Hi, I am Leo the repair guy. I've been fixing houses and doing household repairs now for 30 years. I'm here to help you with one of your most common toilet problems and to give you easy directions to fix this yourself. With plumbers charging outrageous prices, this is a repair you can easily do yourself.
Toilet Run on is one of the most common problems you can have with a toilet and it can cost you lots of money in water bills. There is occasionally a toilet that runs or flushes on it's own. You might not hear it until late at night when the kids are asleep and their TVs or stereos are off or you might just hear a sudden flush of water for a moment a few times during the day or night.
In general, because there are different types of systems, the cause is a defective flapper valve. This is located in your toilet tank centered in the bottom of the tank. Your flush handle has a chain or rubber strap that raises this flapper when you push down the handle to allow the tank water to rush into the bowl tow flush away waste. When these flappers wear out they allow water to pass by them when the handle is not lowered. When the water level gets low enough the float will lower with it and eventually tell the fill valve to put more water into the tank until the float is raised enough to close the fill valve. This is the Run on effect.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My landlord refuses to fix my toilet which is running. I am worried about my water and sewer bills going up. He stated he dosen't hear it running. All he did was lower the water level and it doesn't help. What do I do?
By sarah
Get a toilet kit at the hardware store. It will consist of a toilet ball, chain and tank seal. Watch youtube videos to learn how to put it in yourself.
That is good advice. Make a video on your phone and send it to the owner. If they won't help, keep keep the receipt and send a copy to the owner for a refund.
I put in a new flapper in my toilet and occasionally it runs like it is flushing. Is this normal or do I need to fix it and how? Does this make my water bill higher?
By sandra from Salem, OR
Yes, it can make a huge water bill, make sure you fix it or get it fixed ASAP.
Try adjusting the chain length first but the handle itself might need to be replaced if it's loose or sticking. Doing one or both of those things have always worked for me including here in my apartment.
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Fixing a Running Toilet. My toilet drips into the bowl constantly. How do I fix it?
