Toilet Flapper Repair

How to Repair a Toilet Flapper that is Causing a Running Toilet

By Mark J. Donovan

A Toilet flapper plays a key role in the proper functioning of your toilet. A warped or damaged toilet flapper can cause your toilet to constantly run causing annoyance and higher water bill costs. Toilet flapper repair or replacement is a simple do it yourself project and a replacement toilet flapper will only set you back a few dollars. To understand how a toilet flapper works, its best to remove the toilet tank lid. With the lid off, you should notice that the toilet tank lever is connected to a chain.

The other side of the chain should be connected to the toilet flapper. When examining this assembly check to make sure the chain is not in any way sitting underneath the toilet flapper. Occasionally, if the chain is too long, the chain can become wedged between the toilet flapper and toilet tank valve seat. If you see this is the case your toilet flapper repair job is very simple. Simply pull the chain out from underneath the toilet flapper and adjust the chain length so that it cannot inadvertently get stuck underneath the toilet flapper.

If the toilet lever and chain assembly look like they are connected properly, push down on the toilet tank lever as you normally would. You should observe that one end of the toilet flapper lifts up. When this happens water rushes out of the toilet tank and fills the toilet bowl, causing the flushing action. After a couple of seconds the toilet flapper should close over the toilet tank valve seat and water should begin to fill up again in the toilet tank. If you hear or see water continuously draining into the toilet bowl, even after the water has reached its maximum height in the toilet tank then most likely the toilet flapper is damaged or deformed.

The toilet flapper can become damaged due to a variety of reasons including the use of toilet bowl chemicals that are stored in the toilet tank. The chemicals can effectively eat away at the rubber toilet flapper to the point that it does not sit tightly over the toilet tank valve seat. Alternatively, the toilet flapper can also become deformed in shape, so that again it does not seat well on the toilet tank valve seat. In addition, minerals in the water can collect on the toilet flapper and toilet tank valve seat so that the toilet flapper does not close fully