Latest Discussions : Plumbing


04:11AM | 03/11/02
Member Since: 03/10/02
1 lifetime posts
Help! Can someone tell me how I can get my toilet to stop running. We have replaced numerous parts inside of tanks to no avail. Just when we think we got........there goes the tank running again! How frustating!
We have to turn the valve off (especially at night) to stop the water from running. Any advice would be truly appreciated! Thanks!


07:00AM | 03/11/02
Member Since: 03/13/00
1674 lifetime posts
Most common cause is the flapper. If you've replaced the flapper, a common problem is the chain on the flapper being too long. You can verify this when it's "running" by looking inside to see if some extra chain has gotten under the flapper and is preventing the flapper from closing.
If this is not the problem, you might determine the cause by observation.
Again, when it's running, remove the cover and lift up on the float. Did that stop it?
If so, make sure the float is not dragging on the inside of the tank. If it's not dragging, but you can stop the running by lifting up on the float, then replace the valve and float assembly.
If lifting up on the float didn't stop it, and the flapper isn't the culprit, that just leaves the seal between the tank and the bowl. If this, or something else is failing, I'd expect some leakage onto the floor. Got any of that?
Good luck.


03:32PM | 03/14/02
Member Since: 12/21/01
8 lifetime posts
Two Rube Goldberg fixes!

Slit (lengthwise) a 1.5-inch section of a plastic straw and slip it over the chain that connects to flapper. Rigid straw section will keep chain from hanging up under flapper.

Take a small (2 inch by 2 inch) piece of aluminum foil and slide as much of it as you can between the float pivot and the flow valve. [The float is attached to a metal rod, the metal rod fits into the pivot mechanism and as the water rises so does the float moving the rod down at the pivot point closing the flow valve. After years of use there is wear on the plunger that the pivot operates on; the aluminum foil takes up the slack.]


05:25AM | 05/31/02
Member Since: 05/30/02
1 lifetime posts
I think my leak is similar to wepagirl's. I have a fairly new Kohler 2-piece 1.6 gal. I tried everything, and have started tightening the bolts joining the tank to the bowl; they were quite loose. But I don't have any leakage on the floor. In fact it doesn't even seem to leak into the bowl, just invisibly down the drain. Could it be that seal? If so how far should I go in tightening? I don't want to crack the porcelain.


05:01AM | 06/11/02
Member Since: 03/13/00
1674 lifetime posts
How can you tell it's leaking? Is it from noise or does the water level in the tank go low enough to cause the valve to release more water into the tank?
Have you tried putting some food coloring in the tank to see if it gets into the bowl?


07:07PM | 06/12/02
Member Since: 06/03/01
324 lifetime posts
There are usually two main areas to consider. The first is the flapper. It can be old & defective or, as stated before, the chain may catch under it causing it to leak. This may also be caused by a loose handle assembly allowing the lever arm to dip too low. The second main problem area is misadjustment of the float assembly allowing the water to continue flowing into the overflow tube. A simple screw adjustment or careful bending of the flost arm should correct this. An area not often seen is some grit getting into the fill assembly causing a poor seal when the float does raise properly. May have to replace assembly if it can not be disassembled and cleaned.


07:18PM | 06/12/02
Member Since: 06/03/01
324 lifetime posts
For Blakeldu with Kholer toilet: Check the fill assembly and see if it has 3 screws securing the top where the float arm pivots. I had an older Kholer one piece that had that type assembly and it was plagued by grit from my old pipes getting caught. If so, turn off water and remove 3 screws and then lift off the whole top assembly. There should be a plastic plunger that the float arm pushes against. Grasp it firmly and pull it straight up. Then inspect rubber gaskets for 'stuff'. Clean & reassemble.


03:49AM | 08/20/02
Member Since: 08/19/02
29 lifetime posts
Get a Fluidmaster ballcock and possibly a Fluidmaster flapper repair kit and replace all that original junk that came with the tank.

That should bring all your toilet problems to a quick halt.

As a normal part of installing even a brand new toilet, the first thing I do is take out and throw away the ballcock that came with it and replace it with a Fluidmaster.

Been doing this for years and it's saved me many future problems. Adds about $8 or less to the cost of the toilet. Cheap insurance.


10:01AM | 09/20/02
Member Since: 09/16/02
250 lifetime posts
Be careful tightening your bolts around the porcelain. Unless you see leaking from a specific point. The porcelain can break very easily. I just replaced mine with the Fluidmaster mentioned above and it was quite easy.


07:40PM | 06/27/18
Problem with Fluidmaster flappers is that they have an elaborate design so you can adjust the rate of flow into the bowl. The flapper's design doesn't have a smooth top but the 2-piece surface creates a ledge of which the chain (no matter how much slack is taken out) gets caught. The fix for me was to use the plastic straw through the chain is drawn. And to insure that the plastic straw stays in the bottom of the chain, I threaded a wire through the chain and bent it.

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