A running toilet is one of the most annoying things a homeowner has to deal with.

To identify the cause of the problem you first need to understand the parts associated with a toilet.

You have several components that make up a standard toilet.

• The Bowl (that's what you sit on)
• The Tank (that's what sits on the bowl or the back of the toilet)
• The Fill Valve (that's what fills the toilet up with water on the inside of the tank)
• The Flush Valve (that's what connects the tank to the bowl with a gasket and hold the flapper and over flow tube)
• The Flapper (that's what opens up to let the water out when you flush the toilet)
• The Handle (that's connected to the flapper to flush the toilet)

You have external parts that may affect the operation of your toilet as well.

• Stop (the stop is connected to the supply line that is connected to the fill valve. This is how you cut the water off to the toilet)
• Supply Line (this brings water from the stop to the fill valve)
• Pressure Reducing Valve or PRV (this regulates the house system pressure between 45-80psi)
• Water Heater (a water heater will affect the operation of your toilet if thermal expansion is not addressed within the system)

Almost all toilet problems are systemic of either a pressure issue or thermal expansion problem.

If your toilet is old the internal parts may need to be replaced.

Sometimes you may simply need a new flapper.

Whatever the problem is you must start with the most obvious and work your way down the list.

If you have more than one toilet with a problem then of course you can see that it must bee something else causing that.

If it is not obvious and you know that your other toilets are causing you the same type problems then you wil save a lot of time and money by calling a Professional.

If you are insistent on repairing your own toilet that's fine just remember there are many different brands of toilets and the all have their own little known problems associated with them.

Tank To Bowl Kit

A tank to bowl kit is something that connects the tank and bowl components together.

If you do not know what you are doing this can be a disaster area for the DIY person.

It amazes me at how many people attempt to install these bolts improperly and crack a tank.

The best thing you can do is gather as much information about your problem as you can and call the plumber.