Stop Jiggling the Handle of your Toilet

We’ve all been annoyed by a running toilet when we’re watching TV, having dinner with family, or trying to sleep in the middle of the night. The only way to stop the toilet from running is to jiggle the handle.

Jiggling the handle is a very temporary solution to a running toilet. It’s also kind of awkward and embarrassing when you are entertaining guests at a dinner party.

“Uh, where’s your bathroom?”

“It’s in the hallway on the left. Oh and don’t forget to jiggle the handle”.

Not a great way to impress your friends or acquaintances. Stop jiggling the handle and find a solution.

If your toilet is running after you flush it, you could be wasting about 26 gallons of water a day, which means hard- earned money going right down the old toilet bowl.

If your toilet keeps running and running it’s probably because the flapper has worn out. The flapper is the rubber piece in the back of your toilet that lifts to let water flow down into the bowl when it flushes, and closes again to fill the bowl. When the flapper has worn out, the flapper won’t seal shut again once it’s opened. This allows for constant draining and refilling of your toilet bowl. You may need to replace the flapper.

Another reason your toilet might be running is your chain may need to be adjusted. Jiggling the handle helps shake out the chain that connects the handle to the flapper valve. The chain can easily kink up or get caught on the flapper valve, preventing it from forming a solid seal. This causes water to leak out of the tank, which means your toilet will compensate by always attempting to re-fill. Replacing the flapper and the chain mechanism will most likely solve the problem.

The running water issue may also be due to a poor float position. When you flush your toilet, water is supposed to fill the tank until it almost reaches the top of overflow pipe and then stop. The reason why it stops is because of the float that is attached to the fill valve. The overflow pipe will prevent your tank from actually overflowing, but a poor float position will keep your toilet running until it’s fixed.

These are the most common causes of a running toilet. Do you want to stop jiggling the handle? Don’t worry, we’re on it! Give the Certified Premier Plumbers at Bonney Plumbing, Heating, and Air a call at 800-444-0551. You can trust any of the plumbing professionals within the Bonney network, including those at Boyd Plumbing. Make your appointment here online to get started today!