No one ever wants to deal with a running toilet. However, when you find yourself in the thick of such a situation, you essentially have two options. You can opt to repair the running toilet on your own, or you can simply call in a plumber. While it is true that you can call in the professionals, the truth of the matter is that you can just as easily handle the matter by yourself.
Wouldn’t it be great to tackle a small project, while also saving a few bucks? Of course it would.
Repairing Your Running Toilet
The first thing you’re going to want to do is identify the various parts of your toilet:
- Flush levers.
- Rubber flappers that keep your tank water from descending into your bowl. It’s hooked to your toilet flush lever.
- Pumps that refill your tank after it has been emptied.
- Floats that rise and lower with your water levels, in order for the pump to know when to begin and when to stop.
- Overflow tubes, which are responsible for setting your high water level in your tank.
As you can imagine, when it comes to a running toilet, there are several different possibilities and solutions to consider. You should also make sure to have the water connected to your toilet switched off:
- Chain problems: Check your flush lever/rubber flapper connection. Jiggling will allow you to see what’s going on with the chain between your lever and your flapper. What you don’t want is something that is too short, which results in constant pull on your flapper even after it has closed. If it is too long, the flapper may not close properly. Simply move the clip down, or have the chain replaced with something similar.
- Broken/dirty/warped flapper: For any of these possibilities, have your flapper unhooked from the base of the tank, after flushing the toilet to drain the whole thing of water. Discoloration, warping, or the slightest break in the plastic/rubber can point to the need for something new. Although in some cases, it is actually possible to simply clean the flapper.
- The position of your float: If your tank continues to fill beyond your overflow pipe, the position of your float could be the problem. Bending the rod that connects your float to your pump is an easy solution. However, if the rod won’t bend, you may finally be in the position of needing to call in your plumber.
These are simple solutions anyone can try.
