nnIf you noticed that your toilet is constantly running, before trying to fix it you need to understand how it works. Toilets have a fill valve, flush valve and flapper.nnThe name “fill valve” speaks for itself – it fills the toilet tank with water and is usually located on the left of the tank with a water supply line connected to it. Fill valves also have some kind of float that goes up or down. During toilet flushing water leaves the tank and goes down into the bowl. The float drops. It is an indication for the fill valve to refill the tank with water and the float ascends along with the water level. At some point the float will stop and trigger the fill valve that will stop the refilling.nnFlush valves are located in the center of the toilet tank. The flapper is a little piece of rubber that sits on the flush valve. The flapper creates a seal with the top of the flush valve. When you flush your toilet, the flapper is lifted, granting water access out of the toilet tank into the toilet bowl via the flush valve. Intense rush and weight of the water moves the waste into your home’s or municipal sewer pipes.nnSo your toilet is making that annoying sound of running water again. It is not just annoying, it is wasting hundreds of gallons of water a day and significantly rising your water bill payments. What causes this to happen?n
The Most Common Causes of Running Toilets
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nnTake off the lid of the toilet and look inside – you might as well see the reason your toilet is constantly running. The following are the most widespread reasons of this problem.n
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- Leaky or overflowing fill valve
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nIn some cases, the water may be running because the fill valve won’t turn off, which causes water to leak past the flapper or over the overflow tube.nnReplacing or fixing the fill valve or flapper can do the trick and your toilet will become operational again, but sometimes minor part replacements do not solve the problem. In this case professional plumber’s intervention from Orange County Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning may be the next step.n
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- Malfunctioning flush valve / flapper seal
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nIf the flapper (or the valve seal) is cracked or broken, water will continue to leak into your toilet bowl and cause its constant running. In this case turn the toilet water supply off and flush the toilet. Get rid of any leftover water. Unhook the flapper and replace it. A flapper can be purchase at your local hardware store. However, if you feel that you are not fit for a job, call our plumber!n
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- Long/short flapper chain
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nCheck to see if the chain’s length doesn’t let the flapper to seal properly. If the chain is too long, it can get caught under the flapper. Unhook the chain and hook it to another level of the chain to shorten it. But don’t make it too short of the flapper won’t seal.n
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- Float ball problems
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nA misadjusted or damaged float ball is another cause of water dripping into the toilet tank, running out the overflow tube into the toilet bowl, and then constantly going down the drain. To eliminate the problem, accurately adjust the float ball or replace it entirely. This job is better left for the plumber.nnYour toilet tank parts are extremely sensitive and can easily be broken if you constantly try to fix them on your own. If your toilet just keeps running and your efforts could not fix it, it’s the right time to invite a plumber from Orange County Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning. Imagine how much water your toilet is wasting on a daily basis if it keeps running like that. Hiring a professional plumber to fix your toilet will both solve the problem and liquidate the annoyance.