My toilet is running and my water bill is through the roof! What’s wrong?
Your running toilet is costing you money!
#1 Flapper is old, worn, loss of flexibility
Do you have to wiggle the handle to stop your toilet from running? It's probably the flapper. Water can leak past the seal of the flapper, into the bowl, then down the drain! This can cause a real headache with your water bill. If you see the flapper deformed, or you touch it and your finger turns the color of the rubber then its time to replace it. Universal flappers are available, a popular choice is The Hornet.
#2 Water level set too high
If your water level in the tank is set too high it will overflow into the bowl fill tube and then down the drain. This can easily be fixed by adjusting the water level. Typically the best setting is 1/2" - 1" below the top of the fill tube. Setting this water level properly will reduce the amount of water your toilet uses, which should help with your water bill! The picture below shows a common Fluidmaster ball cock. To adjust these simply turn the threaded adjustable rod counter-clockwise. This pushes the fill valve further down and reduces the water level.
