When to Call a Plumber about a Running Toilet

If you were rich and money wasn’t a concern, you would probably call a plumber for every little problem that occurs in your home. Unfortunately, money is a big concern for most of us, so when something like a running toilet presents itself, it can be easy to put the problem on the back burner and plan to “get around to it” on some future Saturday afternoon. The problem is, a running toilet can be the symptom of a variety of plumbing problems, and it can be hard to discern whether those problems will require professional help. Nobody wants to call a professional only to have to pay service call fees for a problem that could have been easily addressed with a DIY solution. Most frugal people will attempt to fix a running toilet on their own, but knowing when the problem is beyond your own skills is difficult.

The Running Toilet

There are a couple of triggers that might get you looking for a running toilet. One, you might hear the sound of running water in your bathroom long after you flushed a toilet. Two, you might get a water bill that is much bigger than usual. In either case, you’ll be frantically trying to pinpoint the problem.

The easiest test requires just a couple of drops of food coloring. In order to see if the toilet tank is leaking into the bowl, add a few drops of food coloring to the tank. If the water in the toilet bowl turns color without you flushing the toilet, you have a running or leaking toilet. You should also take off the lid of the tank and inspect the inner mechanisms to investigate any sounds you’re hearing and make sure everything is working as it should.

Quick Fixes

There is a chance that your running toilet can be solved in a matter of seconds. Inside your tank, on the very bottom, there is a rubber piece called a flapper that moves up and down to let water run from the tank to the bowl when the toilet is flushed. When the toilet flusher is not initiated, the flapper should lie completely flat against the bottom of the tank. Something may be stuck beneath the flapper, or the chain may be stuck on something. Another common problem is that the float or refill valve may be loose and not operating correctly. All of these toilet parts can be purchased relatively inexpensively at your local hardware store, and replacing a toilet flapper valve can be easy.

When to Make the Call

If you’ve fiddled around with the inside of your toilet and can’t get it to work, you should promptly call an expert Roto-Rooter plumber to have a look at it. Every second you leave a toilet running, your water bill is adding up. Roto-Rooter’s trained professionals can diagnose and fix problems that you might miss on your own.

Remember, All plumbers are not equal. Roto-Rooter is North America’s #1 plumbing repair and drain service company. Homeowners everywhere have relied on Roto-Rooter since 1935 for honest, professional advice on all types of drain cleaning and plumbing services. Large jobs or small, we do it all.