This problem is almost certainly caused by a bad flapper or flapper seat. The solution is to drain the tank and bowl, check and clean the flapper seat and then replace the flapper if it's worn or damaged.
Incorrect Water Level
The overflow tube is an open tube that links the toilet bowl and the tank. When the water level in your toilet is too high, the residual water will keep draining into the overflow tube. This causes the toilet to keep running after a flush, potentially instigating water damage in the long run.
If your toilet randomly runs off and on for a few seconds, it is likely due to a broken flapper. While the flapper is supposed to drop down and re-seal the tank when enough water has gone through, a cracked or decaying flapper will allow water to keep flowing through and run periodically.
If the toilet keeps running or runs intermittently, you're not getting a good seal. Try a different flapper if the toilet won't stop running. If you just can't find a flapper that seals, consider replacing the entire toilet overflow tube/flapper. On most toilets (two-piece), this means removing the tank.
Perhaps the most common reason for a running toilet is an old flapper that needs to be replaced. When flappers get old, they don't seal the way they should, and this allows water to pass constantly from the toilet tank into the bowl.
This sound can happen intermittently and occur every few minutes or every few hours. Such a refill sound is usually alerting you that your toilet is losing water, either internally (if there's no water on the floor or exterior of toilet) or externally leaking if you see water outside the toilet.
In general, a single flush 1.6 gpf or 1.28 gpf toilet tank will take around half minute (30 seconds) to one minute (60 seconds) to fill. Here are few steps to verify if your toilet tank takes longer than one minute to fill: Verify if the water supply valve is fully open.
The three most common causes are a broken or dirty flapper, too long or too short of a chain between the flush lever and the flapper or a float that is out of position.
A continuously running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day or more depending on the volume flow down the drain. This can cause a terrible increase to a family's typical water use, so fix toilet leaks as soon as possible.
Typically, a running water toilet will waste thousands of gallons of water per month which translates to approximately $200 unnecessarily tacked onto your monthly water bill-- that's nearly $2,500 dollars a year down your toilet bowl.
This problem is almost certainly caused by a bad flapper or flapper seat. The solution is to drain the tank and bowl, check and clean the flapper seat and then replace the flapper if it's worn or damaged.
If your float is too high, water will constantly drain into the overflow tube, which can make it sound like your toilet is constantly running. Take the lid off the toilet tank and watch the overflow tube. If water flows up into the tube after a flush, lower the float until the problem is resolved.
If your toilet is making noise when not in use, a worn or faulty flapper is likely the reason. If the flapper is not working properly, it can cause your toilet to constantly run, make noise, and ultimately, increase your water bill. Replace the flapper.
If your toilet keeps refilling at 15-minute intervals, it probably has a leak. In the vast majority of cases, the problem is with the flapper, which is the rubber seal between the tank and the bowl.
The three potential causes of a slow flushing toilet are low water level in your tank, a clog in the toilet or a pipe leading out of it, or even a buildup of calcium and other hard minerals.
Not literally, of course – but your water bill will skyrocket if your toilet is constantly running. More often than not, continuously running toilets are extremely easy and inexpensive to fix – you might just need to replace the flapper. A constantly running toilet also presents an increased risk of flooding.
A running toilet can quickly turn into a flooding toilet. If you have a septic tank, all of that excess water risks flooding the tank, which can lead to the saturation and failure of your drain field.
In most cases, it's best to call a plumber for repairs to your toilet (but not always). The reason? While bathroom plumbing issues like a leaking or running toilet may be common, the cause may be hard for a novice to find quickly and easily.
The Costs of a Running Toilet
According to the United States Geological Survey, a leaking toilet that is allowed to run continuously can waste up to 22 gallons of water a day. If allowed to run a full year, that's a leak that amounts to over 8,000 gallons of water.
The most common cause is a flush valve seal worn out, deformed, or unclean. Water may leak continuously if the flush valve seal is not adequately sealed. Another possibility is that the tank is constantly filled due to a broken fill valve.
As it turns out, research suggests that we definitely should be closing the lid before every flush, no matter how clean your toilet is.
Urine and hard water deposits leave hardened mineral deposits around your toilet bowl over time. These deposits form faster when you let pee sit around. In some cases, rings left for too long can be nearly impossible to remove without harsh cleansers that can be worse for the environment than those extra flushes.