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Why Your American Standard Toilet Keeps Running

Posted by Jeanne on Jan 18th 2022

Why Your American Standard Toilet Keeps Running

Photo from Swanky Den

You know what to expect from your toilet – once you flush it, it should go quiet after a second or two, right? Yet you might have discovered that yours keeps running throughout. This is not very pleasant.

Putting the irritation aside, a toilet that runs continuously wastes water, and soon you’ll find your water bills skyrocketing. You need to find out why your American standard toilet keeps running for these two main reasons and get a solution.

This article will share the main reasons why your toilet runs non-stop and how you can deal with the problem.

Possible Reasons Why Your American Standard Toilet Keeps Running

A toilet is made up of many small parts, and should a problem arise with some of these parts; you’re likely to have a problem. When the toilet is constantly running, the following are the possible reasons why:

The Fill Valve

The fill valve is the toilet component that controls water flow into the tank. When functioning correctly, the fill valve will fill the toilet with water up to the desired level as indicated by the float ball. When the fill valve is malfunctioning, it may run continuously. When this happens, the excess water will flow into the overflow tube and, although this will not make the tank overflow, the toilet will run continuously.

Photo from Aztec Plumbing & Drains

When a fill valve is broken, you need to replace it. These valves are available in hardware stores, and you can easily remove the damaged valve and insert the new valve by following the instructions that come with the valve.

The Float Ball

The float ball is designed to go down when you flush the toilet and to rise as the water flows into the tank. When the ball sinks after you flush, it opens up the water inlet valve on the fill tube, thus allowing water to flow into the tank. As the ball rises with the water filling into the tank, it closes the inlet valve when it is filled to the desired level. This means that a malfunctioning float ball will fail to close the valve, and the water will keep running.

The Flush Valve

The flush valve comprises several components that are supposed to aid in the filling of the tank and stop the inflow at the appropriate time.

One of the essential components of the flush valve is the flapper. When you flush the toilet, the flapper is opened, allowing wastewater to go into the toilet bowl. As soon as the toilet tank is empty, the flapper is supposed to close, thus enabling the toilet tank to fill. Given its permanent exposure to water, the flapper could collect mineral deposits, making it unable to perform its functions properly. Natural wear and tear causes most flappers to malfunction, and you’ll therefore find that this is one component that you might need to replace regularly to stop your toilet from running.

Another crucial component of the flush valve is the chain. When the chain is pulled, it opens up the flash valve allowing water to flow into the tank. Problems with the chain are fundamentally about its length. When the chain is too long, it could get entangled under the flapper and start leaking. Conversely, when the chain is too short, it might hinder the ability of the flapper to close appropriately. You, therefore, need to confirm that the chain installed in your toilet is of the correct length.

The Overflow Tube

Connecting to the flush valve is the overflow tube – a tube meant to prevent overflows into the toilet should the fill valve fail to close. Should water flow into this tube, your toilet will keep running.

One of the reasons that would make water flow into the overflow tube is when the water level in the tank is above the recommended level. Ideally, the water level in the tank should always be below the overflow tube. To find out if your toilet keeps running because of the raised water level in the tank, you should open the tank and, should you find the water level too high, you can get it lowered.

Precautions to Take When Repairing an American Standard Toilet That Keeps Running

When your American Standard toilet keeps running, you should address the problem, but you need to take two essential precautions when doing so.


Photo from Family Handyman

Get the Correct Diagnosis and Genuine Parts

As noted above, your toilet could constantly be running because of an issue with one of the parts. Before embarking on any repair/replacement activities, you need to diagnose the problem correctly. Once you’ve identified the problem, it’s equally important to obtain the recommended parts for your toilet. New parts cost little, but you might have constant problems if you fail to get genuine and compatible parts.

Remember that the Toilet is Delicate

While a handy person can repair a running toilet, it’s important to remember that most of the parts in a toilet are rather delicate. To conduct repairs, you might need to disassemble the toilet and then reassemble it when the job is done. Unless you’re a pro plumber, it’s easy to break some parts of the toilet and cause more damage.

Conclusion

While your American Standard toilet could be running non-stop for several reasons, fixing the problem is easy when the issue is diagnosed. Such repairs cost a fraction of the amount of money you’d spend on high water bills should you fail to get a quick solution. Should you have doubts about your ability to conduct repairs, remember that you can turn to professional plumbers.

American Standard is a leading plumbing and high-performing home products brand. Find more American Standard products here!

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