Running toilet
A running toilet is most often a worn flapper or a misadjusted fill valve — a simple, low-cost fix many homeowners can do themselves. Anything involving the supply line, tank hardware replacement or the wax ring at the base is plumbing work, outside general handyman scope.
What is most likely wrong
| # | Cause | How common | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worn flapper | Very common, often DIY | The rubber flapper at the bottom of the tank no longer seals; water slowly drains into the bowl and the fill valve keeps running to compensate. |
| 2 | Misadjusted fill valve or float | Very common, often DIY | The float is set too high, so water constantly trickles into the overflow tube. |
| 3 | Supply line or shutoff valve failure | Requires a licensed plumber | Water at the connection under the tank, not inside it. |
| 4 | Wax ring failure at the base | Requires a licensed plumber | Water or odor at the floor around the toilet base rather than inside the tank. |
What you can safely check yourself
- Lift the tank lid and watch the flapper seal after a flush — a flapper that does not sit flat is the most common cause.
- Check the float height and adjust it so water shuts off well below the overflow tube opening.
- Look for water at the floor around the base, or at the supply line connection under the tank — either one means it is time to call a licensed plumber, not a handyman.
If any of this involves opening an electrical panel, running new wiring, cutting into a gas or water line, or working higher than a stepladder safely reaches, stop and call a licensed tradesperson — that is not handyman-scope work, regardless of how small the fix looks.
Why this happens in this housing stock
Toilets on Casselberry’s older 1970s–80s housing stock have often already been through one replacement cycle, but original supply lines and shutoff valves sometimes have not — which is exactly the kind of aging component a licensed plumber should evaluate rather than a flapper swap covering for a bigger problem.
Who this actually needs to call
Beyond the two checks above, plumbing repair is generally not handyman-scope work once it involves opening the tank’s water supply connections, replacing a wax ring, or any work on the supply or drain lines themselves. Plumbing contracting is its own separately licensed specialty in Florida, regardless of how small the job is.
Simple, tool-free adjustments to the flapper or fill valve chain inside the tank are a genuine gray area many homeowners handle themselves; anything past that — a leaking supply line, a cracked tank, a wax ring failure at the base — is a licensed plumber’s job. Find one at the DBPR licensee search: myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp.
Read more on our licensing guide.
Not sure what you are looking at?
Send a photo, the approximate age of the house, and what you already checked. That is usually enough to know whether it is a handyman fix or needs a licensed trade.