toilet continues to run on and on and on

[natasha blue]

I am going to get to the bottom of this toilet running thing. I have replaced all the inards and it keep recycling water every 20 minutes or so. I think it is the rubber flapper and have also replaced it. twice. But the water keeps recycling. I am determined to get this done without a plumber. The more questions you ask the more one learns. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? Thanks for any help, Betty

[BettyParticipant]

Betty: The problem youre describing can only be caused by water leaving/escaping from the toilet tank. I can think of 6 different ways water could get out of tank causing ballcock to kick on and toilet to run. Lets discuss each beginning with least likely.1.) Someone is sneaking into bathroom, taking off tank lid & removing water in an attempt to drive you crazy causing possible suicide or commitment to mental institute allowing them to inherit your billions of dollars & live happily ever after. Do you have any greedy family or relatives?2.) Evaporation. What is the current temperature in your bathroom? Are you growing any plants in there which require high humidity in order to grow big and strong but you cannot risk them being seen by your neighbors?3.) Water leaking from tank to outside of bowl. Water would have to be visible on floor, do you hear a squish, squish, squish sound every time you walk into bathroom? Put some bright colored dye (food coloring) into tank & watch carefully. It is almost impossible to find a small water leak on the outside of a white toilet.4.) Water leaking from tank to inside of bowl. Flapper would be obvious suspect here & this scenario would, of course, be the most common. Install new flapper. Run your finger around the flange upon which the flapper seats & make certain it is smooth & even. Make certain there is ample slack on the flapper chain to allow it to seat each and every time toilet is flushed. After installation sit backwards on toilet, with lid off & flush several times. Observe flapper & watch that it gently floats down & seats properly time after time.5.) Water level in tank is adjusted too high. Make certain the adjusted water level does not exceed the top of the overflow tube. If you have an old ballcock assembly with a float-arm adjustment simply bend the arm down to lower water level or bend arm up to raise water level. If you have a more common fluidmaster ballcock assembly the height of the ballcock determines water level & this is done by twisting the ballcock right or left which causes the ballcock to telescope up or down.6.) This is a strange one but I have seen it a few times in the past 20+ years. There is a small tube/hose going from the ballcock assembly over and into the overflow tube. The purpose of this tube is to refill the toilet bowl each time the toilet is flushed. The manufacturer of the ballcock supplies you with a new tube which is approx 10-12 long. The tube is supposed to be attached to the ballcock, cut to length, then stuck down into the overflow tube. I have seen occassions when the entire 10-12 tube (without being cut to length) was inserted into the overflow tube causing the tube to slowly siphon water out of the tank into the bowl. This is a real longshot but might be worth checking.Everything else fails, you cannot get toilet to stop running, you sense your sanity slowly slipping away, throw the damn toilet away and replace with new. Some situations in the plumbing world simply defy explanation and are not worth agonizing over. I have often found it theraputic to take a toilet outside and smash it to pieces with a hammer. The sound & feel of porcelain breaking is something everyone should experience once in a lifetime!! Good luck, Lane. I am going to get to the bottom of this toilet running thing. I have replaced all the inards and it keep recycling water every 20 minutes or so. I think it is the rubber flapper and have also replaced it. twice. But the water keeps recycling. I am determined to get this done without a plumber. The more questions you ask the more one learns. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? Thanks for any help, Betty

[BettyParticipant]

Take a scissors and cut off the small refill tube so it only enters the overflow tube a little way. Your overflow tube probably has a cap on it with a hole for the tube to enter. When the valve was changed, that cap should have been removed and the white clip that came with the valve used to attach the refill tube to the overflow riser pipe. You may have to be creative to keep the tube from popping out of the overflow pipe. There are easy ways, but they are easy to do, but not to describe. : I am going to get to the bottom of this toilet running thing. I have replaced all the inards and it keep recycling water every 20 minutes or so. I think it is the rubber flapper and have also replaced it. twice. But the water keeps recycling. I am determined to get this done without a plumber. The more questions you ask the more one learns. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? Thanks for any help, Betty

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