Toilet Flapper - Why My Toilet Keeps Running?

^Wife: "Honey the toilet is running again!"
^Husband: "Did you try jiggling the handle?"
^Wife: "Yah..that doesn't do anything!"
^Husband: "Let me take a look..."

Has this happened before? I know it has to me. One day like any other you flush your toilet and it keeps running, at a slow pace or at a quick pace. What is wrong with it? It is probably one of two parts of the toilet. Just like a car, a toilet over times needs new parts and maintenance. While newer toilets have different technology and old toilets use time tested technology at some point they will wear out and need to be replaced. We will talk about one of the main issues as this piece gets worn out the most...the toilet flapper. The toilet flapper is a device that does exactly what it is named..it flaps in your toilet. The handle you push down runs down a long stick that has a chain attached to it, this chain is then attached to the flapper. The flapper itself is the only thing that holds water in the tank, it flaps over the whole leading to the bowl. After months and years of use this flapper gets worn out. This is the major thing to check.

The toilet flapper works because of two things. These two things are gravity(weight) and suction(water and air properties). When someone puts pressure on the toilet handle the force is transferred down a shaft that has a chain attached to it, the chain then runs though the water to the end of the flapper thus lifting the flapper up. The flapper then stays open as the water runs out into the bowl. When the water is lower then the flapper the flapper pulls back down covering the hole so the tank can refill with water. Its really that simple. So you can see how important a toilet flapper can be. As these ware out the seal might not seal and water could slowly be going into the bowl. This consistent flow of water will cost you a lot of money on your water bill.

If you have a toilet flapper or tank ball that is leaking it could be costing you money! Just having a leaky tank ball cost me personally about $400 over a 6 month period. We didn't even know it was leaking but one day I turned the water supply off to the toilet and the whole 5 gallon tank was emptied into the bowl over a 2 hour period! That's about 2.5 gallons lost every single hour. I was paying for 60 gallons of water usage a day.

This also happened to one of my family members who has two houses. The less used house that really has nothing but electricity and water going to it (less then 2 hours there a day) ran up a bill of over $1,500 for ONE WATER BILL. This went on for about 4 bills and she assumed the new water meter they installed was the culprit. The real culprit was a slow running toilet often unused downstairs in the basement.

There is a really easy way to test this, remove the tank cover on the back of your toilet. You will see a rod with a large float on it. This is what refills your toilet and makes the noise of one running. Just lift that up until the toilet stops running. Watch and see if water is still running into the bowl. If it is then push down on the bottom of the toilet where the flapper is. If it then stops running you can clearly see the flapper is at fault.

You need a new toilet flapper. Normally you can find one that fits your toilet at any hardware store. Also, they can be found below. Now one thing that really messed me up personally twice is I have an old toilet. The flapper system is that..a system. A replacement flapper wont work for this kind of toilet. What this kind of toilet needs is a "TANK BALL". A little black ball that goes in the middle of the plastic. It is held together by 1 screw. This is for most Eljer flush toilets. Knowing if you need a flapper or tank ball is very important and might save you a ton of money hiring a plumber or replacing the old toilet!