Running at Night

As a handyman I receive a number of questions about leaking toilets. Here is an example of the questions I receive;

Our toilet comes on in the middle of the night and runs and then stops. But it
doesn't visibly leak. This is very annoying and I am concerned that there is a
growing problem that may be hidden. It may be doing it all the time.
Is it time for a plumber?


This may be a problem you can fix without a plumber. What is happening is water is leaking from the tank into the toilet bowl. When the water in the tank gets low, the float triggers the ballcock to add water in the tank. When it gets back to the correct level it shuts off. What you are hearing is your toilet repeating this pattern. This is the same thing that happens when you flush, the only difference is with a full flush the tank dumps all the water at once into the bowl. The reason the tank is losing water is because the flapper is not sealing properly. The flapper is the device that covers the hole leading to the bowl. The hole the flapper covers is called the flush valve. To see this device, just remove the top of the toilet tank, and look in the tank this device will be on the bottom in the middle of the tank.

To see how it works:
While looking at this device flush the toilet. You will see the flapper rise up and let the water into the bowl to flush it. When the water is gone, the flapper will rest back over the hole (flush valve) and the ballcock will allow water to refill the tank.

The most common reason for the flapper not sealing is residue building up on the flapper valve and the flush valve. Here are some steps you can take to fix this problem.

 Turn the water supply off to the toilet (this valve is on the left-hand side facing the toilet and near the floor).
 Remove the top to the tank.
 Flush the toilet and hold the handle down until most of the water drains out of the tank.
 Lift the flapper enough to clean it and the rim of the flush valve (an old tooth brush and liquid soap works good)

If cleaning does not keep this valve from leaking, you may have to replace the flush valve and the flapper. This is not a big job and also not costly. Even though this condition is not serious, it should be corrected to preserve water, not to mention that enough water can be wasted to notice a difference in your water bill.

Remember making your own repairs can be rewarding, but know your limit, making a bad repair can cost a lot more to repair than the original problem. Don't forget that your local handyman is just a phone call away.