Help! My Toilet is Running

If your toilet is running, you should definitely catch it – and fix it. Losing all that water is going to cost you a lot of money in the long run. So why is it happening and what can you do to fix it? Read on! 

When your toilet keeps running long after the bowl has finished refilling, it indicates something is wrong. You’ll have to do a little sleuthing to discover exactly where the problem is, so that you can fix it.  

The City of Saskatoon states that leaks in toilets are the main culprit in causing high water bills! Therefore, you want to ensure you don’t ignore the signs as it could mean that you are, quite literally, flushing your hard-earned cash down the toilet. 

Why your toilet might keep running 

There are a few reasons why your toilet might continue running, but here are three of the most common: 

• Flapper is leaking and needs replacing 

• The float height needs adjusting 

• The fill tube needs shortening 

The first place to look is the flapper. This is the rubber or plastic seal that sits on top of the opening at the bottom of the toilet tank. When a flapper gets worn out or doesn’t seal properly over the drain, it will cause the water to continue to run into the bowl. Use a stick or other long instrument to depress the flapper and see if the toilet stops running. If it does, you’ve found the problem.  

You can try cleaning the flapper and see if that solves the problem, but you may have to replace it. Make sure you get the right size, as flappers can vary by toilet. Shut off the water valve and take the piece with you to make sure you are getting the right replacement part. 

Now you want to check the float – is it stuck above the water level, and failing to trigger the water to stop running? Or is it perhaps too high? You can adjust or bend the float arm to make sure it is about ½ to 1 inch lower than the overflow pipe. Inspect the float to make sure it isn’t cracked. If it is broken, you will need to replace it.  

Check the chain and make sure there is enough slack so that the flapper can fully close, but not so long that it is getting caught. It should look like a J when the flapper is closed but taut when you raise the handle to flush. You can easily adjust which link the hook is on if this is the case to make it longer or shorter.  

If you are still experiencing problems, look at the fill valve (the pipe on the left side). If you use a screwdriver on the top of the spline (the vertical piece that sticks out towards the handle and moves when you raise the handle), you can adjust the fill valve’s sensitivity.  

If none of these tips have worked to solve your running toilet, it might be time to call in an expert.