If you’ve ever experienced issues with a toilet that is leaking, you know that it can be very stressful. Knowing what causes leaking toilet issues can help you to keep your toilet better maintained and prevent it from leaking in the future.

Our Expert Plumbing technicians have assembled some helpful information about some of the leading causes of leaks in toilets and how you can maintain your toilet in order to prevent issues in the future.

Toilet Flapper

Nine times out of ten, if your toilet is excessively running water, it is because of an issue with your toilet flapper. The flapper is located in the tank and is responsible for controlling how much water flows into the tank when the toilet is flushed.

There are three types of toilet flappers in use today:

1. Seat disks – These are the oldest type of flapper and are not as common to see in toilets today. They are rather large, making repairing them difficult.
2. Tank ball – As the name implies, the tank ball is a rubber ball that sits in the opening of the overflow pipe with a chain attached to it. When the toilet is flushed, the chain pulls the ball up allowing water to flow into the toilet bowl. If the chain is not correctly sized, however, the call will not function properly.
3. Rubber cap – The cap sits on the overflow pipe and functions much like a tank ball. They have the same concern about the chain, though they are otherwise significantly more durable.

Running Toilet

While flapper issues are the most common cause of leaking toilets, if you have replaced the flapper and your toilet is still running, there may be some other issues that could be to blame.

One possible cause of a leaking toilet is that the water level in your tank is too high. Luckily, adjusting the water level of your tank is easy enough that it can be done in a matter of minutes with little more than a screwdriver, whether you need to adjust the float or replace the fill valve.

A faulty fill valve is another possible cause for your running toilet. While it can be done by yourself, you may be better off contacting a professional to make sure it is done properly and won’t require more repairs in the future.

Toilet Maintenance

Here are a few tips to help you maintain a functioning toilet without leaks:

1. Keep your toilet clean by cleaning it regularly with a mild cleaner.
2. Avoid using chemical drain cleaners to unclog your toilet, as they can be damaging to different parts of your toilet.
3. Inspect the elements within your toilet’s tank about every 6 months to make sure everything is working properly.
4. Don’t flush anything besides human waste and toilet paper down your toilet.
5. If you experience a leak, repair it immediately!