Plumbing

This post will kind of come out of nowhere, but it's one i've been meaning to get to for awhile - after all, part of my blog's subtitle is "Helpful Hints". This is for you do-it-yourself plumbers.

Have you ever had a toilet that wouldn't stop running? Besides the obvious solution (ensure that the flap hasn't got stuck up inside the tank so it isn't sealing), there are several reasons why this might be happening. I am going to give a brief rundown of how the flushing process actually works for you newbies - I will then give you one obvious solution, and one not so obvious one that took me a long time to figure out.

When you push the handle (9) down, the trip lever lifts up. The lever is connected to a chain (4), which is connected at the other end to the flapper valve (2). The flapper valve opens as the chain lifts it up, allowing water to flow down into the bowl to flush. When you let go of the handle, the tension is taken off the chain, and the flapper drops and reseals to the valve seat (3). The bowl then refills with water (it will stop refilling when the float ball (7) reaches a certain level).

So if your toilet keeps running (you will generally hear it, and you will see water constantly draining into the bowl), you obviously have a problem that needs to be fixed. The first thing to check, especially on an older toilet, is the flapper valve itself. These flappers will weaken and warp over time, allowing water to escape into the toilet outlet (and hence into the bowl). You can get a flapper cheap just about anywhere (Crappy Tire, etc.), and they are usually universal. They are very quick to change - it is usually connected to the base of the overflow tube (5) with rubber loops hooking over some plastic. Pull the rubber hoops over the plastic, and remove the chain from the flapper. You can then put the new flapper on.

If this doesn't fix it, there is a chance you may need to also replace the valve seat itself.

However, if you run into a problem where the flapper, the valve seat and everything seem to be good, but you are still getting water trickling into the bowl - you may have the same problem I had.

The fix is one you would never guess. I actually searched through pluming forums for several days with no luck. Finally, I had to register on a forum and ask my question - it was answered the next day, and my toilet has been good ever since.

What was I told? Check the small hose that runs from the ballcock assembly (10) to the overflow tube (5). There should be a spot on the overflow tube where this small hose is supposed to fit into. What I had done is simply route the hose so that it simply fed right into the 'fat' part of the overflow tube, neglecting the smaller opening which is made specifically for said hose. I moved the hose to it's proper location, and wouldn't you know it - the toilet stopped running.

I'm sure there is a scientific reason for why this is - but I myself couldn't even tell you. It's running into the same large overflow tube, only it is running through a smaller tube with almost a bit of a strainer at the bottom first. All I know is that it worked - and if you have run into this problem, it may work for you too.