How to Troubleshoot a Toilet Flapper
A toilet that continuously runs or periodically refills itself may have a faulty flapper. The toilet flapper is at the bottom of the toilet tank. When you flush the toilet, the flapper raises up and allows water from the tank to go into the bowl. After flushing, the flapper goes back down to seal the bottom of the tank and allow water to fill the tank. There are a couple of simple tests that you can perform to determine if you need to replace the flapper on your toilet. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Cloth
- Liquid food coloring or small package drink food mix
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Instructions
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Remove the top of the toilet tank and set the top aside where it will not get broken. Use the toilet handle to flush the toilet and look for any obvious problems inside the tank. You may have a chain connecting the flapper to the handle. Sometimes the chain will slide under the flapper if the chain is too long.
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Flush the toilet again and grab the flapper while the water is draining from the toilet tank. Inspect the flapper for damage and also inspect the seat that the flapper sits. Sometimes a good wipe with a cloth will remove sediment that could be causing water to leak by the flapper.
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Watch the water level as the tank fills. If the ball or float adjustment is not correct, water will leak past the overflow pipe. You can quickly correct this by bending the arm of the float ball up, to adjust the water level shut off. For toilets that have a float rising on a tube, adjust the float by moving the float down the float rod.
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Place liquid food coloring or a small packet of grape drink food mix into the toilet tank water. Place enough food coloring or drink mix to color the water a deep color. Allow the water to be still for 10 minutes.
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Look inside the toilet bowl 10 minutes after adding the coloring to the tank. If the water in the toilet bowl has color, the flapper is leaking and will need to be replaced.
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Tips & Warnings
Replacement flapper and flapper assemblies are available at hardware stores.
