Why Your Toilet Keeps Running
If the toilet keeps running after the flush has finished, water is going down the pan every minute, and in a suburb where many households rent, that waste lands on someone's bill.
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Many leases here pass water usage charges to the tenant, and a silent cistern leak is money trickling away with every refill. The sooner it's picked up, the smaller the usage charges.
Your local Newmarket plumbing team has written this guide to the three faults behind a running cistern, the dye check anyone can do, and where the law draws the DIY line. Beyond three small washers, every cistern repair needs a licensed plumber.
Why the Cistern Never Stops Filling
A cistern that keeps running has three causes: an inlet valve that won't close, a flush valve whose seal leaks, or a level running out through the overflow. The first keeps feeding water in, the second drains it away unseen, and the third sends excess out through the overflow instead of onto the floor.
Each fault leaves its own clue:
A hiss that keeps going after the refill
means the inlet valve is still letting water through.
A cistern that refills itself every few minutes
, with nobody flushing, means the seal underneath is letting water slip into the pan.
Water dribbling out of the overflow
, sometimes as a wet patch on the ground outside, means the level is climbing past its mark.
The inlet valve tops the cistern back up after a flush and shuts off when the float hits the level it's set to. The flush valve holds the cistern's water between flushes, so a worn seal lets it slip into the pan and the inlet valve keeps topping up to replace what's lost.
Water Runs but the Cistern Stays Low
A cistern that won't fill usually comes down to the inlet valve worn or blocked, the float set too low, or a stop tap someone left half turned. Make sure the small tap feeding the cistern is fully open before you blame the valve.
A float set below its mark closes the valve early and cuts the fill short. When water runs yet the level never climbs, the flush valve's seal may be letting it out as quickly as it comes in. The cistern can't win that contest, so it stays low no matter how long the water runs.
The Dye Test for a Leaking Cistern
- 1
Add the colouring
Lift the cistern lid and squeeze a little food colouring into the water.
- 2
Wait without flushing
Don't flush while you wait. Colour appearing in the bowl tells you water is moving from the cistern into the pan, which points to the seal.
- 3
Flush and read the result
Flush afterwards; the colouring rinses away without staining the ceramic. No colour in the bowl? The flush valve is sealing as it should, so check the inlet valve next, then the water level. No food colouring in the house? Stick a strip of dry loo paper to the inside of the bowl above the water line. The paper should stay dry; any dampness means the same leak.
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The QBCC List of Unregulated Cistern Work
The QBCC lists three cistern parts as unregulated work: the drop valve washer, the suction cup rubber and the float valve washer. A householder who has the knowledge and skill for it may swap those parts, and no licence or paperwork is needed.
The finished job must still come up to the standard the plumbing codes set. Anything beyond those three parts is minor work, which only a QBCC licensee may carry out, and it needs neither a permit nor a Form 4.
Queensland's tenancy Act requires the owner or manager to keep a rental in good repair, and the tenant to report faults promptly. A loo that's blocked or broken sits on the Act's emergency list; one that keeps running does not, so it counts as routine, fixed within a reasonable time.
Does the Water Utility Cover a Running Toilet
No, Urban Utilities' concealed leak adjustment does not extend to water a leaking cistern wastes. The property owner carries primary responsibility for leaks on their side of the meter, and for the water those leaks lose.
A running cistern is a repair job, not a bill adjustment, so the sooner it's fixed the smaller the usage charges.
When to Call a Plumber
Ring (07) 3524 0766 when the dye check shows colour in the bowl, when a hiss goes on after every refill, or when the cistern won't fill at all. Cisterns in the unit blocks around Newmarket railway station often sit in tight bathrooms where the fittings came in at the budget end of the range. A repair that sounds simple can turn fiddly fast.
Our toilet repairs page runs through what we fix, from worn seals and valves to cisterns that won't stop or won't start.
Questions About a Running Cistern
Call (07) 3524 0766Why is my toilet still running after flushing?
Usually the refill valve fails to close, the seal under the flush valve leaks, or the water level climbs to the overflow. A hiss that goes on after the refill points at the inlet valve, while a cistern refilling itself every few minutes points at the seal.
How do I test my toilet cistern for a silent leak?
Drip some food colouring into your cistern, don't flush, and wait. Colour turning up in the bowl means the cistern is leaking into the pan; flush afterwards, because the dye won't mark the ceramic.
Will the water utility cover a running toilet in Newmarket?
No, Urban Utilities' concealed leak adjustment does not extend to water a leaking cistern wastes. The property owner carries primary responsibility for leaks and the losses they cause.
What does fixing a running toilet cost in Newmarket?
The price turns on two things: what has failed, and how easily the cistern and its stop tap can be reached. You get a fixed quote before any work starts, so the figure is settled up front.
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Book on (07) 3524 0766 for plumbing anywhere in Newmarket. We're available 24/7, there's no extra charge for nights, weekends or public holidays, and every job comes with $0 call-out fees.
To claim your $0 call-out fee, call (07) 3524 0766 today.