How To Fix A Running Toilet
A constantly running toilet is not only annoying because of the permanent noises it makes, but it’s a terrible waste of water that will definitely show on your water bill. Fixing it up is easier than you think, and it can be done at home, with simple tools and basic skills.
If you’ve been postponing the repair because you didn’t want to call a plumber, read the following methods of stopping a running toilet and solve the problem yourself.
Before you start investigating the issue, remove the lid of the toilet tank and get some tools like pliers, gloves,
Make Sure the Fill Tube Is Attached
The fill tube is a small tube attached to the fill valve, a tall tube on the side of the toilet, where water comes from. If the fill tube is not attached firmly to the valve, the toilet won’t refill and you get a running toilet or a weak flush.
Water from the fill tube has to go into the overflow tube, the shorter tube at the center of the toilet tank. Make sure the fill tube is placed correctly and test the flush.
Check the Height of the Float
The quantity of water that goes into the water tank after a flush is controlled by a floater. This floater is adjusted at a certain height, and when it reaches the maximum level, the water stops flowing in the overflow tube.
If your floater is set too low, you will get a weak flush. If it’s too high, water keeps spilling into the overflow tube and isn’t stopped by the floater valve, so your toilet is running. You can adjust the height of the floater by using the clip or screw it’s equipped with.
Replace the Fill Valve
In some cases, the fill valve is bokeh and doesn’t seal properly, which causes water to keep spilling into the toilet, even if the rest of the mechanism works fine. To test it, just fill in the water tank half-way using a pitcher or pot and see what happens. If the valve doesn’t stop the water from flowing into the toilet, it’s time to buy a replacement valve and put the new one in place.
Check the Flapper Chain
A lot of mechanisms have a flapper chain that connects the flapper to the flusher rod. When you use the mechanism by pressing the flusher, the flusher rod pulls the chain connecting to the flapper, opening it and releasing the water. If the chain is tangled, your toilet will keep running.
Over to You
These are some of the basic problems you could have with the toilet flushing mechanism. If you can’t identify the issue or your repair is not successful, call a plumber, and solve the problem. It won’t take long and it should cost very little.
