3 Common Toilet Float Issues

The toilet float is what hangs in the back of your toilet that is in charge of the water level that you have. There are a few things that may go wrong with it that could prevent your toilet from working properly. Whenever the toilet float does not work the way it should, it will run your water bill up while wasting a large amount of water. Luckily, most of the things that are wrong with toilet floats can be easily fixed, so you will have the ability to do it yourself without calling a professional for help.

Float Arm

The float ball works in conjunction with the float arm. Sometimes when a float ball or arm is replaced, or is just old, the arm may need to be adjusted. Most of the time, the float arm can be bent slightly to allow you to fine tune the point when you want the water to turn on. The float arm is also easy to replace, so if you aren't able to bend it, you can just replace it all together. If the tank isn't filling up enough, this could be the problem.

Rubbing Inside of Tank

A float ball that is too large or in the wrong position can cause rubbing against the side of the tank. This can cause the toilet to run constantly or can cause the ball to get stuck and not fill the tank completely. To fix this, you can try to use a smaller float ball. Sometimes adjusting the float arm (as in the above section) will correct this as well.

Leaky Float Ball

A float ball is supposed to be hollow. This allows it to float. If the float ball is old or faulty, it can start to fill with water. This process will happen over time. If the toilet isn't filling after it's been flushed, inspect the ball to ensure there are no cracks or holes. A float ball is inexpensive, so it can be replaced if this is the case.

Old

Sometimes, the float just gets old. It is common that over time, the float needs to be replaced. The best way to do this is simply take the one that you have to the store with you so that you will be able to get the right one. A lot of the time whenever you have hard water or well water, you will find that it is a lot harder on your appliances and their inner workings. Make sure that you are able to properly install the new one by paying attention to how you took off the old one. You may also even want to look up online on how to properly remove and install one so that you can do this correctly without having to worry about creating more problems in the meantime.