Basics

A running toilet

Most running toilets are a flapper. Water on the floor is a plumber. Know which one you are looking at.

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The steps

Stop the run, or stop the water and call.

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01If water is on the floor, or you smell sewage, turn the valve on the supply line clockwise until it stops. Then call a plumber. Do not keep flushing to see if it clears.Water on the floor is already past a flapper. Shut the valve before you start diagnosing.
02If it only runs, lift the tank lid and set it where it cannot fall. Do not force the handle.
03Flush once and watch the flapper. It should drop and seal. A chain that is tight holds it open. A chain piled in a knot keeps it from closing.
04Leave a little slack in the chain when the flapper is down. About a half inch of play is enough. Flush again and watch it seal.
05If the flapper is worn, cracked, or soft, replace it with the one made for that toilet. Take the old flapper to the store, or match the model number inside the tank.
06If water spills into the overflow tube, the float is set too high or the fill valve is failing. Lower the float once. If it still runs, replace the valve. Do not keep bending parts.
07Dye check: a few drops of food coloring in the tank, then wait ten minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means the flapper leaks. That is a new flapper, not a new toilet.
08If the shutoff will not turn, or water keeps coming onto the floor, leave the lid off, catch what you can in a bucket, and call. Write the plumber's number on the fridge sheet while you still have it.

Sources

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