Why Your Toilet Keeps Running
Nearly every toilet keeps running because of a fault inside the cistern, and three parts cause almost all of it. This guide helps Boondall owners tell the three apart before anyone pays for parts they don't need. Our licensed plumbers handle the lot, from 1960s postwar cisterns to fittings in the estates built through the 2000s.
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Inlet Valve, Flush Valve Seal and Overflow Explained
Three faults cover the field. An inlet valve that won't shut off, a flush valve seal leaking into the pan, or a water level so high that excess escapes down the overflow.
Each leaves its own calling card:
Inlet valve
refills the cistern after a flush and stops once the float reaches its set level. A constant hiss or trickle after refilling points here.
Flush valve seal
holds the water between flushes. A worn seal lets water slip into the pan, so the cistern tops itself up every few minutes with nothing flushed.
Overflow
the outlet that spares your floor when the level climbs too far. Water reaching it means the inlet valve or the float needs attention.
What Colour in the Bowl Tells You
Run this test: add a few drops of food colouring to the cistern, leave the toilet unflushed, and check the bowl.
Colour showing up in the bowl means water is escaping from the cistern into the pan, which points to the seal. Flush once you're done, because the colouring won't stain a ceramic bowl.
Two more things the test settles:
No colour
the flush valve is holding, so the inlet valve and the water level are your next checks.
No food colouring in the house
lay a sheet of dry toilet paper at the rear of the bowl, above the water line. Dry paper stays put; damp paper means a leak trickling down behind the bowl.
Water Runs but the Cistern Stays Low
A cistern that won't fill usually points to a worn or blocked inlet valve, a float set too low, or a stop tap not fully open. Check the stop tap first, since a tap half-turned starves the whole cistern.
One twist catches people out. Water can run steadily while the level never rises, because a leaking seal lets it out as fast as it comes in. The inlet valve sounds busy, but the fault sits on the outlet side.
Which Cistern Parts a Home Owner May Replace
Queensland lets anyone with the right knowledge and skill replace three cistern parts: the drop valve washer, the float valve washer and the suction cup rubber. The QBCC lists that work as unregulated, and the result still has to meet the standards.
Everything else inside a cistern is minor work, so a QBCC licensee handles it: no permit, and no Form 4 afterwards.
Rentals follow the tenancy Act. The owner or manager keeps the place in good repair, and the tenant reports faults as soon as they can. A running cistern isn't on the emergency list, which covers a toilet that's blocked or broken, so it counts as routine and gets seen to within a reasonable time.
What a Running Cistern Does to Your Water Bill
No, Urban Utilities' concealed leak adjustment doesn't cover water lost through a leaking cistern. The adjustment excludes cisterns, taps, hot water systems and other water appliances.
Responsibility for leaks on the property sits with the owner, and so does the loss. A cistern refilling itself overnight is billed water nobody used, which makes the dye test worth its few minutes.
When to Call a Plumber About a Running Cistern
Ring us when the dye test shows colour, when the cistern refills itself between flushes, or when water spills from the overflow. All three faults sit on the licensed side of the QBCC's line, because they involve the inlet valve, the flush valve assembly or the float setting.
We diagnose, quote and replace the worn part in one visit. For the wider jobs, our toilet repairs page covers base leaks, pan connectors, weak flushes and the repair-or-replace call.
Questions Boondall Owners Ask About Running Toilets
Call (07) 3523 6484Why won't my toilet stop running after a flush?
One of three faults is at work. It could be an inlet valve failing to shut off, a seal passing water into the pan, or a level high enough to spill down the overflow. A hiss points to the valve; a cistern topping itself up points to the seal. Boondall's postwar cisterns usually wear the seal.
How do I check my Boondall cistern for a silent leak?
Drip several drops of food colouring into your Boondall cistern and leave the toilet unflushed. Colour turning up in the bowl means water is escaping into the pan, so the seal needs a licensed plumber. Flush afterwards, because food colouring doesn't stain ceramic bowls.
Which cistern parts can I legally replace myself in Queensland?
Three, in the QBCC's own terms: a drop valve washer, a float valve washer or a suction cup rubber. Anyone with the right knowledge and skill may do that work, which counts as unregulated, and the result still has to meet the standards. Everything else inside a cistern belongs to a licensed plumber.
What is the overflow in my toilet cistern?
The overflow is the outlet that carries excess water away instead of letting it spill onto your floor. When the inlet valve won't shut off, or the float sits too high, the level climbs until water escapes through it. Some cisterns drain the excess into the pan, and some send it out a pipe that drips outside.
Ring Us About the Running CisternWe'll call you back.
Ring (07) 3523 6484 and tell us what's wrong. You get $0 call-out fees, a fixed quote before any work starts and same-day where we can, 7 days a week.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3523 6484 today.