• The float, the flapper, or the fill valve are the virtually probable causes of a toilet running continuously.
  • Yous can perform like shooting fish in a barrel tests like monitoring water movement to assistance identify the crusade.
  • Whichever part is the culprit, information technology'southward easy to remove and replace yourself.

A running toilet isn't only noisy and annoying; information technology likewise means y'all're spending money on extra water, and your utility bills could go upward. Luckily, there are a few elementary solutions that can ofttimes fix the trouble without the need for a plumber. Hither's how to decide the problem, how to troubleshoot your running toilet, and how to implement the fixes.

Diagnosing the problem

common causes for a running toilet diagram

Rachel Mendelson/Insider

In that location are three principal bug that are often the cause of a running toilet. You'll need to examine each of these components to determine which is causing the trouble.

1. The flapper

The flapper, which creates a seal in the bottom of your toilet tank and then lets water flow into the bowl when y'all flush, is i common cause of running toilets. The flapper can gradually habiliment out and leak, at which bespeak it needs to be replaced.

Duane Miller, owner of Stellar Plumbing, explains that there's a simple way to test to see if your flapper is letting water leak through into the toilet bowl. You tin can put a few drops of food coloring into your toilet tank, then look for thirty minutes. Don't flush the toilet during that time. Later 30 minutes, look into the toilet basin to see if any dyed water has seeped into the bowl. If it has, information technology ways that you need to replace your flapper.

two. The bladder

Co-ordinate to Miller, if your float ball isn't working or the pinnacle needs to be adapted, water could continuously see your toilet. Miller states that if your float isn't adjusted correctly, information technology can cause the h2o level in your tank to be too high.

When the water gets too high, it can seep over the top tank into your overflow tube. Your overflow tube channels h2o into the toilet bowl so that it doesn't overflow the tank. The result is that the tube will continue to channel that water into the bowl, and your toilet will keep calculation water to try to maintain that too-high water level.

iii. The fill valve

It's besides possible that your fill up valve is leaking and needs to exist replaced. Your fill valve controls the flow of water into your tank, and it stays on until your tank has filled. It's also sometimes called a ballcock.

To test to encounter if your make full valve is functioning normally, remove the lid from your tank and flush your toilet. Look to meet if h2o is leaking from any part of the valve. If you tin't see any visible leaks, and so lift upwards the arm that'southward attached to your float while the tank is filling. The water should cease. If it doesn't, there'south probably a leak lower down in the fill valve that you can't run into.

How to supercede the flapper

The inner workings of a toilet tank

The flapper is at the base of operations of the tank and lets water flow from the tank to the bowl.
Jim Nevertheless-Pepper/Getty Images

If you lot've determined that the flapper is leaking, and so you'll demand to replace information technology. It's a relatively easy process.

ane. Turn off the h2o supply. Your toilet's water supply comes through a hose that's often on the left side of the toilet. That hose goes into your wall or floor, and there will exist a handle at the base of the hose. Turn that handle all the way to the right until it's tight.

ii. Flush the toilet. Past flushing the toilet, you'll drain all of the remaining h2o from the tank.

3. Remove the flapper. The flapper volition have a concatenation that attaches to the affluent lever inside your tank, which you can unclip. Different flappers mount into the tank in different ways, but you lot should exist able to jerk, curve, and otherwise remove the flapper from the base of the tank.

four. Purchase a new flapper. Your new flapper will need to be the same size and type equally your quondam one. The easiest way to ensure yous're buying the right flapper is to take your former flapper to the hardware shop with you and so you can compare the models. About hardware store staff volition too exist able to aid yous.

5. Install the new flapper. The verbal installation method you'll employ will depend on the blazon of flapper you have, so refer to the directions that come with your new flapper.

6. Adjust the flapper concatenation. The flapper chain needs to exist the right length. If information technology'due south besides long, the flapper won't fully lift off of the bleed hole, so you won't get a full affluent. If it's too short, the flapper may not exist able to close and seal properly. Adjust the chain so there's nearly ½-inch of slack when your flush lever is in the normal position.

How to adjust the float

A person's hand adjusting the float in a toilet tank

The bladder actually floats on meridian of the h2o in the tank to make up one's mind the level.
True cat Foto/Shutterstock

If your float is causing the toilet to run, you lot'll demand to adjust it. At that place are two master types of floats. Ball and arm floats characteristic a small plastic brawl that floats on the water. There are as well column floats that are installed vertically in your toilet. The steps you follow will depend on the type of float you have.

Brawl and arm float

1. Check the bladder level. It's best to have your float prepare then information technology is one to two inches beneath the overflow tube. At that place might be a line on the toilet tank that identifies the ideal water line. Brand reference of this point so you know where you'll want your float to sit down after the adjustment.

2. Turn off the water supply. Your toilet's water supply comes through a hose that's oft on the left side of the toilet. That hose goes into your wall or floor, and there will exist a handle at the base of the hose. Turn that handle all the style to the right until it's tight.

3. Loosen the float. Using a screwdriver, loosen the screws belongings the bladder in place by turning counterclockwise. The screws are often located close to the fill valve.

iv. Accommodate the float. Looking at the water line on the tank, determine where the float needs to sit. Y'all can loosen the screws more to lower the float, or yous tin tighten them to raise the float.

5. Test the float level. Later on making the aligning, plow the water to the tank back on past turning the handle on the water input hose to the left. Look for the tank to make full upwards. Once it's full, make certain that the float is sitting at the water level. If it'due south likewise high or too low, you'll need to echo the process to make the appropriate adjustment.

Column bladder

i. Check the float level. It's best to have your float set so it is ane to two inches beneath the overflow tube. In that location might be a line on the toilet tank that identifies the ideal h2o line. Make reference of this signal so you know where you'll want your bladder to sit after the adjustment.

2. Turn off the water supply. Your toilet'south water supply comes through a hose that's ofttimes on the left side of the toilet. That hose goes into your wall or floor, and at that place will be a handle at the base of the hose. Turn that handle all the way to the right until it's tight.

3. Identify the float release prune. Looking into the tank, you lot'll see a long tube that runs from the float to the fill valve. There will exist a clip on that tube. That clip is the float release clip.

4. Loosen the prune. Loosen the clip by either squeezing or rotating it.

five. Accommodate the float height. Lower or raise the float by pushing downwardly on it or pulling up on it. Adjust the bladder until it is even with the water line that yous identified earlier.

6. Tighten the clip. With the bladder in the proper position, tighten the clip by either releasing it or rotating it. This will concord the float in place.

vii. Test the float level. After making the adjustment, turn the h2o to the tank back on by screwing the handle on the h2o input hose to the left. Wait for the tank to fill up up. In one case it's total, make sure that the float is sitting at the water level. If it's too loftier or too low, you'll need to echo the process to brand the appropriate adjustment.

How to replace the fill valve

A pair of hands fixing a toilet

A leaky fill valve could be the cause of a running toilet.
Navinpeep/Getty Images

If your make full valve is leaking, y'all'll need to replace information technology following the steps below.

1. Plow off the water supply. Your toilet's water supply comes through a hose that's oft on the left side of the toilet. That hose goes into your wall or floor, and at that place will be a handle at the base of operations of the hose. Turn that handle all the way to the correct until it's tight.

2. Affluent the toilet. Past flushing the toilet, you'll drain all of the remaining water from the tank.

3. Disconnect the water supply from the tank. Follow the water supply hose up to where it connects to the bottom of your tank. Unscrew that hose and drop the loose end into a bucket.

4. Remove the fill valve. Attain down into the tank and locate the lock nut at the base of the fill valve. Unscrew that lock nut. Y'all should now exist able to remove the fill up valve past lifting it straight upwardly.

5. Buy a new fill valve. You'll need to buy a new fill valve that's the same size every bit your previous valve. The best fashion to accomplish this is to bring your old fill valve with you to the hardware or plumbing store.

6. Install the new fill valve. The specific installation steps will vary depending on the fill up valve model that you buy, so refer to the installation instructions that come up with the valve.

7. Reconnect your h2o supply. Reconnect the water supply hose to the bottom of your tank past positioning information technology and then tightening the lock nut on the end of the hose.

8. Plow your h2o supply dorsum on. Plow your water supply on by turning the handle at the base of the hose back to the left. Permit your tank fill up back up.

Insider'southward takeaway

The flapper, float, and make full valve are all common causes of running toilets. Fortunately, they're all fairly like shooting fish in a barrel to test so replace if y'all detect an issue. A simple float adjustment might solve the trouble, or you might need to replace your flapper or fill valve entirely. When repairing your toilet, be sure to pay attention to details. Slight differences in a new replacement office or a float level that'southward merely a little flake off tin can pb to bug with your toilet.

While information technology's empowering to gear up your toilet yourself, don't hesitate to call a plumber if yous can't identify the trouble or if the job is more than challenging than you're comfy with.