PSA: I fixed my running toilet with a $3 flapper and I think half of you are wrong about the fill valve being the real problem

Mila Reed · 2026-10-08T10:05:04.09794+00:00

So about 6 months ago my upstairs toilet started running every 20 minutes or so, and I did what everyone does, I watched a bunch of videos and they all said replace the fill valve first. So I got a Fluidmaster kit for $18 at the hardware store in Toledo and swapped the whole thing out on a Saturday morning with a wrench and a towel and it still ran. I was ready to call a plumber and eat the $150 service call. Then I pulled the flapper up with my finger and watched it, and the rubber was warped just enough that it wasnt sealing, water was slowly leaking into the bowl and the tank kept refilling. Swapped just the flapper for $3 and it stopped in 10 minutes. So heres the debate, half of you say just replace the whole guts every time since its cheap, the other half say find the actual bad part and save the money and the time. I lean toward finding the part now, because I wasted $18 and a whole weekend morning on a fill valve that was working fine. What do you all do when a toilet runs, rip it all out or hunt down the one part?

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PSA: I fixed my running toilet with a $3 flapper and I think half of you are wrong about the fill valve being the real problem | Bought It, Built It - Rigidtalk