The most common cause is a flapper that is not settled tightly into the valve seat. Another cause might be a cracked valve seat or a failed gasket. Tighten the flapper or replace the failed gasket and the leak should stop. If the leak is via the overflow tube, check to make sure the valve is screwed firmly into place.
If you have a toilet that doesn't fully flush, common causes include a clog in the trap, a worn-out flapper, blocked rim jets, a faulty float, or an issue with the handle and chain.
Check the water level in your tank. The water should come up to about one inch below the overflow tube. If the water level is too low, double check the water valve to make sure the toilet is receiving water. If this doesn't help, check for problems with the flapper, float, fill valve, and refill tube.
Solution 1: Replace the Flapper
If the flapper looks at all damaged, try turning off the toilet's water supply and then flushing the toilet. Use a sponge to clean up any leftover water and then unhook the flapper and replace it with a new one. Turn the water supply back on and test.
Among the most common causes for a running toilet is overflow water leaking down into the bowl from the tank via the overflow tube. This happens when there's too much water in the tank. You can adjust the water level by adjusting the height of the float.
The signs of a blocked toilet drain aren't hard to identify. You may notice the water draining more slowly from the toilet bowl. Or your toilet bowl may be unusually full of water, or even overflowing. Other signs include strange gurgling noises and foul smells coming from the drains.
Place a few drops of food coloring into the tank and watch to see if the colored water leaks out into the bowl. If no food coloring enters the bowl, your fill valve is causing the running water. Replacing a faulty fill valve will reduce your water consumption and restore your toilet's flushing capabilities.
If you're dealing with a toilet that won't flush, check to see if something is damaged or broken within the toilet cisterns like you would the fill valve if your toilet is running. Check your lift chain, flush valve, water valve, float ball, and more. If you cannot see anything, you may call a plumber.
If your toilet is struggling to complete a flush, there are several possible solutions, including clearing a clog, adjusting the refill valve, fixing the flapper, cleaning the inlet holes, replacing an outdated model, or addressing a broader plumbing problem.
On average, most toilets will have a lifespan of between 10 and 15 years, even with regular use. The lifespan may vary depending on the toilet model and the wear and tear it experiences over the years. Most toilets will start to give you warning signs indicating the time for replacement is near.
According to Fixr, the average toilet valve repair cost is between $75 and $200 to replace a flush valve or up to $400 to fix a constantly running toilet. This includes the cost of the plumber's time for the toilet repair and the cost of the toilet parts.
Toilet Parts
The toilet's flush valve will typically last 6-7 years. A toilet fill valve might only last four to five years. In general, you should expect to replace the parts in your toilet every so often while keeping the actual bowl in place.
Over time, a worn or out of alignment fill valve can become a problem, cause a leak, and wear on valve's components and parts. If your fill valve leaks, or if water continues to run after you flush, it may be time to replace the fill valve.
Using Toilet Auger:
In case the matter is more serious plungers do not work anymore and at this point of time plumbers come up with a much stronger instrument known as the toilet auger or toilet snake. This is a cable-like tool that plumbers twist in deep into the toilet to the clog.
When a toilet has a clog made of water-soluble materials, it has a chance of slowly dissolving in the water and freeing up the toilet to work properly again. So, clogs that are primarily made of toilet paper can clear themselves.
A typical flapper lasts between 3 and 5 years. When a flapper begins to fail, it loses its ability to create a water-tight seal with the flush valve, resulting in a leak. You can typically tell there is a leak in your toilet from the telltale sound of dripping water.
A silent toilet leak (the one you usually can't hear) can waste around 500 to 800 gallons of water per day! The ones you can hear will waste much, much more. Such waste can typically be attributed to a faulty water level adjustment or a leaky flapper.
However, over time a flapper will eventually corrode, crack, and start to leak. A leaking flapper allows water to leak into the bowl of your toilet, which is wasteful, and can waste hundreds of gallons of water per year if not fixed.