Why Your Toilet Keeps Running
An endless trickle after a flush is the sound of money leaving the tank. When your toilet keeps running, one of three parts inside the cistern has failed, and each gives a clear sign. Renters sharing houses near Government House feel it in the usage charge, because a faulty cistern never stops drawing water.
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A bottle of food colouring pinpoints the fault in minutes. The list of parts you may legally replace yourself is much shorter, which is where a QBCC licensed plumber comes in. We cover Paddington and the suburbs around it.
Inlet Valve, Flush Valve Seal and Overflow Explained
Three parts cause it: an inlet valve failing to close, a flush valve seal passing water to the pan, and a fill level high enough to run out the overflow.
Each fault has its own signature:
The inlet valve
fills the tank again after a flush and stops when the float reaches its level. A hiss that carries on after filling has finished points here.
The flush valve seal
holds the stored water between flushes. Once worn, water slips past to the pan, and the inlet valve keeps refilling so the noise never ends.
The overflow
is the cistern's spill point, carrying excess water away instead of onto the floor. Water running from the overflow, drips included from an outside pipe, means the fill level sits past its mark, and the inlet valve or its float needs a look.
Slow, Partial or No Refill After a Flush
A cistern that fills slowly or not at all usually comes from a blocked or worn inlet valve, a float set below its mark, or a partly closed stop tap.
Begin at the small tap on the cistern supply line and open it fully. A float sitting low shuts the inlet valve off before enough water has entered. Sediment from old galvanised lines, common in pre-1940 cottages plumbed in stages, can clog the inlet valve so the cistern fills sluggishly or never fills.
One version of the symptom is trickier. Water runs yet the level never rises, because the flush valve seal releases water as fast as it enters. The cistern sounds busy while staying empty, and the fix is the seal, not the supply.
Which Cistern Parts a Home Owner May Replace
The QBCC lists three cistern parts as unregulated work: the drop valve washer, the float valve washer, or a suction cup rubber. A person with the right knowledge and level of skill may do that work, which still has to satisfy the standards the legislation and codes set.
Anything beyond those three parts is minor work: a QBCC licensee does it, with no permit applying and no Form 4 lodged. Opening or dismantling a cistern past the dye check sits outside the do-it-yourself list.
Rentals follow their own rules. Under Queensland's tenancy Act, the owner or manager has a duty to keep the place in good repair, and the tenant reports faults as soon as they appear. The Act's emergency list names a blocked or fully broken toilet; a running cistern is absent from that list, so the repair counts as routine and falls due within a reasonable time.
What Colour in the Bowl Tells You
Squeeze some food colouring into the tank, resist flushing, and any colour that shows in the bowl means water is leaking from the cistern to the pan.
A few notes on the test:
- Flush once the check is done, because the colouring will not stain a ceramic bowl and the water clears.
- No colour in the bowl means the flush valve still seals, so the inlet valve and fill level come next.
- No colouring at home? Rest a sheet of dry toilet paper inside the rear of the bowl, just above the water. Dry paper means no leak; paper that wets through means water is creeping down the rear of the pan.
Who Pays for Water a Cistern Wastes
No, Urban Utilities does not include a leaking cistern in its concealed leak adjustment; taps, hot water systems and other appliances are excluded too.
The property owner carries primary responsibility for any leak and the losses it causes. A cistern running around the clock can quietly lift a quarterly account, and none of it comes back as relief. Fixing the fault early beats living with the hiss.
When to Call a Plumber
Ring once the dye check confirms a leak, or when water runs from the overflow. Both faults sit outside the home-owner list, and both are short jobs with the right spares on board. The toilet repairs page covers the full range of cistern and pan faults we handle.
Toilet Questions From Paddington Locals
Call (07) 3523 6484Why won't my toilet stop running after a flush?
Three parts are to blame: an inlet valve that fails to shut, a flush valve seal letting water through to the pan, or a fill level spilling through the overflow. A hiss suggests inlet valve trouble; a cistern refilling on its own suggests the seal. Any of the three will show up on a Paddington water bill.
Does the food colouring test stain the bowl?
No, the colouring will not stain a ceramic bowl, and a flush afterwards clears it away.
Is a running toilet a DIY job in Paddington?
No, Queensland law limits do-it-yourself toilet work to the three cistern parts the QBCC lists as unregulated, and Paddington homes are no exception. A person with the needed knowledge and skill may do them, the result still has to reach the standards, and every other toilet repair belongs to a licensed plumber.
What cistern parts am I allowed to replace myself?
Just three, in the QBCC's wording: a drop valve washer, then a float valve washer, plus a suction cup rubber. Someone with the required know-how may swap them, and the standard still applies to the finished job.
Call Us About a Running CisternWe'll call you back.
Book on (07) 3523 6484 for plumbing anywhere in Paddington. 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) 3523 6484 today.