Replacing Flappers (When Toilets Turn Themselves On)

Article by: Jim Muckle

One of the most frequent problems I am called on to solve at the apartment , Home Decorating and Style Guide complex is toilets that turn on by themselves. The tenant will say, "It keeps turning itself on."Â

What's happening here is the toilet is slowly leaking around the seal of the flapper, and it's draining the tank. In order to maintain the water , Boost Your Home's Resale Value Guaranteed level in the tank the toilet turns itself on, so you get this on and off again syndrome. It's easy to determine if this is the problem by looking into the toilet bowl. The water , Central Air Conditioners in the bowl should be calm and smooth, but if you see tiny little ripples of water , Cutting Down Costs: Air Conditioners then your flapper needs to be replaced.

So, how do you replace a flapper?

1. Reach down by the base of the toilet (on the outside , Purchasing Your Copper Sink - Helpful Tips & Information of the toilet) and find the water , Stains Will Run From You When You Do This... supply to your toilet. It's usually on the left hand side. Slowly and carefully turn the faucet valve to the right. This will turn the water , Can you see your love light? off. I say slowly and carefully because many of these faucets are old and cantankerous, and you don't want to spring , The Versatile Reciprocating Saw: The Power Tool of Your Dreams a leak in your faucet.

2. Remove the lid of the tank and gently set it someplace out of the way. Sit down on the toilet seat facing the tank. You'll notice that the handle for flushing the tank is attached to a bar that runs above the water , Mold Disinfectant line to about the center of the tank. At the end of this bar is a chain that runs down into the depths of the tank and is attached to the flapper. This is where your problem is. If you press down on the flapper you may be able to stop the leaking. (I've tried cleaning them off where they seal, so as not to have to replace them, but I haven't had any luck with this, so I always replace them with a new flapper).

3. Your hard plastic , Various Types of Fences flapper is removed by gently lifting up on the ears that are attached to the pegs on the pipe that your flapper is attached to. If your existing flapper is a soft rubber type then pull the ears off of the pegs from the side. Remove the flapper and detach the chain from the handle bar.

Now here's some good news. The cheapest flappers work the best. The ones I use are blue , Contemporary Furniture Trends and made of soft rubber. (They cost around $3). Even if your flapper is made of hard plastic , How To Break Up a Large Family Room it can be replaced with a soft blue , Cordless Impact Wrench - Not the Same Tool as Your Cordless Drill rubber one, and if your old flapper had a flotation device on the chain you don't have to use it on the new flapper. Just the chain and the rubber flapper are all you need.

4. Reattach the flapper ears to the pegs at the base of the pipe and reattach the chain to the handle bar. (A new chain comes with each new flapper). When you reattach the chain leave a little slack in it so that the flapper easily closes all the way, but you don't want to leave too much slack or it won't pull the flapper up enough to drain the water , Foundation Repair Contractors out of the tank, and you'll get an abbreviated flush. The way to get the correct balance is to experiment flushing the toilet over and over, and readjusting your chain length.

5. Turn your water , The Faucet: A Deciding Factor back on slowly and gently. Don't put any more strain on these old pipes and threads than is necessary. Let the tank refill and then try flushing. Your flapper should open, stay open for a few seconds and then as the water , Stains Will Run From You When You Do This... in the tank drains about two thirds of the way the flapper should plop back down and seal the hole. It's magic.

6. The chain length adjustment is sometimes tricky to achieve, but I assure you it does exist. Also you may have to move your chain on the handle bar to one of the different slots. On the handle bars there are three different holes you can put the chain through to perfect your adjustment. A combination of the correct slack in the chain and the positioning on the flush bar are going to bring you the results you want. Each toilet is unique in its requirements for balancing the chain length.

Flush the toilet and look into the bowl. After a minute or so the water , Huff and Puff - Power Your Home with the Wind should settle down and be as still and placid as a pond. , The Versatile Reciprocating Saw: The Power Tool of Your Dreams If after several minutes you continue to see ripples your flapper is still not sealing well. If this occurs try cleaning off the lips of the base where the flapper seats itself. Readjust your chain so there's more slack and try flushing it again.

You'll get it.

In review, here are the seven steps to replacing your flapper:

1. Shut water , Cutting Down Costs: Air Conditioners off.

2. Remove lid from toilet tank.

3. Remove flapper, chain and float from handle bar.

4. Install new flapper and connect chain to handle bar.

5. Turn water , Central Air Conditioners back on.

6. Test flushing. Make adjustments to chain length and location , Swimming Pool – The Various Types if necessary.

7. Check water , Repairing Your Faulty uPVC Double Glazed Windows And Doors in bowl to make sure there are no ripples.

Replacing Flappers is one of many articles from Jim Muckle's booklet: The Property , Refinishing Your Hardwood Floors As A Alternative To Replacement Manager (managing and maintaining an apartment , Never Shovel Snow Snow Again! community). You can order his booklet by visiting his web , How to Choose the Right Wood for Your Deck - Color of the Wood site at Booklets From Jim Muckle or: http://hometown.aol.com/jimmuckle/myhomepage/business.html

Thanks!

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