Forget Calling a Plumber — Mastering These 3 Parts to Any Toilet Problem Is Easier Than Ever
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The way a toilet works is a mystery to most people. But like many mysteries, a closer examination may reveal that the toilet isn’t really very mysterious at all. In fact, this device is ingeniously simple in both design and function.
Mostly likely, you’ll be dealing with a gravity-fed toilet—and luckily, nearly all of your problems can be traced to three parts: the fill valve, the flapper, and the tank lever. Familiarize yourself with this trio of hardworking parts and you’ll be able to fix most toilet failures without calling a plumber.
A Faulty Fill Valve
All gravity-fed toilets are equipped with a fill valve. This is the mechanism that controls the refilling of the tank and bowl to the correct water level after each flush. In an older toilet, you’ll typically see a ballcock valve assembly featuring a large, hollow ball, called the float, made of metal or plastic.
After each flush, the tank’s water level rises as it gradually refills. The float rises with the water, eventually triggering the valve to shut off the flow. The problem with ballcock valves is that they’re loud, slow to refill, and leaky. Plus, they require constant tinkering to keep them operating properly. When a ballcock valve starts to fail and the toilet runs continuously, it’s best to just replace the entire mechanism instead of making repairs over and over.
The best replacement for an old-fashioned ballcock valve is a modern fill valve that combines a power flush with super-quiet operation and is height-adjustable to fit old and new toilets alike. Best of all, you can remove an old ballcock valve and install a new fill valve in under 10 minutes. Here’s how:
Close the shutoff valve to stop the flow of water to the toilet. Flush the toilet to empty the tank. Remove any standing water with a sponge. Disconnect the water supply line from the shutoff valve and from the inlet fitting on the underside of the toilet tank.
Loosen and remove the nut that holds the old ballcock valve to the toilet tank. Pull the ballcock assembly out of the tank.
Slip a rubber washer onto the bottom end of the new fill valve.
Twist to lengthen the fill valve to the proper height; it should be about three inches above the top of the overflow pipe on the flush valve.
Set the valve into the tank and tighten the retaining nut from below. Connect one end of the flexible rubber fill tube to the port protruding from the side of the fill valve; attach the opposite end to the fitting at the top of the overflow tube.
Reconnect the water supply line to the shutoff valve and to the inlet fitting on the underside of the tank. Attach the toilet’s flush lever to flapper with the chain. Flush the toilet a few times, checking for leaks and to ensure everything’s operating properly.
💡Use a pencil to mark the perfect amount of water height and adjust accordingly.
A Flapper Failure
A mysterious phenomenon, known as the phantom flush, causes a toilet to randomly flush itself. This problem can be a bit jarring late at night, but it also wastes quite a bit of water. The problem is most often caused by water slowly leaking from the tank, under the flapper, and into the bowl.
The flapper is the cup-shaped rubber part that fits over the valve seat, which is the drain hole in the bottom of the tank. When enough water drains from the tank, the flush valve is activated and the toilet flushes.
This can happen when the rubber flapper is warped, cracked, or otherwise compromised. The good news is that you can usually eliminate phantom flushes in a matter of minutes by installing a new flapper. Simply unhook from the old flapper from the flush valve and disconnect the chain. Attach the chain to the new flapper, and then hook the flapper onto the two prongs protruding from the flush valve. It’s as quick and simple as that.
When shopping for a new flapper, be sure it’s resistant to chlorine and hard water, and get one that has a dial that you can adjust so it closes sooner for a shorter flush, or stays open a few seconds more for a longer flush.
💡 To determine if water is leaking from the tank, under the flapper and into the bowl, put several drops of red food coloring into the tank. Don’t flush the toilet for three or four hours, then check the color of the water in the bowl. If it’s tinged red, then you’ve got a faulty flapper. Replace it to stop the leak.
If a new flapper doesn’t solve the problem, then replace the entire flush valve, which will prevent phantom flushes while precisely controlling the volume and flow rate of water on each flush.
Phantom and intermittent flushing can also be caused by a pitted valve seat. Over time, the surface of the seat can become rough and pitted, preventing the flapper from forming a watertight seal. If you discover a pitted valve seat, install a new flush valve.
A Lever Let-Down
The handle used to flush the toilet is known as the tank lever. It’s a relatively innocuous-looking component, but it’s subjected to as much use and abuse as any other part of the toilet. Eventually tank levers break, slip, operate sporadically, or require constant coaxing and jiggling.
Most homeowners live for years with a faulty tank lever, not realizing they could easily replace it in just a few minutes:
Remove the lid from the toilet tank and disconnect the chain from the end of the lever arm. Unscrew the retaining nut that holds the old lever to the tank and remove the lever. Now, purchase a replacement tank lever, slip it into place, secure it with a nut, and reattach the chain. Test-flush the toilet a few times, adjusting the chain if necessary.
💡Replacement tank levers come in a variety of sizes, styles, and colors, including white, chrome, brass, brushed nickel, and oil-rubbed bronze. When shopping for a new tank lever, look for one that has a telescopic lever arm; this type is much easier and quicker to adjust for a perfect flush.
Don’t Sleep on Upkeep
Toilets are reliable and rugged. They require very little maintenance other than regular scrubbings. In fact, if you replace the flapper, fill valve and tank lever—when and if those chores are ever necessary—a toilet can last generations. However, there are a few instances when you must take extra precaution to ensure your toilet keeps on flushing.
For example, if you’ll be out of the house during winter for an extended period of time, then you must prevent the water in the toilet from freezing. If it does, the ice could crack the bowl or tank and create a flood in your home.
First, turn off the water to the toilet, then flush the toilet and hold down the tank lever to drain as much water as possible from the tank. Next, pour marine antifreeze into the bowl. Don’t use automobile antifreeze; it could contaminate the waste-water system. Lift the toilet seat and cover the toilet bowl with plastic wrap to deter evaporation.
If frigid temperatures aren’t a concern while you’re away, shut the water to the toilet, and pour two cups of white vinegar into the bowl. Don’t use bleach; it’s corrosive and can corrode rubber seals and the flapper. The vinegar will keep the bowl clean and stop slime from forming. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Toilet tank interiors are often badly stained with mineral deposits, sediment, and rust. To clean the tank, turn off the water and flush the toilet, holding down the tank lever to drain the tank. Next, fill the tank with white vinegar and leave it there overnight. Then scrub with a long handle nylon-bristle brush. If the vinegar doesn’t work, fill the tank with hot tap water and add two cups of Iron Out Stain Remover. Mix well, wait two or three hours, and scrub the tank clean.
At least twice a year, check the two hex nuts that secure the toilet base to the floor. If you can twist the nuts off by hand, then they’re too loose. Snug them up with a wrench, but be careful not to over tighten them or you may crack the toilet base.
If the nuts are hand-tight, leave them as is, and check them again in six months.
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