Why Is Your Toilet Constantly Running? These 3 Reasons Will Explain it!

Are you noticing a constant sound of running water coming from your toilet? Does it take your toilet longer than usual to fill back up after being flushed? As a homeowner, making sure your toilet works properly at all times is vital to your family. Nothing is more frustrating than requiring toilet repairs. Luckily, a running toilet is a very common issue that is actually quite simple to repair on your own.

Before calling a professional, try replacing the following parts and making the following adjustments to fix a constantly running toilet:

Adjust the Fill Height

Fill height refers to how much water fills your toilet tank after it’s been flushed. The fill height is directly related to your fill valve. Most toilets utilize one of the following components to manage their fill height:

Ballcock: This mechanism is essentially a float ball attached to an arm inside your toilet tank. When the toilet gets flushed, the float moves down as water exits the tank. When the toilet begins to fill back up, the float moves up with the water to the appropriate height.

Cylinder mechanism: This is more common in modern toilets. It consists of a cylinder that moves up and down on the fill valve. As water rushes out of the tank when the toilet is flushed, the cylinder moves down. As water refills the tank, the cylinder moves up to the set fill height.

If your fill height is set too low, the toilet will constantly run. A fill height that is set too high will put your toilet at risk of overflowing. Make sure your fill height is a not too low or too high to ensure efficiently toilet flushing.

Replace the Flapper

One of the most important components in your toilet is the flapper. This is a rubber plug that seals the tank as water refills it after a flush.

When the toilet is flushed, the flapper moves away from the seal, allowing water to exit the tank, and when the water starts to refill, the flapper seals in place to be ready for the next flush.

There are many reasons why a flapper may not seal properly, the most common include a worn-out flapper or a flapper with a chain that is too short. If you notice your flapper not sealing properly, replace it right away and you will notice an improvement in your toilet.

Double Check the Fill Tube

The fill tube siphons water into the overflow drain to refill the bowl after flushing. This is another component that could become worn out or dislodged, causing the toilet to constantly run.

If you suspect a problem with the fill tube, flush the toilet with the tank exposed to make sure the water is going into the overflow drain and that the end of the fill tube is not below the water level of the tank.

For more help with all your toilet problems, call Powell’s Plumbing today in Winchester, VA at 540-665-8196 and speak to one of our experts.