Why Is My Toilet Running Constantly? Simple Fixes Explained
The Chain Connected to the Flapper Is Tangled
When you look inside the toilet tank, you’ll see a chain that extends from a rod down to a flapper that covers the tube that leads from the tank into the bowl. When you flush the toilet, the chain pulls up the flapper, water rushes out of the tank through the opening that the flapper covered, and then the flapper falls back down.
One of the simplest reasons why your toilet might be constantly running is that the chain that pulls the flapper up has either gotten tangled, which would prevent the flapper from closing off the opening completely, or it’s gotten caught under the flapper. If that chain is sized properly, it won’t be long enough to have part of it trapped under the flapper. It will be just long enough to let the flapper close securely. However, if the chain was already too long, you just might have gotten lucky so far and not had it get trapped until now. The fix in both cases is to ensure the chain is the right length and is not so loose that it forms tangles when the flapper rises up.
The Flapper Is Broken
The next potential cause, and it’s another one that’s simple to deal with, is that the flapper is broken or dirty. Debris and chips in the flapper material prevent the flapper from forming a seal when it closes off the tube that leads to the bowl. You can clean off debris. However, if the flapper is chipped or worn, it will have to be replaced. If you don’t know how to do that, you can have a plumber do it. It doesn’t take long to fix.
The Fill Valve Is Faulty
The fill valve is the assembly that includes the long pipe you see on one side in the tank. You should see a tube leading from the fill valve to a shorter pipe, which is the overflow pipe (sometimes called the overflow tube). The fill valve regulates how much water enters the tank after you flush, and sometimes it breaks and just won’t shut off the flow of water. A broken fill valve needs to be replaced, and while it’s not a difficult job at all, you may want a plumber to do it if you don’t want to deal with shutting the water off and taking the assembly apart yourself.
The Float Is Set Too High
If you look under the fill valve, you’ll see a thicker piece connected to the fill valve by a metal or plastic rod. This thicker piece is the float, and it helps control the tank’s water level. If it’s set too high, the water will continue to run. This isn’t something you have to replace most of the time; instead, fixing it is a matter of adjustment. Your toilet tank has a fill line, and the water in the tank should be at this line when full. A float that’s too high can lead to too much water entering the tank and then heading down the overflow pipe to the bowl. The water in the tank never reaches the height set by the float, so the water doesn’t shut off. A plumber can adjust the float’s height so that the water once again stops when it reaches the proper fill line.
The Overflow Tube Is Too Short
Now, take a look at that overflow pipe. If it’s too short, then once the water in the tank gets higher, it may start to flow down the overflow tube instead of continuing to fill the tank. You end up with a constantly running toilet because all the other parts are trying to refill the tank, but the water ends up going down the too-short tube. This is usually an issue if the assembly inside the tank isn’t compatible with the model of toilet. So, if you’ve already had everything replaced — say, a relative tried to help you out — and the water is now running continuously, you may have gotten the wrong assembly. The fix is to replace everything with an assembly that works with your model of toilet.
The Refill Tube Is Too Long
That thin tube that runs from the fill valve over to the overflow pipe is the refill tube. When you flush a toilet, after the tank drains and the flapper closes, water rushes out from the bottom of the fill valve to fill up the tank. Some water also runs through the refill tube over to the overflow pipe; that water helps refill the bowl after its been emptied. When the refill tube is too long, and it sits too far into the overflow tube, it can cause the toilet to keep running. What’s happening is that, when the end of the tube in the overflow pipe is lower than the level of the water in the tank, the other end of the tube, which is down at the bottom of the fill valve, will start taking water from the tank and sending it down the overflow tube (“siphoning” is the proper term). Have a plumber shorten the refill valve and clip it to the top of the overflow pipe to ensure that you don’t have that imbalance again.
Give Us A Call
If you can’t get your toilet to stop running, give the professionals at Shamrock Plumbing a call now. Contact us for a quote and to arrange for repairs. We can handle installation and repairs for toilets. Don’t let a constantly running toilet make your day seem down. Call us so we can get your plumbing back into good order.