Every home has a toilet. They’re necessary components of modern living, as much as a bed or a kitchen sink. But many toilets are left in rough shape since it’s not very well known how to maintain them.
Also, since toilets aren’t the most glamorous part of a house, it can be easy to forget about them and let them fall apart or run into issues over time.
Toilet clogs are pretty notorious, but what about running toilets? A running toilet is a problem, but it’s one that has an explanation. Depending on what the problem might be, you could fix it yourself with the proper tools and hardware equipment.
Or, in many situations, you’ll need the help of a professional plumber. Our goal is to teach our customers about what different signs mean and why you might need to call our team for bathroom plumbing in West Palm Beach, FL.
So, Why Is It Running?
A toilet might run for a few reasons. First, it might continue to run because there’s a problem inside the tank. Each time you flush the toilet, a flapper opens up at the bottom that’s connected to the handle. This allows the toilet to flush all of the water inside the tank through the bowl and into the drain. It’s a simple yet effective method of cleaning the toilet bowl.
In these cases, you can open the toilet tank and figure out what’s wrong with the flapper by inspecting it. If it looks broken, then you can replace it with a new one. If it’s misaligned or disconnected, then we’d recommend putting it back.
For many homeowners, this kind of work is too time-consuming or complicated, and for those cases, we’d recommend just calling our team for support.
That Doesn’t Fix the Problem
So, what if it’s not the flapper? What if the toilet keeps running even though the flapper is trying to stop it from draining? Then you might have a leak.
A toilet is only supposed to fill up to a certain point before it holds the water in the tank and drains it when it flushes. This is figured out by a complex mechanism with a balloon (or ball) and a weight to ensure that the balloon doesn’t rise too high with the water level.
However, sometimes there can be a leak in the pump valve which fills the toilet too much and has trouble stopping. This will lead to the toilet tank filling up and draining out simultaneously, which can be a huge waste of water and something that can run under the radar if you don’t notice.
In this case, you could try to replace the pump valve, but this is a trickier replacement than the flapper. We’d recommend calling a professional for help, since the leak might be in the tank itself.
Every time you flush your toilet, it should run and stop at a specific point so that it’s ready to use again. If it’s constantly running or running for too long, then there’s something clearly wrong with it.
At Admiral Plumbing Services, LLC, you can count on nice people and super service. Call our super-friendly team today!
