The first time my toilet started running, I jiggled the handle. It worked. The second time, I jiggled harder. Also worked. By the tenth time, jiggling did nothing and the toilet ran continuously, wasting about two gallons a minute. My water bill that month was thirty dollars higher than normal.

The fix? Almost always the flapper. That is the rubber disk at the bottom of the tank that lifts when you flush and drops back down to seal the opening. When it gets old, warped, or covered in mineral buildup, it does not seal properly. Water leaks past it into the bowl, the tank level drops, and the fill valve runs to compensate — forever.

How to Fix It in 10 Minutes

1. Turn off the water supply valve behind the toilet (turn clockwise).
2. Flush to drain the tank.
3. Unhook the flapper chain from the flush lever.
4. Pull the flapper off its mounting pegs. No tools needed.
5. Take the old flapper to the hardware store to buy an exact match. There are like six different sizes.
6. Snap the new one on, reconnect the chain with about half an inch of slack, turn water back on.

The entire repair costs about five dollars and takes less time than a plumber’s phone call. I have done this on three toilets now and it has never been anything else.

If It Is Not the Flapper

Check the fill valve. If water is running into the overflow tube (the open vertical pipe in the middle of the tank) even when the tank is full, adjust the float. On older toilets, bend the metal rod downward. On newer ones, there is a screw or clip you turn to lower the float level. The water should stop about an inch below the top of the overflow tube.

Five dollars. Ten minutes. A toilet that shuts up. The jiggle era is over.