A running toilet wastes water around the clock, and the fix is usually one of a handful of common culprits inside the tank.
The flapper is the rubber (or plastic) valve that seals the tank after each flush. Over time it can warp, crack, or simply stop sitting flush against the valve seat, letting water slowly leak into the bowl and triggering the fill valve to keep topping off the tank.
The fill valve controls how the tank refills after a flush. If it's worn or misadjusted, it may never fully shut off, keeping water trickling into the tank (and often into the overflow tube) continuously.
The float tells the fill valve when to stop. If it's set too high, water keeps rising until it spills into the overflow tube, which can look and sound like a running toilet even though the flapper and valve are both working correctly.
The chain connecting the flush handle to the flapper can get caught under the flapper itself if it's too long, holding it slightly open. This is one of the simplest fixes but is easy to overlook since the chain isn't usually visible without lifting the tank lid.
Many running-toilet causes are simple part swaps, but a toilet that keeps running again shortly after a DIY fix, or one where the cause isn't obvious after checking the flapper, float, and chain, is worth having looked at directly.
Toilet won't stop running? Call us at (971) 386-1515 — we're available 24/7.