*break for laughter*

In all seriousness, a constant running toilet is probably one of the most common and irritating plumbing problems that a homeowner can deal with. Tapping the tubes or juggling the handle will only delay the run until someone flushes again. What you may not realize is actually how much of your money a running toilet will waste over time. Aside from being just plain annoying, a leaking or “running” toilet can potentially waste up to 200 gallons a day… that’s 6000 gallons of freshwater every year.

Your toilet SHOULD shut off running water when the bowl has been filled up after every flush. Sometimes, the leak may be small and may not be so obvious. Luckily, there is 2 very easy way to test for a running toilet:

•  Simply drop some food colouring into the tank water. If your bowl water starts to tint that colour after some time has passed, you know your toilet is running.
• If you do not have food colouring, draw a line with a pencil inside the tank at the water level and, and turn off the valve beneath the toilet. If your water level drops below your line, you have a leak partner!

This little guy flips open when you flush your toilet to allow the water to flow through, then slowly closes after you flush. Now, roll up your sleeves and give it a feel (you can wear thin gloves if you have). The flapper should be soft and somewhat malleable, but can stiffen over time, and will lose its effectiveness to create a proper seal.

The next thing you will want to check is the chain. Now, this is a problem that I have personally delt with a few times. The chain can be too long and get caught between the flapper and the fill valve, preventing it from sealing. If this is the case, you may need to grab some pliers to clip the length of the chain and reattach to the flapper so it no longer gets caught underneath

You’ll notice that the top part of the fill valve is connected to the float arm and it has a float adjustment screw at the very top. When the toilet is running, lift the float ball and see if the running stops. Then look to see if the water level in the tank is high enough that it is allowing water to spill into the overflow tube part of the flush valve.

If so, this is probably the main source of your leak and why your toilet is running. Adjust the float adjust screw and adjust the float to control the water level. You’ll notice the float attaches to a threaded rod. Turn it several times in one direction or the other to make the float sit lower or higher in the water. Ideally, the water level in the tank should be an inch or two below the top of the overflow tube.