this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2024
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My toilet, a few times a day starts running water for a few seconds then stops. How do I fix it?

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[–] [email protected] 128 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Slow leak going from tank to bowl.

It fills up enough for the float to cut off water to the tank

But a tiny little drip is going from tank to bowl.

Over long enough time, the tank is low enough the float valve fills it up a little. Then stops.

Cycle repeats.

If you really care. You can replace the flap stopping tank>bowl. Maybe replace all the guts while you're at it.

If you have hard water, you can just rub the flap/gasket with some vinegar and that might be enough.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 4 months ago

The Toilet Whisperer

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Hard water is the main cause for me. Minerals get stuck on the gasket and prevents a good seal so water slowly trickles in.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

What you also want to do is pour vinegar down the tube in the tank that water sprays into

That feeds into the "jets" the water gets into the bowl from. Overtime those ports will crystalize over and it's a huge hassle. flushing with vinegar that way will break it up before it fully clogs. And if some are clogged, the vinegar just soaks in there till the next flush

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Thanks I'll give this a try. I'll see if I can find a replacement part

[–] [email protected] 23 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Definitely try just wiping it off first tho....

Just the flap and the gasket it seats into, wipe it down with a wet paper towel, see if it still does it

You can also try adjusting the linkage (chain length) sometimes a flap "floats down" slowly because there's still some water. And that might be causing issues.

Anytime you fuck with a toilet, you want to try the least invasive methods first and work your way up.

Shit can get out of hand quickly and you may end up replacing everything and still experiencing the same issue.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Shit can get out of hand quickly

Sometimes literally.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

If at any part of the process you have shit in your hand, something isn't working out like it should have

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Every single hardware store has the replacement parts. You can likely replace the entire working insides for about $30.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

You might want to say which part of the planet you're in. Americans just assume everyone has the same medieval plumbing they do, but the vast majority of people don't

[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Usually because the flap in the tank is letting a small amount of water out into the bowl. After a while, it'll trigger the fill valve to top itself back up.

You can try lifting the flap and cleaning it and the drain hole to see if that gives it a better seal. (Turn the valve off so it's not trying to refill while you work, obviously).

If not that or if the flap is visibly degraded, then you can buy a replacement flap at pretty much any home improvement store. They're easy to replace: they just kind of clip on.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That's usually the cause and easy to check. Less often, the fill valve can be wonky and just kind of kick on by itself.

If that's the case, you'll hear another sound while it's filling where the excess water is going down the overflow drain inside the tank. That's a harder fix as you have to replace the whole assembly, but it's not too terrible; just more involved than replacing the flap.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

If the valve (as opposed to flap) is gone that far, then a good modern water savings toilet isn't that expensive and will probably flush better than the old one (good is key - there are many cheap toilets that don't flush well!). Consider replacing the whole toilet instead. You can also get a toilet style you like (I personally hate high toilets, but some prefer them). I strongly recommend a bidet while you are doing this as well.

I won't say you should always replace the toilet vs just the valve, but it is something to consider - the effort is similar and the cost isn't that much more. So if there is any reason to replace the toilet do it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This toilet is only two years old.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Wow, I'd expect it to last longer than that, even a cheap one. You might want some weter treatment, get the water tested to see if it is destroying parts.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago

Check your ballcock.

(It's a real part inside the toilet but probably isn't the issue, I just wanted to say ballcock)

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Slow leak.

You can replace the gasket/float, or you can try cleaning the probably moldy/algae seal topside and float underside off and seeing if that fixes the leak. I always drain the tank and clean the seal first when I get this issue, takes a minute and usually fixes or significantly reduces the frequency.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Agreed on the slow leak. Replacing the gasket usually does the trick IME.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

put some food coloring in the back toilet tank and you can see how bad the water leak is.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

There are different ways. Do you have a picture?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Easiest way: put a little weight on the Part which close the valve/plunger.

A bit harder: try to clean the bottom/o-ring of the valve/plunger.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Or replace the o-ring Seal. I had this problem once, replacing the ring solved it. There was a continuous flow of water that drained the reservoir and thus leading to the influx of water every hour or so

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Oh I want to know the answer to this as well. Sometimes my toilet will flush itself while I'm having a shower, and if I'm not paying attention I get cooked.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That's entirely different, call a plumber. Op's is just a slow leak.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Oh darn, but the slow leak kinda makes sense? What do you think is the cause?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Slow leak makes sense if it's filling the tank for a couple seconds. It doesn't make sense if yours is full flushing. Don't know what would cause that.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Ghosts need to poop, too

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

My roommate has a cat yeah.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

The toilet flushes because the bowl is filling up. That's what causes it to flush. Why the bowl is filling up when you shower... I have no idea. Sounds bad though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Just training for the big shit coming ... ;-P

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

There is an explanation for this behavior that hasn't been mentioned. You might have a leak between the bowl and the floor. This is much more serious and can cause expensive damage so if you see evidence of water on the floor, that needs to be addressed immediately.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

A leak between the bowl and floor would not change the level in the tank... unless there was also a leak in the tank.