A running toilet isn’t just an annoyance — it’s a silent, costly problem hiding inside thousands of Tempe homes.
At first, it might not seem like a big deal. You flush, you hear water filling back into the tank, and then you forget about it. But when a toilet doesn’t stop running, even after the tank is supposed to be full, it quietly wastes hundreds of gallons of water a day. You may not notice it until the water bill arrives, and by then, you’re already paying for a problem that could have been solved much sooner.
The frustrating part is how easy it is to overlook. If there’s no flood on the floor and the toilet still flushes, most homeowners don’t think twice about it. Yet that slow, continuous trickle can end up costing more than almost any other plumbing issue over time. In a city like Tempe, where water conservation is a real concern, letting a toilet run unchecked isn't just expensive — it’s wasteful.
"A running toilet is one of the most overlooked sources of water waste inside a home. It never feels urgent — until it hits your wallet."
At Peoples Choice Plumbing, we hear from Tempe homeowners every week dealing with this exact issue. Sometimes it's a newly remodeled home where the tank components weren't installed correctly. Sometimes it's a rental where no one realized the toilet was leaking into the bowl for months. We’ve seen it across the city — from the historic Maple-Ash district to the neighborhoods around Kiwanis Park — and it happens in homes of every age, price point, and style.
Understanding why a toilet keeps running is the first step to stopping it. The good news is that most of the causes are relatively simple and inexpensive to fix — if you catch them early enough. Left untreated, though, a running toilet can create bigger issues: worn-down internal parts, valve damage, even water overflows if the fill systems fail completely.
And while a lot of online DIY guides make fixing a running toilet seem easy, the truth is that diagnosing the exact cause can be tricky. Tanks are designed with multiple interconnected parts — flappers, fill valves, overflow tubes, flush handles — and when one part starts to fail, it often affects the others. Replacing the wrong part doesn’t solve the problem. It just wastes time and money.
This guide is here to walk you through everything you need to know about running toilets in Tempe homes: the most common causes, when you can fix it yourself, when it’s smarter to call a licensed plumber, and how much ignoring the issue could be costing you.
No fluff. No guesswork. Just clear answers and real solutions from professionals who handle plumbing problems like this every day.
Coming up next: the real reasons your toilet won't stop running — and how to spot them before they drain your bank account.
When a toilet won’t stop running, it’s tempting to assume it’s a simple fix. Maybe you just need to jiggle the handle. Maybe it’ll stop on its own. But in reality, running toilets have specific mechanical failures that, if left untreated, will keep wasting water around the clock.
Most running toilets we service across Tempe trace back to a small set of causes. Each one affects how the tank refills after a flush — and each one can create serious water loss if ignored.
The most common problem is a worn or warped flapper. Inside the tank, the flapper is the rubber piece that lifts up to release water into the bowl when you flush. After years of use, exposure to hard water minerals, or even small manufacturing flaws, flappers stop sealing tightly. They might look fine at a glance, but even a small gap is enough to cause a steady leak into the bowl, forcing the fill valve to keep topping off the tank.
Another frequent issue is a broken or misadjusted fill valve. This vertical mechanism controls when the tank refills and when it stops. If it sticks open, fails to read the water level properly, or becomes clogged with sediment — a real problem in Tempe homes with older piping — it allows constant water flow into the tank. Many homeowners replace the flapper first, only to realize the real problem was the fill valve all along.
A third overlooked cause is the overflow tube. This open tube drains excess water into the bowl if the tank overfills, preventing flooding. If the water level in the tank is set too high — usually because of a poorly calibrated fill valve — it will spill into the overflow tube nonstop. From the outside, it sounds like a soft trickling noise, easy to miss unless you’re standing next to the toilet.
Chains and flush levers also create problems if they’re not properly adjusted. If the chain that connects the flush handle to the flapper is too short or too tight, it can pull the flapper slightly open even after flushing. If it’s too long, it can get caught under the flapper, preventing it from sealing. Either way, the result is the same: constant leaking, constant refilling.
Finally, internal tank corrosion from Tempe’s hard water supply can gradually wear down all of these components at once. Even if you replace one faulty part, another one could fail shortly after if the tank internals are old or brittle. This is why diagnosing a running toilet correctly — and inspecting all parts together — matters.
"One worn part leads to another. Fixing a running toilet isn’t just about replacing one thing — it’s about restoring the entire system to balance."
When you know what you're looking at, diagnosing the cause of a running toilet becomes much easier. But when you're guessing — or swapping parts one at a time — you can waste money, time, and still end up with a toilet that won't stay quiet.
In the next section, we'll show you just how much a running toilet could be costing you on your Tempe water bill — and why catching it early can save you hundreds of dollars per year.
For most Tempe homeowners, the first sign of a running toilet isn’t a noise — it’s a surprise on the water bill.
When we get calls from people dealing with this issue, the conversation usually starts the same way:
“I didn’t realize anything was wrong until my bill doubled.”
That’s the trap of a running toilet. It doesn’t flood your home. It doesn’t leave visible damage. But over time, it quietly wastes a massive amount of water. Depending on the severity of the leak, a single running toilet can waste anywhere from 200 to 1,000 gallons of water per day. Multiply that by a full billing cycle, and you're looking at a usage spike of 6,000 to 30,000 gallons — all from one bathroom.
The City of Tempe bills residential water users based on both water consumption and sewer fees. That means when your toilet runs nonstop, you're not just paying for the water coming in — you’re also being charged for water disposal, even though that water never touched a sink or shower. It’s a double hit.
“One toilet. One leak. One month. That’s all it takes to add $80–$150 to your bill without a single extra flush.”
In homes with multiple bathrooms — or older toilets that use more water per flush — the cost can climb even higher. We’ve seen situations where two running toilets increased a homeowner’s bill by over $300, and they didn’t catch it until month two. Why? Because the tank noises were subtle. The water drained quietly. And the house was busy enough that no one noticed the change.
If you own rental property in Tempe or manage a multi-unit building, the stakes are even higher. Tenants don’t always report running toilets right away. That can mean months of elevated usage before anyone realizes what’s happening. By the time we’re called out, the combined loss from water, sewer, and missed detection often dwarfs the cost of the repair itself.
Water waste from running toilets also has a broader impact. Arizona remains one of the most drought-sensitive states in the U.S., and Tempe has committed to long-term sustainability efforts. Unchecked water loss from something as preventable as a toilet leak undermines those goals — and adds pressure to a municipal water system that’s already strained during peak usage months.
Fixing a running toilet isn’t just about your bill — it’s about doing your part for the community. And unlike many other plumbing problems, this one is often fast and inexpensive to solve.
Coming up next: What you can fix on your own, and when it’s worth bringing in a licensed Tempe plumber to handle it right the first time.
Most homeowners want to handle small plumbing issues themselves — and for good reason. No one wants to pay for a service call if it’s something they can take care of in ten minutes. A running toilet feels like one of those problems. It’s not leaking onto the floor, it’s not making strange noises, and it’s not stopping you from using the bathroom. But the line between a quick fix and a lingering issue isn’t always clear.
Let’s start with the truth: some running toilet repairs really are DIY-friendly.
If the issue is something like a loose chain, a flapper that doesn’t seal correctly, or a fill valve that needs adjusting, many Tempe homeowners can handle that with a trip to the hardware store and a YouTube video. Most replacement parts are inexpensive — usually under $25 — and the repairs don’t require any tools beyond a pair of pliers and some patience.
But the moment things get even slightly more complicated, DIY becomes a gamble.
If your toilet tank parts are corroded, brittle, or hard to identify — common in homes built before the 2000s — you may end up replacing a part that isn’t even the real problem. We’ve seen plenty of cases where a homeowner swaps out the flapper, only to find the fill valve was the actual issue. Or they adjust the water level, not realizing the overflow tube is cracked at the base. These aren't mistakes — they're learning experiences. But they’re learning experiences that cost money.
“Most of the service calls we get for running toilets are from people who tried to fix it first — and still ended up with the same problem.”
Then there’s the hidden cost of time. If you’ve spent an hour opening the tank, watching the mechanisms, replacing a part, and still hearing that constant trickle, that’s an hour you could have spent doing anything else. In some cases, we’ve been called to fix a DIY job that unintentionally made the issue worse — like overtightening the fill valve and cracking the tank, or misaligning a universal flapper so the tank never seals fully again.
There’s also water pressure and supply line safety to consider. If you’re not fully confident in shutting off your home’s water supply, or you're unsure how to reseal components without leaks, a small project can turn into a stressful mess fast.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. But it does mean that calling a plumber isn’t just for emergencies. In many cases, it’s the smarter financial move — especially when you're dealing with recurring issues or have no idea how long the toilet has been leaking.
If you’re in Tempe and the toilet still won’t stop running after a basic adjustment, we recommend bringing in a licensed plumber to inspect the full tank setup. We’ll tell you exactly what’s wrong, explain the fix, and get it resolved without guesswork. You’ll have peace of mind knowing the repair was done right — and that your water bill won’t keep rising for another month.
In the final section, we’ll show you exactly what to do next — including how to spot warning signs early and how to connect with a trusted local plumber if you need help.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re ahead of 90% of homeowners dealing with a running toilet. You now understand what causes it, how much it can cost, and which fixes you can reasonably try yourself.
The next step depends on one thing: how confident you are in your diagnosis.
If you’ve opened the tank and clearly see a loose chain, a flapper that’s visibly warped, or a water level set too high — go ahead and adjust it. These fixes are low-risk and often solve the problem. But if you’ve replaced parts and the toilet still won’t stop running, or if you’re not sure what you’re looking at inside the tank, it’s time to call in a professional.
This is where having a trusted plumber in Tempe makes all the difference.
At Peoples Choice Plumbing, we don’t just swap parts and hope it works. We fully inspect the internal system, check for sediment buildup, test the shutoff valve, evaluate water pressure, and confirm that every piece of the toilet tank is working the way it should. That way, you’re not fixing symptoms — you’re solving the root cause.
“A toilet that’s been running for two weeks can cost you more than a professional repair. We see it every day.”
If you’ve already noticed a spike in your Tempe water bill, don’t wait. Every day the toilet runs, you’re not just wasting water — you’re pouring money down the drain. And in some cases, leaks that start inside the tank can turn into overflow or flooring damage if left unaddressed.
The good news? Fixing this kind of issue is fast when you know exactly what to look for.
Most repairs take under an hour. We carry all common parts on our truck — flappers, fill valves, seals, chains — so there’s no need to order or wait. And because we’re based right here in Tempe, we can usually schedule same-day service if you reach out early enough.
Whether you live near the ASU campus, in Warner Ranch, or just off Rural and Guadalupe, we’ve likely worked with one of your neighbors already. Our team is licensed, bonded, insured, and backed by more than 75 five-star reviews from homeowners who were once in the exact situation you’re in now.
You don’t have to keep jiggling the handle. You don’t have to wait for another bill to remind you. And you definitely don’t have to keep guessing.
If your toilet won’t stop running, contact Peoples Choice Plumbing for expert toilet repair in Tempe AZ — and get it done right the first time.
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The most common reason a toilet keeps running after flushing is a worn-out flapper or a fill valve that won’t shut off properly. When the flapper doesn’t seal, water leaks slowly into the bowl, triggering the tank to refill over and over. In some cases, the fill valve is set too high or gets stuck, which causes water to overflow into the drain tube. If the problem persists after adjusting the components, it’s a good idea to have a professional inspect the system to prevent unnecessary water waste and high bills.
A constantly running toilet can waste anywhere from 200 to over 1,000 gallons of water per day, depending on the severity of the leak and the size of your tank. Even minor, slow leaks can add up quickly. Over the course of a month, that could mean thousands of gallons wasted — and potentially $50–$150 added to your Tempe water bill. If you notice your toilet running intermittently, it’s worth checking immediately to avoid long-term cost.
Many basic toilet issues, like a loose chain or misaligned flapper, can be handled by a homeowner with a little patience and the right replacement part. But if you’ve tried DIY fixes and the toilet still won’t stop running — or if you’re unsure what the actual problem is — calling a licensed plumber is the best move. A professional can spot less obvious causes like sediment buildup, cracked overflow tubes, or internal tank wear that may not be visible to the untrained eye. And they can fix it in one trip, saving you time and further damage.
An easy test is to put a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank and wait about 10–15 minutes without flushing. If the color appears in the bowl, water is leaking through the flapper or flush valve seal. You may also hear the toilet tank refilling itself periodically, even if it hasn’t been flushed recently. This is a sign of a slow leak that causes the fill valve to activate again and again. These leaks are often silent — but they add up quickly.
Absolutely. A running toilet is one of the simplest plumbing problems to fix — but it’s also one of the most costly if ignored. The amount of water lost, combined with the potential for internal tank damage or incorrect DIY repairs, makes it a smart call to bring in a licensed plumber, especially if you live in Tempe and want to avoid steep water bills. A quick service call now can save you hundreds in water waste and future repairs.
