Plumbing Tips

How To Stop A Running Toilet

Your toilet flushes just fine, but it doesn't know when to quit. Perhaps it stops running and then starts up again suddenly. Either way, it's wasting a lot of water and making that noise that keeps you up at night. Fortunately, it's usually not difficult or expensive to repair a toilet if you know a bit about how they work.

Steps:

Get to know what's in your toilet. Mechanisms vary, but they all work on the same principles. Flush a couple of times while you watch in the tank with the tank lid off and notice the process.

When you push the handle, the chain lifts a flapper, letting a tankful of water fall through the opening in the bottom and into the bowl. As the water level drops, the flapper drops and closes the opening.

A plastic float drops as the water drains. The float is connected to a valve that lets water into the tank when the float is down and stops (or should stop) when the float is up.

In the middle, there's also an overflow tube that drains water out into the bowl if it gets too high.

Catch it in the act. If you've waited long enough after flushing and the toilet hasn't quit running, lift the tank lid and look in.

Close the flapper. If the tank is not full and it is not filling, chances are that the flapper is stuck open. Reach in and close it with your hand. If it sticks repeatedly, look for the cause. Make any necessary

adjustments.

Is the chain catching on something?

Is the flapper catching on the chain?

Is the flapper wedged open on its hinge?

Is the flapper aligned with the opening?

Is the flapper simply just old and stiff (and needs replacing)?

If you have a ball seal instead of a flapper, is the wire that lifts the ball straight and does it move freely?

Adjust the valve and float. If the tank is full, the flapper is closed and water is running over the top of the overflow tube, but the toilet hasn't stopped running, first try adjusting the valve and float. Pull up on the float with your hand. If this action stops the flow, then adjust the level of the float. No matter how you adjust the float, adjust it so the tank stops filling when the water is about an inch (2.5cm) below the top of the overflow tube. A leaking flapper can be caused by excess pressure if the tank level is too high, even with a brand new replacement.

If the float is around the valve post, pinch the metal clip and slide the float down on the wire.

If the float is a ball on an arm, try turning the small screws on top of the valve. Sometimes, you can also bend the arm further down.

Make sure the float ball isn't touching anything else. Adjust it so it isn't dragging against the side of the tank, the overflow tube, or anything else.

Make sure the float ball isn't leaking or filling with water. If you unscrew the float ball and hear water inside when you shake it, replace the float ball.

Replace the flapper. If the toilet stops filling and then starts again intermittently, you have a slow leak. Try this to be certain. Place a dye tablet or a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Your local hardware store may have free dye tablets for this purpose. If, after an hour or two without flushing, you see this dye in the bowl, you have a slow leak, a small amount of water running into the bowl. The most common cause of slow leaks is a leaky flapper. Over time, this inexpensive rubber part decays, or minerals build up on it. Cleaning may work to remove mineral buildup, but it's usually best just to replace the whole part. There are a few standard kinds. Take your old one with you to the hardware store if you want the comparison to get the right size.

To perform the replacement, simply close the valve sticking out of the wall under your toilet tank.

Flush the toilet. If the valve is completely closed, the tank will not refill and you will not hear water running after the tank empties.Pop the old flapper off its hinges, disconnect it from the chain, and pop the new one into place.

Run a finger carefully around the rim where the flapper seats. Remove any uneven buildup of minerals that might cause a leak. There might be a slime buidup around the flapper seat and flapper itself. While replacing the flapper use a sponge with bleach to clean the flapper seat.

Don't forget to open the valve all the way when you're ready for water again.

Try flushing a few times to make sure the chain is the right length for the new flapper. It should open when you push the handle and then drop closed all the way when the tank empties. You may have to trim and adjust the chain by trial and error. Also, make sure that the flapper aligns properly with the opening.

How To Shut Off Your Homes' Water

Ever have a water leak at your home or plan to work on your sprinkler system and need to turn off the water? Do you know how to turn off the water to your house if there is an emergency? The information below guides you on locating and turning off your water by utilizing the "house valve."

Locating your house valve.

Your house valve is typically located on the outside of your home. It may be in the front, on the side or in the backyard.
Look for a hose-bib (outside faucet) next to your home with a pipe coming up from the ground.
Located on that pipe between the ground and the hose bib is a valve. This is the house valve.
Typically, the house valve will have a wheel or a straight handle for turning.

Operating your house valve...

Your house valve can be one of two types: a gate valve or a ball valve.

Gate valves are operated by turning the wheel clockwise until the water is off.
Ball valves are operated by turning the handle a quarter turn clockwise until the water is off.
To verify the water is off, turn on the hose-bib next to the house valve. As you turn the house valve off, the water from the hose-bib should stop.
To turn the water back on, either turn the gate valve counterclockwise or turn the ball valve a quarter turn counterclockwise.

Everyone in your home should know how to shut off water to your home if there is an emergency. In the event of an emergency, such as an earthquake or an unexpected winter freeze, you will want to turn off the water supply to your home as soon as possible to prevent water damage to your property. You may want to attach a label to your house valve for quick identification (so that you can find it even in the dark). Please take a few minutes during daylight hours to locate and learn how to operate your house valve.