If your toilet is running constantly, a faulty toilet flapper might be the culprit. A running toilet is not only annoying, it also wastes a lot of money. Fixing or replacing the flapper in your toilet can help get your toilet back to working normally. If you notice that your toilet runs constantly and think the flapper may be the cause, you can use the following tips to try and fix it.
4 Steps To Troubleshoot A Faulty Toilet Flapper
Inspect The Toilet Tank
Lift up the tank and look inside. You should see a white plastic tube called an overflow tube. Attached to it near the bottom, you’ll see the flapper guides. These are two arms that hold either side of the rubber flapper. Connected to the guide arms is the flapper itself. It’s a round piece of rubber that is supposed to fit tightly in a hole in the bottom of the tank. A chain or metal rod is connected to the top of the flapper. The chain is hooked to a bar at the top of the tank. There is another rob in the toilet that turns the flow of water into the tank on and off. Now that you have the lay of the land, we can proceed to step two.
Flush & Observe
Flush the toilet and watch what happens inside. When you push down on the flush handle, you should see the flapper come out of the hole. The flapper should float for a moment. As water drains out it will settle back into the hole. After the flapper closes the hole, the toilet should refill.
Replace Faulty Components
Replace the chain or wire on the lift bar if the flapper doesn’t lift off the hole. Use the middle hole first. Try another if the flapper doesn’t seal properly.
Untangle & Adjust The Toilet Flapper
Untangle any kinks in the flapper chain if it’s still not fitting right. Adjust the length of the flapper chain so it doesn’t go into the hole with the flapper, preventing it from sealing. To do this: Move the hook on the chain to a different hole on the bar, or move the hook on the chain down further to shorten it. If it’s a wire, move the wire connected to the flapper to a different hole in the bar to see if that fixes the problem.
Professional Toilet Flapper Installation
Sticking your hands in the toilet tank to test and adjust the flapper is not exactly a fun experience. Sometimes the flapper could be damaged due to wear and tear. In that case, no amount of tweaking will fix the problem. If you want to skip the hassle all together, just call Radiant! Our team of plumbing experts will be able to diagnose and fix your problem fast.
Radiant is Austin and San Antonio’s #1 in plumbing service. We’ve been serving local communities across Central Texas for more than 20 years. Our ever expanding service area covers Austin, San Antonio, and neighborhoods everywhere in between. If you need plumbing repair, you need it now.
