Fix a toilet that runs all night
A running toilet can waste 200 gallons a day. The fix is usually a $12 flapper and no plumber.
What you need
- Replacement flapper
- Sponge
- Towel
- 1
Confirm the flapper is the culprit
Drop a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait 15 minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means the flapper is leaking past.
- 2
Shut off and drain the tank
Close the angle stop behind the toilet, flush to empty the tank, and sponge out the last inch of water.
- 3
Swap the flapper
Unhook the old flapper from the overflow tube pegs and unclip the chain. Take it to the store and match it exactly — universal rarely is.
- 4
Set the chain slack
Leave about half an inch of slack. Too tight and it never seals; too loose and it tangles under the flapper.
- 5
Check the fill level
Water should stop about an inch below the top of the overflow tube. Adjust the float screw if it is running into the tube.
Plumber's tip
If the tank refills in bursts every few minutes with no visible leak, replace the fill valve too. They wear out together.
Stop and call us if
Water seeps around the base of the toilet, the floor feels soft, or the angle stop will not close.
Call Pando Plumbing