Toilet Repair & Installation
Cure a running, leaking or clogged toilet, or arrange a new toilet or bidet seat.
Plumbing guide
Running Toilet Fix in Peoria, AZ: Find the Leak Fast
A running toilet ranks among the top reasons for a high water bill. The parts involved cost little, and the repair is often fast.
By the Peoria Express Plumbing team ·
How a toilet works
When you flush, the flapper at the bottom of the tank lifts and water rushes into the bowl. The flapper drops back to seal the opening, and the fill valve refills the tank until a float tells it to stop.
A toilet runs when one of these parts fails to do its job. Knowing the parts helps you find the problem.
The dye test
Mix a little food coloring into the tank, leave the toilet alone for about fifteen minutes and check the bowl. If it turns color, the flapper is passing water.
This test catches silent leaks that make no sound. Do it for every toilet in the house, because the leak is often hard to hear.
A worn or warped flapper
Rubber flappers stiffen, warp or gather mineral crust as they age. One that no longer seals lets a trickle reach the bowl, so the fill valve keeps topping up the tank.
The swap takes about ten minutes. Shut the supply, flush until the tank is empty, unclip the worn flapper and snap a matching one into place.
Chain slack that is wrong
If the chain is too short, it holds the flapper slightly open. If it is too long, it can slip under the flapper and prevent it from sealing.
Set the chain so roughly half an inch of slack remains with the flapper seated.
Running toilet: sign, cause and repair
Start with the dye test, then use this table for what follows.
| Sign | Cause | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| Dye appears in the bowl | Worn flapper or dirty seat | New flapper, clean seat |
| Water flows into the overflow tube | Float set too high | Lower the float |
| Float is cracked or soaked | It cannot signal shutoff | Replace the float |
| Constant hiss from the tank | Failing fill valve | Install a new fill valve |
| Tank refills now and then unprompted | Slow flapper leak | Run the dye test |
Fill valve stuck open
Water that keeps flowing in and pours down the overflow tube means the float is too high or the fill valve has died. Drop the float, and replace the valve if that changes nothing.
A tank that drains into the overflow tube is filling too high. Aim for a level about an inch under the top of that tube.
Scale and older fixtures
Mineral-rich water leaves deposits on flappers and seats, and it can make parts stick. Wipe the flapper seat with a cloth or a scouring pad to remove scale.
If parts keep failing, ask about softening or consider replacing the whole flush assembly. See toilet repair and installation.
When to call a plumber
If a new flapper and fill valve have not stopped the running, the seat may be pitted or the porcelain cracked. A plumber can tell quickly.
If the toilet seems fine but the meter still moves, the leak may be elsewhere. Read the guide to leak detection.
What you will need
Most repairs need a replacement flapper, a fill valve or a float, an adjustable wrench and a towel. Match parts to the make and model, which is often stamped inside the tank.
Take the old part to the store if you are unsure. Universal kits cover many models.
Prevent repeats
Replace rubber parts every few years, since heat and minerals wear them down. Avoid in-tank bleach tablets, which can damage rubber.
If the problem keeps coming back, ask a plumber about replacing the whole toilet. See toilet repair and installation.
Checking your work
After the repair, flush twice and watch the tank refill. It should fill, stop and stay quiet. Repeat the dye test an hour later to confirm the flapper is sealing.
If the toilet still runs, look again at the chain slack, the float height and the condition of the seat. One of the three is almost always the cause.
What the EPA says about leaks
The EPA WaterSense, Residential Toilets page states that most toilet leaks come from old or worn flappers, which are inexpensive parts. It also notes that household leaks can waste 180 gallons a week.
Common questions
Running toilet questions
A toilet that leaks constantly can waste a great deal of water in a month. The dye test shows whether yours is leaking.
Turn off the water, flush to empty the tank, unhook the old flapper, clip in a matching one and check the chain slack.
That is called ghost flushing. It is usually a slow leak past the flapper, which lets the tank level drop until the fill valve starts again.
Related services
Leak Detection
Track down hidden water loss using listening gear and thermal imaging, so only a small patch gets opened.
Faucet & Sink Repair
Drips, thin flow, stiff handles and leaking hose bibs, fixed at the fixture.
More plumbing guides
Toilet won't flush: causes and fixes
When a flush does nothing, a handful of causes explain it. Work out yours and see what to try before calling.
Reasons for a high water bill
Eight reasons the bill climbs, from a silent toilet leak to an irrigation valve stuck open, each with a way to check.
How to find a hidden water leak
Begin at the water meter and work inward through a few checks until the hidden leak is narrowed to a room or a pipe.
Toilet still running?
Phone the line if the parts above do not fix it. Someone on the line can hand you to a contractor who repairs toilets.