How do I troubleshoot a toilet that keeps running?

Question

I am flummoxed by a toilet that keeps running, and have tried numerous approaches with no success. The tank is an American Standard. I have a <1 year old Fluidmaster floater and a brand new flapper (replaced trying to fix this thing).

After flushing, the toilet will fill as normal. A few minutes later, and continually every few minutes until I shut the water off, the toilet will run for 1 or 2 seconds and then shut off again. To me, this indicates that there is a slow leak out of the tank, triggering the floater to engage and fill the water tank back up again with a virtually imperceptible amount of water. I have filled the tank with blue food coloring, and indeed, the water in the bowl also turns blue, indicating that there is a slow leak. No water is going onto the floor. However, when I turn off the water supply for more than a day, I see no detectable decrease in the water line in the tank, as I would expect to see if there was a leak in the flapper. The fill valve is over the water line and I have verified visually that no water is going into the fill valve.

The floater mechanism is less than a year old, but if it were the mechanism (or faulty installation), I would've expected this to be happening since it was installed. I have also emptied the tank to see if there was any sediment blocking the flapper. None was present.

It seems that in the worst case, I am not losing enough water to justify paying a professional, but it is both stupefying and annoying to have the toilet engage every few minutes throughout the night.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Two possible causes come to mind. First, the seat the flapper valve seats on could have mineraldeposits built up on the seating surface, preventing a good seal. To fix, sand the rim of the seating surface with sand paper to remove mineral deposits. Second is how high is the water level set in your tank. If it is set so the fluidmaster shuts of as the water is at the top of the overflow tube, then you need to lower the water level by lowering the float level on the fluidmaster. A third item is the black rubber hose that runs from fluidmaster into the overflow tube. Is there an air gap or vacumn break between the hose's end and the water in the overflow tube to prevent back-siphoning?

Good luck

Answer 2

Fluidmaster Troubleshooting

Answer 3

American Standard Toilets Troubleshooting

Answer 4

i would check the piece coming up, which holding the float, sometimes theres a small hairline crack in it. easiest way to put new one in.

also check underneath the bowl where that piece is to the float to see if theres any water leakage, which would indicate bad gasket.

also try..when after flushing and watching water come up to the top, hold the float up with your hands to make the water stop. there you will see if water is still running into the toliet, which therefore that piece i was talking about is bad....if not, sometime that rod with the float, you can bend it a little where the ball is just a tad lower. but before you bend it, there should be a screw , at the end of the rod(opposite end of float) and turn it clockwise, or counterclockwise until float can be where you want the water to stop at.

it doesnt matter how old the things are nowadays..with everything almost made in mexico or other countries.....it sure aint what it used to be.

you should have no problem fixing the thing. i just done this recently and for my daughters which did same thing.

Answer 5

This is always a mechanism thing. If you fixed it, and it isn't working, it isn't really fixed.

I find that when I have any sort of water running issue I can eventually make it stop if I keep working on it. It might be that something isn't seating or sliding right. There's a balance to every mechanism that you have to get to. I find reading the directions and going over the steps over and over to be helpful when I'm not making it right.



As a girl person who has lived alone for many years and hates dealing with this kind of stuff, I find swearing like a sailor helps me get through it. Open up the back, flush it, watch it. Eventually you'll figure out the problem and fix it, or realize you can't fix it and call a plumber. I'm proud to say I've never called a plumber for this and have eventually always figured it out.

Answer 6

You may have to adjust the floating ball so that the water turns off a little lower in the reservoir. It could be that the water is too high and is flowing down the tube to the toilet bowl.

Answer 7

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/avQKd



LOL. LOL. I don't drink alcohol, but being half 'Cajun, I have seen some Lulus! LOL. Sangy, you are one of my favorites on this forum, and I think it is wrong for jokes to be deleted while vulgarity is upheld. I have been watching, and so many are incorrigible, yet they go skipping through. What's up with all this?

Answer 8

troubleshoot toilet running: https://bitly.im/c10/how-do-i-troubleshoot-a-toilet-that-keeps-running