🚽 Toilet Tactics: Teaching My Kid to Fix a Running Toilet (Before the Water Bill Breaks Us)

Thanh Ong
Jul 20
2 min read

Updated: Jul 23

Welcome back to DIYDadQuests—where we raise kids who know how to fix leaks, change flappers, and maybe someday stop putting LEGOs in the toilet.

So the toilet’s running again. No, it’s not sprinting through the hallway—though honestly, that would be easier to fix. It just won’t stop refilling. Constantly. The sound is like a tiny indoor waterfall powered by anxiety and your wallet.

But this time… I didn’t fix it alone.

Today, I brought my kid into the bathroom with me. To learn. To grow. To gag at the sound of a gurgling tank.

🧻 What You’ll Need:

A toilet with a case of the “never stops runnin’s”
A replacement flapper or fill valve kit (a.k.a. “The Internal Organs of the Toilet”)
Rubber gloves (because ew)
A towel (for spills and possible tears)
Your child (reluctantly helping but secretly impressed)

🛠️ Step-by-Step: Operation Flush Control

🚽 Step 1: Take Off the Tank Lid

Do this gently—this is the crown jewel of the throne.

Let your kid peer inside. Watch them recoil. Say the words, “This is where the magic happens.”

💧 Step 2: Diagnose the Problem

Tell your kid to flush the toilet and watch what happens.

Is the flapper not sealing? Is the water level too high? Is the fill valve screeching like a haunted kettle?

If yes, you’re in business. If no, jiggle something until it is.

🧤 Step 3: Shut Off the Water

Find the little valve behind the toilet and turn it clockwise. This is the “OH NO” prevention step.

Bonus Teaching Moment:

“This is also how you stop disasters when someone flushes an entire sock.”

🔧 Step 4: Fix the Flapper (or Fill Valve)

Let your apprentice do the hands-on part:

Remove the old flapper (it’ll look… tired)
Clip on the new one
Adjust the chain so it’s got just a bit of slack
If it’s the fill valve, replace it using the kit directions (and hope for no splash back)

Optional: Narrate like a surgery scene on a medical drama.