Have you ever flushed your toilet and walked away only to notice 5 minutes later that your water is still running? This may be a concerning noise to homeowners especially if they haven’t experienced it before. We’ll explore the options of the cause of the source and options on how to fix it.
Find if the Leak is in Your Toilet Tank
Most toilets have something called a “float” which looks like a metal or plastic balloon that rests on top of the water in your tank. Sometimes these floats can crack allowing water to creep inside. When this happens, the float will no longer sit above the water, then causing the mechanism to fill the tank more than normal. If this continues to happen, the toilet can overfill high enough to leak into the overflow tube causing a constant cycle of filling and draining. If your float appears to be fine, check the rod connected to the float. It may be bent or need to be replaced.
If neither of these appears to be the problem, check your chain. If the chain is too long, it may be getting caught underneath the flap allowing water to leak out. If your chain is too short, it may be preventing the flap to seal properly. Shorten or replace the chain if necessary.
Running Toilets Waste Money
A constantly running toilet is no joke. A standard flush is about 1.5 gallons that equals a flow capacity of up to 3 gallons per minute.
It can calculate to:
1,440 minutes a day: 1,440 x 3 = 4,320 gallons.
52 weeks in a year: 4,320 x 52 / 12 = 18,720 gallons a month.
An average gallon of water is 0.11 cents. .11 x 18,720 = $2,059.
The longer your water runs, the more and more you will pay.
Call Done to Fix Your Toilet
Constantly running toilets can be stopped. Turning off the water if you don’t know the problem can save you a lot of money. If your toilet is constantly running, contact Done Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electric today!
