How To Fix a Running Toilet

Almost everyone has experienced a toilet that continues to run after flushing it. It’s important to remember that it’s more than just an annoying noise – it’s actually a huge waste of water. Leaving your toilet running for hours can really run up the charges on your water bill. You can usually stop it from running by giving the handle a quick shake, but you’ll inevitably forget to a good percentage of the time, so it’s a good idea to take care of that running toilet and save yourself some bucks!

What Causes a Toilet To Keep Running?

There are two common reasons that a toilet continues to run after flushing it. Luckily, both of the causes can be corrected with just a few minutes work and a little bit of know-how.

Damaged Tank Flapper

One common cause of a running toilet is the tank flapper. After a lot of use, the rubber flapper at the bottom of the toilet tank can become warped or damaged. Water then seeps around the damaged flapper, causing the toilet to conintue running.

How To Replace a Tank Flapper

1. Turn off the water that goes to the toilet you’re working on.
2. Give the toilet a quick flush.
3. Open the toilet’s top lid and disconnect the chain from the flapper.
4. Remove the damaged flapper and install your new flapper.
5. Connect the chain to the new flapper.
6. Turn the water back on.

Toilet Tank Water Level

Another common cause of a running toilet is that the water level is not set correctly. An incorrect water level setting can cause the water to continue running into the overflow tube in the toilet tank. Luckily, this is very easy to fix – and is free!

1. Turn the fill valve screw to adjust the float in the tank. You want to adjust it so that the water stops filling 1 inch below the top of the overflow tube.