Why Does My Toilet Randomly Run for a Few Seconds? (& How to Fix It

Step 1 Check the Fill Tube Family Handyman For a toilet overflow tube problem, remove the tank lid and find the fill tube. It's a small flexible tube that runs from the fill valve to the toilet overflow tube. While the tank refills, this tube squirts enough water down the toilet overflow tube to refill the bowl after the completed flush. What Are Common Reasons For A Toilet To Run Randomly? There are different reasons as to why your toilet is running randomly. The most likely culprit is the flapper not sealing the hole in the tank completely. As mentioned above, it is usually caused by a build-up of sediment or hard water minerals. Other reasons could include the following: 1.

Toilet Randomly Runs or Flushes Itself [Causes and How to Fix] Home

Problem 1: Toilet Flapper Could Be Cracked If your toilet randomly runs off and on for a few seconds, it is likely due to a broken flapper. While the flapper is supposed to drop down and re-seal the tank when enough water has gone through, a cracked or decaying flapper will allow water to keep flowing through and run periodically. Typically, a running toilet can be caused by issues with three main parts inside the tank: The first part is designed to prevent the toilet tank from overflowing and it is aptly named the overflow tube. The second problem part is the flush valve, which is responsible for releasing the water inside the tank when the toilet is flushed. 1. Flapper Chain Getting Caught or Too Short When you flush a toilet, the handle on the outside pulls a chain inside the tank to lift the flapper, which begins the flushing process. The chain must have enough slack in it to allow the flapper to seat correctly so that the bowl stops filling, and the tank can begin to fill. 1 Jiggle the handle a bit to see if the water stops running. Sometimes, the water just keeps running because the chain connecting your handle to the flapper gets caught or knots up. If this is only a once-in-a-while kind of problem, try jiggling the handle after the water has filled the tank. If the water stops running, you're good to go. [1]

Why Does My Toilet Randomly Run for a Few Seconds? (& How to Fix It

1 First Steps to Diagnose the Problem A large amount of water on the floor is usually a sign of a fast external leak. Shut the water off now before you read any further. The first thing to do is figure out what's causing the toilet to run. Is it running constantly or does it run for a few seconds at random times? 1: Water Trickling Into the Bowl (Phantom Flushes) You may periodically hear your toilet begin to spontaneously refill, as though someone had flushed it. 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.