Some days, it seems like nobody is listening to you. You have to remind them to pick up their things, wash their hands, and jiggle the handle to the toilet. The problem becomes when the toilet is making noise or acting up, and no one is to blame. Then you need to consider if something is wrong with the toilet, in general. There are several ways to check the toilet to see if someone just needed to jiggle the handle, or if your toilet is running because something needs to be adjusted or fixed. Here are some clues.
Cycle
Sometimes when you are away from the bathroom, you can hear the toilet flush, run for a bit while the tank fills up, and then it stops. It becomes an issue when no one has used the bathroom and it is still making similar noises to that. This means that your toilet is just running, and there are other things that need to be reviewed to see if it is a quick fix or a larger concern.
Sound
If it sounds like your toilet is hissing, then you need to check the various components of the flushing mechanism to see if there is an issue. It could be that air is being let into the tank because the refill valve is not shutting off like it is supposed to. Normally when the water reaches a certain level, the water fill will stop. If the valve is not working correctly, then the toilet can mistake this for not being properly filled and let water flow/run to try to fix the problem that it cannot fix. The problem could be that the valve is broken or potentially blocked with something.
Phantom Flush
If you have a slow leak from your tank into your toilet bowl, when the water reaches a certain level in the tank, it could turn the water on to fill the tank back up. This is what would normally happen when you flush the toilet. The water goes from the tank, down the bowl, and then the water turns on to fill up the tank again. With a slow leak, the tank reaches a point that triggers the water to refill without anyone flushing the toilet outright.
Some Fixes
First, review the flushing mechanism of your toilet. Begin by checking the flapper part of the flushing mechanism. Is the flapper broken? Did the chain break or just come loose? Do you have a lot of sediment or debris in the bottom of the tank that is preventing the flapper from sealing correctly? What does your float look like? Does it look brittle or broken?
By doing a quick review of your flush mechanism, you could determine that you have a minor issue with your toilet, and just need to buy a new flush mechanism. We’d be happy to help you with this! We can also help if you don’t want to do it yourself, or it seems like it is beyond your expertise. Give us a call at 440-884-4600, and let us know how we can help!
