Fix a running toilet
A running toilet almost always comes down to one of four parts inside the tank: the flapper, the chain, the water level or the fill valve. Our guide why your toilet keeps running shows how to tell which with the EPA’s food-colouring test. The EPA says a worn flapper alone can waste thousands of gallons a year.
Match the video to the symptom:
- Refills by itself, or trickles into the bowl: replace the flapper.
- Runs until you jiggle the handle: adjust the chain or the handle.
- Water flows into the overflow tube: lower the float.
- Hisses constantly: replace the fill valve.
All of these start with the water shut off at the valve behind the toilet and the tank flushed empty. It’s a beginner job. If water is on the floor around the base, the problem is the seal underneath, which is a different job. See Replace a toilet. Related: Toilet keeps running.
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