Leaky Toilets?

Have you walked by your bathroom and heard the toilet running, even though it was flushed hours ago? Has your water bill been higher than normal for no obvious reason? Sometimes just jiggling the toilet handle will take care of the problem, but who wants to have to worry about that all of the time?

Fixing a Leaky Toilet

Fortunately for you, fixing a leaky toilet is one of the simpler DIY plumbing fixes. The home improvement industry has provided  easy-to-use kits to make checking and fixing the problem quite simple. With their ready-to-go kits and on-line videos, fixing a toilet is quite easy for even the less-than-handy homeowner.

Check Float and Inlet Valve

The first thing to do is to check out the float and inlet valve. The water should stop filling the tank before the water reaches the top of the overflow tube (the hollow tube in the middle of the tank). If it doesn’t, make sure the float is correctly floating on top of the water. If it is, flush the toilet and while the tank is refilling, gently lift the rod attached to the float until the water stops. If it does stop, the inlet valve is working correctly.

You can also adjust the level of the water in the tank by turning the little screw on the top of the float. If adjusting does not stop the water from running through the overflow tube, you may have a hole in the float itself. Go to the nearest home improvement store and purchase a new rod and float and install this yourself (often less than $5).

If this does not fix the problem, you may have a problem with the ballcock. Again, this is a fairly simple fix. Purchase a new ballcock assembly. Turn off the water to the the toilet, then flush the toilet, removing most of the water in the tank. Use a towel to mop up the little bit of water remaining. Unhook the supply line underneath the tank, and then use pliers to unhook the ballcock assembly. Push up from outside the tank to remove the entire assembly. Drop the new assembly into place, tighten the nut holding it in place, reconnect the supply line, and turn the water back on.

Replace the Flapper

Finally, if all of this does not stop the leaking, replace the flapper. Turn the water off and see if the water level drops over the next half hour. If it does, drain the tank again and examine the flapper. The chain holding the flapper could be too tight, not allowing the flapper to drop completely. Or, the flapper could be split or damaged. Replacing the flapper is a matter of popping the old one off and popping a new one on.

If you have done all of these things, and you still hear water leaking, it is time to call us. We will get right out and will provide you with top notch customer service to set your mind at ease.

If you need your toilet serviced in the Nashville area, Fix It All Plumbing would love to help you. Call or text us at (615) 568-5051.

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