How to Gear up a Running Toilet

Check within the toilet tank for a leaky flapper, bad fill up valve, or overflow pipe at the wrong height.

Fourth dimension

An hour or less

Complication

Beginner

Cost

Less than $20

Introduction

Fixing a running toilet is a lot easier than yous might retrieve. In this commodity, we'll show y'all how to place and solve the problem. Don't exist intimidated by the plumbing. The fixes are straightforward, even if yous don't accept any plumbing feel. And so stop wasting h2o and prepare the toilet!

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • May demand new fill valve

Project step-past-footstep (5)

Step 1

Exam the Flapper

  • Push down on the flapper with a stick when you lot hear the water running and listen for it to cease.
  • If it stops, you know the flapper isn't sealing properly. Replace it.
  • Check the make full tube length and cut it back so it's at least i/two-in. above the water line.
  • To supplant the flapper, kickoff close off the water supply valve under the toilet (or the primary supply if the valve leaks!).
  • Flush the toilet to drain out most of the h2o, then unhook the sometime flapper.
  • Buy a new flapper of the aforementioned type and install information technology according to the instructions on the bundle.
  • Claw the flapper concatenation onto the flush lever arm so there'south a little slack when the flapper is airtight.

Toilet Troubleshooting: Test the Flapper

ⓘ

The Family unit Handyman

Step 2

Bank check the Make full Valve for a Leak

  • Affluent the toilet and look for a fill valve leak.
  • Elevator upwards on the toilet float arm when the tank is filling to see if the water stops.
  • Bend or adjust the toilet float arm so the tank stops filling when the water level is 1/2- to one-inch below the top of the overflow pipage.
  • If the fill valve still leaks, supplant it as shown in the next photo.

Toilet Troubleshooting: Check the Fill Valve for a Leak diagram

Step iii

Remove and Replace Old Toilet Fill Valve

  • Plow off the water supply, affluent the toilet and sponge the remaining water from the tank.
  • Disconnect the water supply line, unscrew the fill up valve locknut and elevator out the old fill valve.

Toilet Troubleshooting: Remove the and Replace Old Toilet Fill Valve diagram

Step 4

Install the New Fill Valve

  • Insert the new fill valve into the tank co-ordinate to the instruction sail and tighten the locknut a one-half turn by mitt tight.
  • If the fill valve is at its maximum height, merely the overflow pipe is still higher than the critical level marker, shorten the overflow pipe with a hacksaw so information technology's one inch lower than the critical level marking on the fill valve.

Install the New Fill Valve diagram

Step 5

Connect the Fill up Tube

  • Attach 1 end of the new fill tube to the fill valve nipple and the other to the enclosed angle adapter (shorten the tube to avert kinks, if necessary).
  • Clip the angle adapter onto the overflow pipage.
  • Finish the installation past attaching the flapper chain to the flush lever as described above.
  • Turn on the water and test-flush the toilet.

connect fill tube running toilet

Originally Published: November 25, 2022