Been there myself—spent hours troubleshooting only to find something embarrassingly simple. Before you dive into pipe inspections, double-check the fill valve and flapper... those sneaky little parts cause more headaches than you'd think. Hang tight, you're doing fine.
Good advice above—those small components often cause big headaches. I've seen countless cases where homeowners jump straight into complicated fixes, only to realize later it was just a worn-out flapper or misaligned fill valve. You're on the right track, keep at it.
Have you double-checked the fill valve height yet? Had a similar situation last year—thought I was dealing with a cracked tank or something major. Turned out the fill valve was just set too high, causing constant overflow into the tube. Took me longer than I'd like to admit to figure that one out... Have you noticed if the water level in the tank seems unusually high or low? Could be worth a quick look before diving deeper into repairs.
Had a similar call a few months back—customer was convinced the tank was cracked because water kept pooling around the base. Turned out it was just the fill valve height causing overflow into the tube, dripping down the back and onto the floor. Quick way to check: flush and watch where the water stops filling. If it's too close to the overflow tube's top, lower it about half an inch and see if that helps. Could save you from chasing bigger problems...
Had almost the exact same issue last year. I spent a whole weekend convinced my toilet was cracked, even started pricing replacements online (ouch, pricey!). Then I found out it was just the fill valve set too high causing overflow—exactly like you described.
"Quick way to check: flush and watch where the water stops filling."
Wish I'd known this sooner... would've saved me some stress and money. Good advice!
