If your toilet is running, you don’t need to catch it, you need to stop it. A running toilet wastes water, increasing your utility bills. Here at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® of Dallas, we see toilet problems like this all the time. Fortunately, this is a simple project to do yourself. Our Flower Mound TX plumbers can provide you tips to get started.

Your toilet runs because water is leaking somewhere. Usually this starts in one of two places: near the ballcock valve or around the flapper. Both of these are simple replacements that may stop your runny toilet.

Ballcock Valve Repairs

Remove the lid from your toilet tank and look at the ball cock valve. Water leaking from the diaphragm at the end of this valve may be caused by foreign matter lodged under the valve. Shut off the water to the tank, and remove the ballcock valve. Clean or replace the diaphragm. Turn the water back on to see if the leaking stops.

Flapper Problems

The flap that controls the release of water into the toilet bowl can wear out and allow water to seep through into the bowl, causing the running sound. The water to the toilet needs to be shut off. Bail out the water from the tank and remove the old flapper. Use an exact replacement for the flapper or look for a universal flapper. Install the new flapper according to the manufacturer’s instructions, taking care to ensure a proper seal all the way around the opening. Turn the water back on and see if the running water sound has stopped.

Using these plumbing repairs should stop your toilet from running, but if they do not, you may require more experienced plumbing repair from a plumber in Flower Mound. If you encounter any problems while fixing your toilet, please give us at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® of Dallas a call at (972) 895-7775.