More often than not, the flapper valve could need adjustment, or you may need to replace the toilet fill valve. Both are relatively small fixes that most homeowners can usually handle without calling in a professional plumber or having to remove the toilet and then having to install a new one.
According to Fixr, the average toilet valve repair cost is between $75 and $200 to replace a flush valve or up to $400 to fix a constantly running toilet.
According to the United States Geological Survey, a leaking toilet that is allowed to run continuously can waste up to 22 gallons of water a day. If allowed to run a full year, that's a leak that amounts to over 8,000 gallons of water.
Still, while a running toilet is not an emergency, it's not a non-issue. Leaving a toilet running can create quite the hassle for you, so you should know how to spot and why to fix it.
Your toilet may be constantly running because of a faulty flapper seal. One of the most common causes of a flapper seal breaking is improper installation. Human error is often to blame for this issue, but some design flaws in older toilets can cause the same problem.
Running Toilets Lead to Damaging Leaks
Water can easily make its way into the floor of your home, and over time, weaken the structure of your home. This is a dangerous situation for your family and can be prevented through fast action and a licensed plumber.
If you suspect your toilet keeps running because of a major leak or damage to the bowl, gasket, flushing mechanism, or pipes, call a plumber right away. Be wary of easy, DIY solutions that might make problems worse, costing you more time, stress, and money in the long run.
More often than not, continuously running toilets are extremely easy and inexpensive to fix – you might just need to replace the flapper. A constantly running toilet also presents an increased risk of flooding.
A running toilet can quickly turn into a flooding toilet. If you have a septic tank, all of that excess water risks flooding the tank, which can lead to the saturation and failure of your drain field.
A continuously running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day or more depending on the volume flow down the drain. This can cause a terrible increase to a family's typical water use, so fix toilet leaks as soon as possible. Some leaks are easy to find, such as a dripping faucet or running toilet.
A toilet that cuts on and off by itself, or runs intermittently, has a problem that plumbers call a "phantom flush." The cause is a very slow leak from the tank into the bowl. This problem is almost certainly caused by a bad flapper or flapper seat.
The average leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water per day. That's over 6,000 gallons a month ($70.06*) for just one leaking toilet! Some toilets may produce a running water sound that is easy to hear. Some leaks are visible as a small trickle running from the rim to the water in the bowl.
A running toilet refers to a toilet that constantly runs even when it is not being used. Diagnosing a running toilet can be incredibly tricky, and it can cause a lot of aggravation when the cause cannot be determined.
So that's 1.5 gallons per flush or per 30 seconds, or 3 gallons per minute. For all 1,440 minutes per day, that is up to 4,320 gallons of wasted water! If you left your leaky toilet running this way for an entire week, you'd waste 30,240 gallons of water.
If your toilet is leaking from the water supply, the water supply line may need repairing. This is a common and inexpensive repair for your plumber to make. If the toilet rocks when you sit on it, your plumber may need to replace the wax seal.
To replace the flush and fill valve on a toilet cistern, a plumber would typically charge between £80 and £120. The job should take 1-2 hours to complete.
The cost to replace a ball valve is typically between $200 and $500. This depends on the ball valve manufacturer, brand, model, and whether it is installed. This estimate includes labor costs, material costs, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Usually this is caused by one of the following problems: The water level in the tank may be at or above the top of the overflow pipe. The flapper or stopper ball that closes off the outlet at the bottom of the tank may be defective. The fill valve may need replacing.
If you've tried replacing the toilet flapper but the toilet still runs, the flush valve seat is probably rough or pitted. You can replace the entire flush toilet flapper valve, but it's a big job.
Ghost flushing wastes water, which can result in higher water bills. Even a small leak can waste significant amounts of water over time, so it's essential to find and repair the leak quickly.
The most likely cause is capillary action. This happens when a piece of debris, wicks the water out of the bowl and down the drain. It could be something as small as a string. Another possibility is the drain venting in the home is not sized properly, or a clogged vent.
That means that the running toilet cost for a medium leak can add an extra $100 a month or $1,200 per year.