How To Fix A Toilet Tank That Keeps Running – So, your toilet has been running for a few hours now. what now Here’s a guide on how to quickly diagnose and fix your running toilet!
In your situation, homeowners usually panic, flush hundreds (perhaps causing the toilet to overflow!), or call the nearest plumber they can find. But not you! You’re here because you want to learn why your toilet broke and how to fix it yourself before calling a plumber. This guide will help you identify possible causes of your toilet not flushing, and then provide some solutions you can try at home before you need to call a plumber for professional help.
How To Fix A Toilet Tank That Keeps Running
We do not recommend doing any work on your own plumbing unless you really understand what you are doing. DIY plumbing can often lead to expensive repairs – so proceed with caution with this guide! Only take steps that feel comfortable to you. If you have difficulty performing a step, skip to the next step to diagnose the problem. If you are having trouble doing these steps, call us at (626) 448-6455 and we can come to your location right away. If you would like the help of a professional toilet repair plumber, call us at (626) 448-6455.
Reasons Your Toilet Keeps Running + How To Fix Them!
There are a number of reasons why your toilet may be running, none of them good. However, don’t worry! A few potential causes are quick fixes, and you should be able to stop your toilet from running quickly! Follow this quick guide to diagnose the problem and fix it like a plumber.
Sometimes homeowners mistake a flushed toilet for a water-filled or overflowing toilet. If this sounds like what’s happening in your toilet, please be patient and see if the problem persists after 10+ minutes. If the toilet stops working for a long time, you may have a deep-rooted problem. There are many things that can cause a slow toilet to fill, none of them good. We recommend contacting Western Rooter & Plumbing or an experienced plumber before continuing to use the toilet.
The first thing to check (and the easiest thing to fix, if it’s the cause of a leaking toilet!) is the toilet handle.
How To Stop A Running Toilet: A Beginner’s Guide
If the toilet handle gets stuck, the toilet will continue to run. The water in the toilet tank should be high enough so that when you flush it, the water flushes out of the toilet.
To fix a stuck toilet handle, you will need to find a toilet handle lever/bar that is attached to the toilet tank. If you gently pull this lever up and down a few times, it will release on its own after enough drilling.
If you have an older home, you may have a toilet with a fill valve that won’t open or close. As a result, your toilet tank will fill up quickly due to high water pressure from your city water supply.
How To Shut Off Your Toilet’s Water Supply
If this is causing a problem with your flushing toilet, you should reduce the water pressure in your home by contacting your city or installing a toilet pressure relief valve.
A toilet pressure relief valve helps the toilet flush more smoothly, thereby reducing the amount of water used to flush the toilet. Not only will this help your running toilet, it can also lower your water bill!
(Tip: If you don’t want to install a new toilet pressure relief valve yourself, you can always try asking us how much it would cost to do this for you!)
How To Fix A Toilet That Flushes By Itself (a.k.a. A Phantom Toilet)
Most of the time when we get calls about a toilet, the problem is that it is floating. So be sure to check it yourself before you call a plumber! Replacing a small part yourself can save you hundreds of dollars in labor and parts.
A toilet float is a device that lets you know how full the toilet is. If the float is too high, the toilet will flush. This is what a toilet float looks like:
Open your toilet tank and find a float. You can tell if the toilet is too high if you see a ball floating at or just above the water level when the toilet is running.
What’s Wrong With My Toilet? Water Keeps Flowing Out Of This Hose Even After The Tank Is Full
If this is your problem, change it a little! May have an adjustment screw that allows for height adjustment; If so, turn this to move the toilet float down into the tank.
Now, flush the toilet and see if it goes even after flushing. If it does, reset the float and repeat this process until it no longer works.
If your toilet still works after adjusting the float to several different positions, you can proceed to the next step to diagnose your problem…
Reasons Your Toilet Keeps Running
The toilet flapper is the component that controls the flow of water into and out of the toilet tank. When you flush the toilet, the toilet lid closes and prevents water from re-entering the toilet drain and toilet bowl.
If the toilet lid does not close completely due to age, it may need to be replaced. Because flappers are usually made of plastic or rubber, they can be damaged over time by friction, so they usually need to be replaced after 5-8 years of use.
To check if your flapper is old/worn and needs replacing, remove it from the toilet tank and look for a worn piece of rubber or plastic. If you notice any holes, stretching, or tears in this area, replacing your toilet lid will be an easy fix to your leaky toilet problem!
Ways To Fix A Leaky Toilet Tank
Go to your local home improvement store and pick up a new flapper for yourself. Take the old one and show it to the employee so you can be pointed in the right direction. A better choice is if you have a plumbing supply store near you. They have flappers of all shapes and sizes.
The toilet refill tube tells the toilet how often to flush after flushing the material. If it is too short or too long, it can cause the toilet to continuously leak.
Sometimes when a toilet is installed by a DIYer or an unlicensed plumber or mechanic, the wrong size refill pipe may be used.
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To see if your toilet refill pipe is the correct size, you can calculate the height of the toilet tank and measure the refill pipe height with a ruler.
To do this, you need to measure from the top of the toilet tank to the top. You should then measure the height of the toilet refill hose from the end of the toilet tank where it meets the toilet bowl to the level of the toilet bowl.
To replace the refill tube, you can open the lid of the toilet tank to gain access. Then, remove or replace your refill canister with a new one of the correct size!
Why Your Toilet Fills Up With Water Then Slowly Drains
If your tube is too long, you can cut it to the right size and reshape it yourself. If this is difficult for you, contact Western Rooter & Plumbing or a licensed plumber you have worked with and get professional help!
The toilet flushing mechanism relies on gravity to flush the contents of the toilet. If the toilet is clogged, the water and the clog will have nowhere to go, so the toilet will flush to try to clear the clog. This causes the toilet to run continuously… which is bad news for your water bill!
If you suspect the toilet is clogged, try flushing it with a toilet bowler. If you don’t have an auger, you can try dipping. If this does not work and your toilet continues to flush, we recommend contacting Western Rooter & Plumbing or any reputable plumbing company for assistance.
We Detached The Toilet Tank To Fix A Leaking Problem. After We Put It Back In, The Tank Is No Long Filling Up With Water. Youtube Videos Keep Telling Us To Replace
If you’ve gotten this far and nothing else has helped, your problem may be deeper than you think. We highly recommend calling Western Rooter & Plumbing to come to your home, we can professionally diagnose the problem and explain why your toilet keeps running and then fix the problem.
If you have a plumbing problem or emergency, contact Western Rooter & Plumbing online or call our distribution center at (626) 448-6455. We’re the number one plumber in Los Angeles County and the San Gabriel Valley – don’t wait, call now!
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