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This is crazy but I reproduced it multiple times: from time to time the toilet won't stop running , I think a non-complete flush will trigger it. If I just remove the lid and flush again then it'll stop and work without a hitch for weeks. What gives?

chx
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    Be careful, try to find a manual for how to remove the lid, there can be plastic parts in inlet valve connected to the buttons on the lid, I think I accidentally broke some toilets by just lifting the lid. – Emil Jun 29 '21 at 03:31
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    i bet the fill is proud of the tank rim. Stick some felt/cork/rubber feet on the bottom of the lid next to the rim to raise it slightly, or just get a new setup ala a repair kit; they are cheap. – dandavis Jun 29 '21 at 04:15
  • @Emil Luckily there's nothing it's just a big slab of porcelain. – chx Jun 29 '21 at 05:10
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    @dandavis Huh what? "Proud of the tank rim"? – chx Jun 29 '21 at 05:11
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    "proud" in construction means sticking out or in front of something else. – dandavis Jun 29 '21 at 06:05
  • If the float assembly is proud or above the tank as Dan suggests the lid could be putting pressure down on the float. Or the tank being skewed or moved when the lid is installed the float jumping as it fills because out of level or plumb. – Ed Beal Jun 29 '21 at 13:32
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    Also the fill paid for the tank rim to go to college and she graduated with straight As. – Willk Jun 29 '21 at 17:40
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    @Willk You've had your fill, but this isn't the place for toilet humor. * rimshot * – dandavis Jun 29 '21 at 22:31
  • You said "remove the lid and flush again". Does it resolve if you flush again without removing the lid? – rtaft Nov 16 '21 at 15:00

1 Answers1

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This actually isn't too uncommon. Like dandavis said, it's likely the "fill is proud of the tank rim" — or, to translate: The shutoff lever attached to the ballast was installed too tall. Here's a picture to illustrate:

diagram of a toilet tank mechanism, including labels

Long story short, the ballast floats up as your tank fills with water. At the top of the ballast is a stick that attaches to a lever controlling the water release; called, conveniently enough, a float valve. Unfortunately, if the stick is too high then the lid prevents it from activating the lever and disabling the water.

Taking the lid off "fixes it" because it's not really broken, these things are just cheap and imprecisely manufactured. So you reset the height of the ballast by taking off the lid, and allow the valve to final fully shut. But over time, things wiggle apart again. The valve loosens, the stick misaligns, and the ballast sinks.

Easy fix though… The ballast is held in place by either a pin or small screw. Simply turn off the water, then flush the toilet to drain the tank. Remove the connector and lower the ballast by ¼-⅛ inch, and reattach it. Problem solved!

Alternately, you can raise the lid by the same height, but I dislike how wobbly that makes it feel. Plus, if the lid falls off and breaks, you're out a lot more money than the time it would've taken to fix the ballast height.

Here's some additional resources on this. diy.stackexchange

home-repair-central (image credit belongs with this website, since I couldn't upload my own)

FreeMan
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DigitalDevourer
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  • It seems the picture didn't come through. – chx Nov 16 '21 at 09:33
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    Yeah, I'm on mobile right now. So, trying to do something as simple as uploading a photo had turned into a state-wide goat rodeo. Firefox only wants to share with Samsung Browser, who only wants to share with Microsoft Edge, and none of them will even acknowledge the existence of Chrome. I'm sure this is done programmer's roundabout way of making me download **yet another app!** _sigh_ – DigitalDevourer Nov 16 '21 at 09:38