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#1
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toilet handle -- bigger problems discovered -- sigh...
It looks like I have a leak somewhere. The back of the tank fills, then
empties itself, the fills again... this is a fast one. Any tips on how to isolate the leak? I am so hoping it is INSIDE the toilet and not OUTSIDE in the pipes! Thanks for any advice |
#2
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On 24-Jun-2005, "Al" wrote: It looks like I have a leak somewhere. The back of the tank fills, then empties itself, the fills again... this is a fast one. Any tips on how to isolate the leak? I am so hoping it is INSIDE the toilet and not OUTSIDE in the pipes! Thanks for any advice I'll assume that it's not leaking all over the floor or you'd of mentioned that so it's not the tank bolts. So it's most likely the donut between the tank and the bowl. These things kind of disintegrate over time, the rubber gets to the point where it rubs off on your finger. That will cause the tank to slowly leak into the bowl which just slowly overflows down the drain without causing the siphon effect. In the tank the water level goes down to the point that the tank valve opens up and causes the tank to refill. Sound like what's happening? Replacing the donut is fairly straightforward although the tank bolts have a tendency to get very corroded and can sometimes be a bear to remove. WD-40 helps a lot here. I've had to drill and hacksaw them off before. If you're going to be a diy'er in your new home it's worth getting a book or three on basic home repair topics. One on plumbing will have instructions on replacing this. You can get a kit for replacing this at the despot for about $15 and it has pretty good instructions with it. good luck ml |
#3
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wrote in message ... On 24-Jun-2005, "Al" wrote: It looks like I have a leak somewhere. The back of the tank fills, then empties itself, the fills again... this is a fast one. Any tips on how to isolate the leak? I am so hoping it is INSIDE the toilet and not OUTSIDE in the pipes! Thanks for any advice I'll assume that it's not leaking all over the floor or you'd of mentioned that so it's not the tank bolts. So it's most likely the donut between the tank and the bowl. These things kind of disintegrate over time, the rubber gets to the point where it rubs off on your finger. That will cause the tank to slowly leak into the bowl which just slowly overflows down the drain without causing the siphon effect. In the tank the water level goes down to the point that the tank valve opens up and causes the tank to refill. Sound like what's happening? Replacing the donut is fairly straightforward although the tank bolts have a tendency to get very corroded and can sometimes be a bear to remove. WD-40 helps a lot here. I've had to drill and hacksaw them off before. If you're going to be a diy'er in your new home it's worth getting a book or three on basic home repair topics. One on plumbing will have instructions on replacing this. You can get a kit for replacing this at the despot for about $15 and it has pretty good instructions with it. good luck ml It CAN'T be the donut otherwise as with the pipe it would be all over the floor, even then it would have to get past the flapper to even leak! If there's no water on the floor the only thing it can be is the flapper. 5$ fix from any borg. Think about it, the only thing the donut does is seal the bowl to the tank, that flapper is above that holding the water back in the tank. Sure fire test is to wait til the tank is full and the water fill shuts off, put some food coloring in the tank, if the bowl water changes color you've got a leaky flapper. |
#4
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Maybe I am missing something here...
What pipes are you referring to? Does water show up on the floor? If the tank fills and empties without any water on the floor; how could the leak be outside of the toilet? Whenever my tank fills and empties, it is either the chain to the flapper valve stopping it from closing properly, or a worn out flapper valve. |
#5
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"Brian V" wrote:
Sure fire test is to wait til the tank is full and the water fill shuts off, put some food coloring in the tank, if the bowl water changes color you've got a leaky flapper. Also, check that the refill tube isn't too far inside the overflow pipe. That can cause water to siphon out of the toilet. LL |
#6
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Al wrote:
It looks like I have a leak somewhere. The back of the tank fills, then empties itself, the fills again... this is a fast one. Any tips on how to isolate the leak? I am so hoping it is INSIDE the toilet and not OUTSIDE in the pipes! Is anything holding the flapper from closing at the bottom of the tank? Extra chain, etc... Your leak has to be in the tank itself... it's supposed to hold the water no matter whether there's a leak elsewhere or not. -- Mortimer Schnerd, RN VE |
#7
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Al wrote:
It looks like I have a leak somewhere. The back of the tank fills, then empties itself, the fills again... this is a fast one. The chain and/or handle is broken right? The chain is probably heading down the drain and holding the flapper up off the seal. pull the chain out of the hole. Steve B. |
#8
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You and the another guy nailed it. Thanks to both of you!
"Steve B." wrote in message news Al wrote: It looks like I have a leak somewhere. The back of the tank fills, then empties itself, the fills again... this is a fast one. The chain and/or handle is broken right? The chain is probably heading down the drain and holding the flapper up off the seal. pull the chain out of the hole. Steve B. |
#9
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On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 18:28:26 -0500, "Al" wrote:
Hacksaw took off the plastic gasket, no sweat, then the new handle/gasket go on (sure enough, it IS reversed thread!) Chain comes out from underneath flapper and I am happy flusher! You old timers probably think "So what?", but this is my first DIY job in my own home. I am one proud geek. Congrats on the DIY repair, probably saved yourself about $50 - $75 by not calling a plumber. DJ |
#10
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Hacksaw took off the plastic gasket, no sweat, then the new handle/gasket
go on (sure enough, it IS reversed thread!) Chain comes out from underneath flapper and I am happy flusher! You old timers probably think "So what?", but this is my first DIY job in my own home. I am one proud geek. Thanks everyone, for the tips along the way. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me! "Al" wrote in message newsrZue.51062$iU.2994@lakeread05... It looks like I have a leak somewhere. The back of the tank fills, then empties itself, the fills again... this is a fast one. Any tips on how to isolate the leak? I am so hoping it is INSIDE the toilet and not OUTSIDE in the pipes! Thanks for any advice |
#11
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DJ wrote:
On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 18:28:26 -0500, "Al" wrote: Hacksaw took off the plastic gasket, no sweat, then the new handle/gasket go on (sure enough, it IS reversed thread!) Chain comes out from underneath flapper and I am happy flusher! You old timers probably think "So what?", but this is my first DIY job in my own home. I am one proud geek. Congrats on the DIY repair, probably saved yourself about $50 - $75 by not calling a plumber. DJ Hi, Learning never ends. It's life time deal. Congrats. Tony |
#12
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"Brian V" wrote in
: It CAN'T be the donut otherwise as with the pipe it would be all over the floor, even then it would have to get past the flapper to even leak! If there's no water on the floor the only thing it can be is the flapper. 5$ fix from any borg. Think about it, the only thing the donut does is seal the bowl to the tank, that flapper is above that holding the water back in the tank. Sure fire test is to wait til the tank is full and the water fill shuts off, put some food coloring in the tank, if the bowl water changes color you've got a leaky flapper. Or a bad flapper seat.They get crudded up or rot,also. -- Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net |
#13
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On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 18:28:26 -0500, "Al" wrote:
Hacksaw took off the plastic gasket, no sweat, then the new handle/gasket go on (sure enough, it IS reversed thread!) Chain comes out from underneath flapper and I am happy flusher! You old timers probably think "So what?", but this is my first DIY job in my own home. I am one proud geek. Thanks everyone, for the tips along the way. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me! Thanks for letting us know it was resolved. So many come and get advice then disappear leaving the group to wonder what the resollution was. Glad your first project went well. Trust me you have plenty more of them to look forward to :-) Steve B. |
#14
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You guys are good! I will try to remember your suggestions the next time my
toilet acts up. An aside, just heard yesterday that where I live (Vancouver) we will only be able to buy low-flush toilets after September 1st. I have heard that they don't flush nearly as well as the old style toilets. Hope they have improved the low-flush design by now. Des "Jim Yanik" . wrote in message .. . "Brian V" wrote in : It CAN'T be the donut otherwise as with the pipe it would be all over the floor, even then it would have to get past the flapper to even leak! If there's no water on the floor the only thing it can be is the flapper. 5$ fix from any borg. Think about it, the only thing the donut does is seal the bowl to the tank, that flapper is above that holding the water back in the tank. Sure fire test is to wait til the tank is full and the water fill shuts off, put some food coloring in the tank, if the bowl water changes color you've got a leaky flapper. Or a bad flapper seat.They get crudded up or rot,also. -- Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net |
#15
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It looks like I have a leak somewhere. The back of the tank fills, then
empties itself, the fills again... this is a fast one. Put food coloring in the tank and see where the water goes |
#16
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On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 18:28:26 -0500, in alt.home.repair toilet
fixed!! "Al" wrote: Hacksaw took off the plastic gasket, no sweat, then the new handle/gasket go on (sure enough, it IS reversed thread!) Chain comes out from underneath flapper and I am happy flusher! You old timers probably think "So what?", but this is my first DIY job in my own home. I am one proud geek. Thanks everyone, for the tips along the way. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me! Well done. It's very satisfying isn't it. -- To reply to me directly, remove the CLUTTER from my email address. |
#17
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On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:49:26 -0700, in alt.home.repair toilet
handle -- bigger problems discovered -- sigh... "Des Perado" wrote: An aside, just heard yesterday that where I live (Vancouver) we will only be able to buy low-flush toilets after September 1st. I have heard that they don't flush nearly as well as the old style toilets. Hope they have improved the low-flush design by now. No, the haven't improved the low-flush design. You can compensate for that by flushing several times to achieve a clean bowl. That's ususally what it takes around here. -- To reply to me directly, remove the CLUTTER from my email address. |
#18
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Vic Dura wrote in
: On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:49:26 -0700, in alt.home.repair toilet handle -- bigger problems discovered -- sigh... "Des Perado" wrote: An aside, just heard yesterday that where I live (Vancouver) we will only be able to buy low-flush toilets after September 1st. I have heard that they don't flush nearly as well as the old style toilets. Hope they have improved the low-flush design by now. No, the haven't improved the low-flush design. You can compensate for that by flushing several times to achieve a clean bowl. That's ususally what it takes around here. The low flush design my apartment complex installed in all the units flushes very well. It's not your ordinary flapper-valve type of toilet;designed for low maintenance,there's not much to fail. -- Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net |
#19
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Our 3 Kohler Wellworth flush fine if WE don't err by using too much
paper or use the soft fluffy type. On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 05:51:55 -0500, Vic Dura wrote: On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:49:26 -0700, in alt.home.repair toilet handle -- bigger problems discovered -- sigh... "Des Perado" wrote: An aside, just heard yesterday that where I live (Vancouver) we will only be able to buy low-flush toilets after September 1st. I have heard that they don't flush nearly as well as the old style toilets. Hope they have improved the low-flush design by now. No, the haven't improved the low-flush design. You can compensate for that by flushing several times to achieve a clean bowl. That's ususally what it takes around here. |
#20
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Jim Yanik . wrote in
: Vic Dura wrote in : On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:49:26 -0700, in alt.home.repair toilet handle -- bigger problems discovered -- sigh... "Des Perado" wrote: An aside, just heard yesterday that where I live (Vancouver) we will only be able to buy low-flush toilets after September 1st. I have heard that they don't flush nearly as well as the old style toilets. Hope they have improved the low-flush design by now. No, the haven't improved the low-flush design. You can compensate for that by flushing several times to achieve a clean bowl. That's ususally what it takes around here. The low flush design my apartment complex installed in all the units flushes very well. It's not your ordinary flapper-valve type of toilet;designed for low maintenance,there's not much to fail. the brand installed in my apartment is a Niagara Flapperless. I do not have an address or phone number for them,except for the repair parts line;800-831-8383 -- Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net |
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