Fix the Toilet Tank Float

written by: Cory Q

So, are you familiar with the inside of your toilet tank? If not, check out this handy diagram I whomped up. If you don't even know what a toilet tank is then go to your bathroom and look at that piece you lean back against when in 'repose'. It has a removable lid. Go ahead, remove that bad boy and look inside. You know you want to...

This is a rough idea of what is inside your toilet bowl if you can't go peek inside of your own right now.
A= The float. This little bladder is attached to a rod. That rod in turn runs to a little device that has a valve in it. That valve is responsible for filling the tank. The float rises on the incoming water and when the float reaches a certain point (usually marked right on the porcelain inside the tank) the water shuts off.
Red Knob= The little red "T" in the diagram is a screw that you would use to adjust the height of the float. It can be either a Phillips or flathead. It isn't actually red, that is for effect here. If your toilet sounds like it is running all the time (like flowing water), then you need to adjust this screw.
B= The handle to flush with.
The Arrow= That is where my trouble happened.
Short tube on the right= Overflow tube. If the float is set too high, the extra water goes down that to keep the tank from overflowing.

On to the repair.

So, the toilet in my upstairs bathroom had a problem. It sounded like running water. We hadn't used the bathroom in a couple of hours, so that would mean that the float in the tank (see diagram, part A) was set too high. "Easy fix!" I said to myself as I grabbed a screw driver out of the garage and proceeded upstairs. I took the lid off the toilet tank and saw that the water was indeed at too high a level and therefore was running down the overflow tube. A couple of turns to push the float down (that is the red "T" in the diagram) and I was all set.

So I thought.

After about 20 minutes of feeling mighty satisfied with myself, I heard what sounded like running water again. So, I go check the tank again to find that the float had broken off the support rod (see "The Arrow" in the diagram) and the water was pouring into the overflow tube like mad. I guess the first fix I was so pleased about came about as that joint weakened and now it had finally just given up. I don't like wasting water.

Step one is to turn the water off to the toilet. There is a small valve in the wall behind the toilet directly under the tank, usually on the left side. Turn that closed. Next, drain the tank by flushing the toilet (push B in the diagram). Now, the toilet won't refill and you can work on the float free from cold, wet hands. Step three is to go get a new float.

Lucky for us, that sort of thing is standardized. I got one at the Ace Hardware by my place for $1.52 after tax. It took longer for me to buy the float than it took for me to get there, find it in the store, and drive home. I was the youngest guy in the place by 40 years, and I think the elderly gentleman behind the counter was afraid that if he hit the wrong button on the register that it would take his soul. Anyhow, they were all nice guys, just not nearly in as much hurry as myself.

Replacing the float is pretty easy. The old one should just unscrew from the rod. Mine didn't do that so easy as just the small chunk was left one the end. I disconnected the rod from the valve (right under the red "T" in the diagram, again, just unscrewed it) and had to take it out in the garage and apply some ‘persuasion’ to the matter with a vice grips and some Liquid Wrench to loosen that piece from the rod. Anyway, after only one or two swear words I got the remaining float remnant loose from the rod.

Reconnect the rod to the valve, attach the new float to the rod, turn the water back on, and you are back in business! Total cost: about $2. Total time not counting the trip to the store: 10 minutes. Total time counting the trip to the store: 45 minutes.

It was pretty easy for me, anyway.

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