The 3 Causes of Running Toilets

After you flush your toilet, it should only run for a few seconds while completing its flush cycle. If your toilet doesn’t stop running, it likely has an issue that needs to be fixed. Since a constantly running toilet will waste water, raise your water bills, and make annoying noises, you’ll want to act on the problem fast. Learn more about the three main causes of constantly running toilets and how to fix them.

1. Damaged Flapper

Your toilet's flapper is responsible for sealing the opening between the toilet bowl and the tank. When you flush your toilet, the handle lifts the rubber flapper to allow water into your toilet bowl. Over time, this flapper can start to break down and not seal off the tank from the toilet bowl, leading water to escape from the tank and continuously run into the bowl.

If your flapper is damaged and isn’t sealing properly, it will need to be replaced. Before a plumber removes the old flapper, they’ll drain your tank, turn off your toilet’s water supply, and drain the remaining water in your toilet bowl. Next, they’ll remove the old flapper from the overflow tube’s pins and detach the chain. Once they find the right flapper for your toilet, they’ll connect this new flapper to the chain and attach it to the pins.

2. Your Float Valve Is Positioned Too High

Your float valve is responsible for shutting off the fill valve when your water reaches a set height. As water rises in your toilet’s tank, the float valve moves with it, keeping the valve open while the tank refills and closing it when the water reaches its set height. Sometimes, these float valves can be set too high, causing the tank to overflow and the fill valve to never close. 

If the fill valve can’t close, the excess water will constantly run into your bowl from the toilet’s overflow tube. To fix this issue, a plumber will need to readjust your float valve’s height to its optimal position. By readjusting the float valve’s height, they’ll also change your toilet’s water level and stop water from flowing into the overflow tube.

3. Corroded or Broken Handle

Another common reason for a constantly running toilet is a corroded or broken flush handle. Since your handle is connected to your flusher valve and responsible for starting the flushing and refilling process, an issue with it can cause your toilet to never shut off. Usually, a broken handle is due to a corroded lever arm, which causes the handle to get stuck in the down position. If the handle gets stuck, the flapper won’t ever close, leading to a continuous flow of water.

When you have a corroded handle that keeps getting stuck, it’s time to call a plumber to fix it. Once the plumber verifies a corroded handle arm assembly is at fault, they’ll need to replace it with a new one. Though metal parts were popular in the past, a plumber should replace the old handle arm assembly with a plastic one to prevent corrosion in the future.

Choose Newcomb and Company for Toilet Repair Services in Raleigh

When you need toilet repair services in Raleigh or the surrounding areas, Newcomb and Company can help. Our certified plumbers regularly solve problems with constantly running toilets, diagnosing the cause of the issue before providing any necessary repairs. We can also replace your toilet if our inspection reveals it's beyond repair or if you want to upgrade to a more efficient model.

Find out more about our toilet and plumbing repair services today. If you have any questions or want to make an appointment, please contact us.