When a flush cycle is complete, but the fixture does not stop running, it can lead to water trickling every time.
It is irritating and requires a need to check the toilet flapper.
A toilet flapper is a seal made up of rubber that closes the flush valve and restricts water to the tank. It opens the tank when the handle lever is pressed.
A standard toilet is simple in design, but if one wants to know what is going wrong, he/she need to have good knowledge.
With this knowledge, you will be able to fix problems related to the toilet without getting the assistance of a professional plumber.
In this article, the method to replace toilet flappers and other related factors are given. Keep reading to get brief info.
Table of Contents
How Do You Know if the Flapper Needs to Be Replaced?
You have to maintain the toilet to run it properly; otherwise, it might suffer from loss.
The following signs indicate that a toilet flapper needs to be replaced.
- If a flapper is older than 5 years, then it should be changed immediately.
- If the rubber surface is filled with debris, then try to clean it. If it is not cleaned properly, it should be replaced.
- Replace the toilet flapper if the flat rubber is turned wrapped.
- Check seat rim for irregularities and, if found any, and then replace the flapper.
- A running toilet boil is a clear indication of replacing a toilet flapper.
How to Replace Toilet Flapper?
Replacing a toilet flapper consists of few easy steps that might be different for different flapper types to some extent.
- Turn off water and flush the remaining water in the tank.
- Locate the toilet flapper in the tank by removing its lid. Take the old flapper out of the tank by unhooking any of the clips on it.
- Get the right type of toilet flapper for the toilet.
- Put the new flapper in the tank and hook all of its pegs in the right ears.
- Check the success of the newly installed flapper by turning on the water supply to the tank.
New Toilet Flapper Won’t Seal
If the newly installed toilet flapper is found to have the same issue, then there might be other reasons for a running toilet.
There might be debris stuck on the tank that causes leaks, or the algae grow in the water tank valves that give another way to the water for the leak.
Replace Toilet Flapper Seat
If the issue is in the toilet flapper seat, then replace it by following steps.
- Turn off the water supply and flush the remaining water from the tank.
- Unhook the flapper overflow tube by disconnecting the chain. It might contain some rubber ears of clips that need to be unhooked.
- Examine the sealant ring that is located outside the valve.
- If it is damaged or loose, then replace it with a new seat.
Replace Toilet Flapper Valve
The toilet flapper valve also found the culprit behind running toilets. So it can be fixed as follows.
- Turn off the water supply and flush the remaining water from the tank.
- Unhook the flapper overflow tube by disconnecting the chain. It might contain some rubber ears of clips that need to be unhooked.
- Take a clean rag and wipe the valve opening. If it is rough, then take sandpaper to remove its dryness.
- But if the issue does not fix then remove the valve.
- Install a new valve and turn on the water to check whether it is accurately installed.
How to Replace Toilet Flapper Assembly?
Toilet flush valve assembly can replace in the same manner as the last section of the article talks about replacing toilet flapper valve.
- Take out the toilet flapper from the flush tank.
- Unscrew the valve of the flapper and check its sealant rings.
- Remove these rings if there is an issue with these seals.
How to Fix a Running Toilet Flapper?
Running toilets might be due to the faulty flapper.
So you should check the flapper for faults and then decide whether it needs to fix or replace.
Do it as follows.
- Turn off the valve that gives water to the tank.
- Remove the tank lid and locate the toilet flapper.
- If the toilet flapper is not seen, then run the flush to empty the tank. In this way, the toilet flapper can be seen.
- Take it out by removing clips (if any).
- Thoroughly examine it to see any defaults; there might be a broken seal causing the leak. So change the seal and check now. If the problem does not fix, then it is suggested to replace the flapper.
How to Remove a Hard Plastic Toilet Flapper?
A leaky flapper can lead to loss of water and poor toilets. It causes a serious problem.
If you have a hard plastic toilet flapper, you can easily remove it by following the steps.
- First of all, you should turn off the water.
- Remove the lid of the toilet tank and keep it in a safe place.
- Locate the toilet flapper in the tank.
- Flush the toilet and empty the tank because you have turned off the water at step 1.
- Unhook the flapper chain and remove it. Unclipped the flapper if there are any clips in the flapper and take it out.
Different Types of Toilet Flappers
A lot can be learned from a glance at the toilet flapper, like its type, working, and condition that indicate it needs replacement or not.
The shape and adjustability decide the type of the flapper. There are the following types of toilet flappers.
- Seat Disk Flapper: it is a design of a large disk that is connected with a reservoir. It is pressed when the handle is pushed.
- Tank Ball Flapper: This toilet flapper uses a float ball to stop the new water flow. These are connected with flush handles by a chain.
- Non-Adjustable Rubber Flapper: these are the unique design flappers and were used in old houses. It contains a single rubber piece via a hinge with an overflow pipe.
- Rubber Flapper with Floater: this is a rubber flapper attached with a floater chain to make it adjustable.
- Rubber Flapper with Control Dial: in most toilet flappers, a built-in dial rubber unit is attached with the flush length to make it adjustable.
Conclusion
After using the toilet, one needs to flush it to get rid of the waste material. Once flushed, the water tank refills on its own.
However, if a leak is found in the flush, there could be many reasons. One could be the issue with the flapper, which means that one needs to replace toilet flapper.