How to Fix a Running Toilet if the Water Is Not Filling
When water continues to flow into the toilet tank, but it never completely fills, a problem exists with the flapper valve or with the flush ball located at the bottom of the tank. If this stopper fails, water leaks around it and into the bowl. If water leaks out of the tank at the same rate as the fill valve pours fresh water in, the tank never fills and the water will not stop running. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Scouring sponge
- Screwdriver
- Flapper valve or flush ball (optional)
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Instructions
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Inspect the chain that leads from the toilet flush handle to the flapper valve at the bottom of the tank. If the chain is twisted or kinked, straighten the chain out and see if the valve closes. To straighten, unhook the chain from the handle, smooth it out by hand and hook the components back together again.
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Check the chain’s tension. If it has too much slack, it will tend to twist again. If it has too little, the chain may be preventing the flapper valve from seating completely. The chain should have just enough slack that it has about a half inch bend between the handle and the flapper valve. Shorten or lengthen the chain by repositioning the hook that holds the chain to the flush handle.
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Look at where the flush ball seats, if the toilet has one. Older models use a conically shaped valve that rides along a steel shaft to do the same thing a flapper valve does. If the ball does not seat directly over the opening, it probably leaks. Loosen the set screw that holds the shaft in place, move the shaft until the ball sits directly over the opening and tighten the set screw.
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Examine the bottom of the flapper valve or flush ball for debris or calcium buildup. Clean the part with a scouring sponge.
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Test the valve or ball by hand. If it is hard, or if it it does not have a consistent shape, the part is worn and needs to be replaced. Purchase a new flapper valve, slip it over the overflow tube, snap it in place and attach the chain. Replace the flush ball by disconnecting the old one from the shaft and slipping on a new one, or replace the flush ball with a flapper valve, which seals tighter and is more reliable than a flush ball.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
