float that is compatible with your toilet model.

Overall, you do not necessarily need the skills of an experienced plumber to diagnose and fix running toilet. Some of the parts that could malfunction and cause this problem include the flush lever and handle, flapper valve, or float ball. A good grasp of how these parts should work will give you a good idea of which part to fix or replace when fixing a running toilet.