Toilet Runs Again after Filling

By

Natasha79

We have the same problem, but I know what causes it - the chain gets twisted and then caught up, and gets shorter, of course, thus, the water keeps running. If I hear the toilet running again, I just take the top off and untangle the chain inside.

By Carol R. (Guest Post)

I was in "hot water," with my mother for using too much water, until we were shopping for presents at Christmas time. We stopped at an Ace Hardware store that was giving away free calendars that contained tips for every month. I read all of the calendar tips as soon as I got home, and it was a real present to me!

Sudden water usage going up? This Ace Hardware Calendar said. Flush the toilet, and immediately add a little food coloring to the tank. If all of the food coloring is gone within about 10 minutes, your toilet is leaking! I tried it, and was no longer the "guilty party!" It turns out that over the years, mineral deposits had built up on the plastic rubber parts inside of the toilet tank, preventing the flap or valve to close properly, causing the toilet to constantly lose water!

There was no noise or any indication that the toilet was leaking water. Instead of just cleaning the mineral deposits from the plastic rubber inside the tank, my mother bought a new kit for about fifteen dollars that was self installed. My mother realized it wasn't me, and I have been grateful to that old Ace Hardware calendar since.

By

lrrn567

I'm also having this problem...what a coincidence.
Bristol, CT.

By sharon01 (Guest Post)

Sounds like the flapper in the bottom of the tank is bad they are not hard to replace that has always solved leaks.

By Laurie (Guest Post)

We had the same problem. It started out slow and then it was almost continuous. It turned out that there was a crack in the fill pipe that is inside the tank. When we touched it it cracked further and we needed to replace the insides of the tank. Kits can be bought for this. In case you need to quick fix this until you get the replacement kit, drain the water from the tank and dry where the leak is, we used poster putty to seal it overnight until it could be fixed.