Why Is My Toilet Running Every Few Minutes?

A toilet that briefly refills every few minutes is usually losing water from the tank even though nobody flushed it. The fill valve then turns on to replace that lost water.

Start inside the tank

The problem often involves water moving from the tank into the bowl. Possible areas include the flapper or seal, the flush valve, the fill level, and other tank components.

Listen for the refill

If the toilet is quiet and then suddenly runs for a few seconds, that's a useful clue.

Check the bowl

Water may be leaking into the bowl slowly enough that you don't immediately see movement.

Is it the same as a constantly running toilet?

Not exactly. A toilet that runs continuously may have a different degree of failure than one that cycles periodically.

Don't ignore it indefinitely

Even when the toilet still works, repeated refilling wastes water and indicates something isn't sealing correctly.