Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 21
Default toilet running

After flushing the toilet, it tends to continue to run. When it is flushed,
the flapper is pulled up which allows the water to escape from the tank,
while at the same time the float falls which opens the valve to fill the
tank with water. All is well to this point.

The problem is the flapper generally doesn't go back down to the bottom in a
timely fashion to plug the escape hole, and the source water begins to fill
the tank again.

The source water apparently causes enough turbulence that it resists the
flapper from falling to the bottom. If I were to manually stop the source
water by lifting the float, the flapper drops to the bottom. I think it
would be fixed if there were some way I could adjust the float to not allow
the source valve to open until the flapper were much closer to closing.
Yet, I've adjusted the float as far as it will go and that doesn't do it.
I also think that if it were a slower flow of incoming water, it might work.

Could it be that someone has used the wrong replacement parts? Someone has
added a 'weight' to the top of the flapper, but that doesn't really help,
and I have an objection to relying on pure Kentucky windage to fix things.

Any help appreciated.




  #2   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 903
Default toilet running

On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:05:25 -0400, "J" wrote:

After flushing the toilet, it tends to continue to run. When it is flushed,
the flapper is pulled up which allows the water to escape from the tank,
while at the same time the float falls which opens the valve to fill the
tank with water. All is well to this point.

The problem is the flapper generally doesn't go back down to the bottom in a
timely fashion to plug the escape hole, and the source water begins to fill
the tank again.


The only thing that brings the flapper back down into the sealed
position is the water level dropping low enough to expose the flapper
above the surface of the water. Is the water escaping fast enough
to expose the flapper? The inlet water should not overcome the
emptying of the tank.

The source water apparently causes enough turbulence that it resists the
flapper from falling to the bottom. If I were to manually stop the source
water by lifting the float, the flapper drops to the bottom. I think it
would be fixed if there were some way I could adjust the float to not allow
the source valve to open until the flapper were much closer to closing.
Yet, I've adjusted the float as far as it will go and that doesn't do it.
I also think that if it were a slower flow of incoming water, it might work.

Could it be that someone has used the wrong replacement parts? Someone has
added a 'weight' to the top of the flapper, but that doesn't really help,
and I have an objection to relying on pure Kentucky windage to fix things.

Any help appreciated.



  #3   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 655
Default toilet running

i would think the simplest solution may be to shut off your service valve,
then open it just a tad. It'll fill slower, and quieter, and the lack of
turbulance will probably solve your flapper dropping problem.

s


"J" wrote in message
newsomdnadtKYcqbZXVnZ2dnUVZ_hWdnZ2d@nuvoxcommuni cations...
After flushing the toilet, it tends to continue to run. When it is
flushed, the flapper is pulled up which allows the water to escape from
the tank, while at the same time the float falls which opens the valve to
fill the tank with water. All is well to this point.

The problem is the flapper generally doesn't go back down to the bottom in
a timely fashion to plug the escape hole, and the source water begins to
fill the tank again.

The source water apparently causes enough turbulence that it resists the
flapper from falling to the bottom. If I were to manually stop the source
water by lifting the float, the flapper drops to the bottom. I think it
would be fixed if there were some way I could adjust the float to not
allow the source valve to open until the flapper were much closer to
closing. Yet, I've adjusted the float as far as it will go and that
doesn't do it. I also think that if it were a slower flow of incoming
water, it might work.

Could it be that someone has used the wrong replacement parts? Someone
has added a 'weight' to the top of the flapper, but that doesn't really
help, and I have an objection to relying on pure Kentucky windage to fix
things.

Any help appreciated.






  #4   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,300
Default toilet running

J wrote:

After flushing the toilet, it tends to continue to run. When it is flushed,
the flapper is pulled up which allows the water to escape from the tank,
while at the same time the float falls which opens the valve to fill the
tank with water. All is well to this point.

The problem is the flapper generally doesn't go back down to the bottom in a
timely fashion to plug the escape hole, and the source water begins to fill
the tank again.

The source water apparently causes enough turbulence that it resists the
flapper from falling to the bottom. If I were to manually stop the source
water by lifting the float, the flapper drops to the bottom. I think it
would be fixed if there were some way I could adjust the float to not allow
the source valve to open until the flapper were much closer to closing.
Yet, I've adjusted the float as far as it will go and that doesn't do it.
I also think that if it were a slower flow of incoming water, it might work.

Could it be that someone has used the wrong replacement parts? Someone has
added a 'weight' to the top of the flapper, but that doesn't really help,
and I have an objection to relying on pure Kentucky windage to fix things.

Any help appreciated.




I had a similar problem after I replaced the old float arm valve in one
of our home toilets with a Fluidmaster valve.

There was such a strong flow of water coming through the bowl refill
tube that it was flying down the overfill pipe, splashing off the
horizontal surface below and bouncing up against the bottom of the
flapper valve enough to keep it from closing.

I diagnosed the problem for what it was and "proved it" by placing a
small C-clamp on on the refill tube and squeezing it down to reduce the
flow through it. That got the flapper working normally.

I solved the problem "fer real" by sliding a few lengths of 1/16" wire
solder inside the refill tube to create enough restriction to slow down
the flow.

When I was done (and got through patting myself on the back.) I pinged
Fluidmaster with an email describing what I'd encountered and received
an almosr immediate reply which said they knew about that problem and
asking for my postal address so they could send me a free "fix". I did
that and shortly received a little plastic restrictor with barbed
fittings on each side and instructions telling me to to cut the refill
tube and stick it in.

I never got a round tuit and the pieces of wire solder are still inside
the refill tube working just fine.

So, why not try pulling the refill tube out of the overflow tube
temporarily and see if that lets the flapper drop normally.

If it does, you can figure out the rest....

Live and learn,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

  #5   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,946
Default toilet running

"J" wrote in
newsomdnadtKYcqbZXVnZ2dnUVZ_hWdnZ2d@nuvoxcommuni cations:

After flushing the toilet, it tends to continue to run. When it is
flushed, the flapper is pulled up which allows the water to escape
from the tank, while at the same time the float falls which opens the
valve to fill the tank with water. All is well to this point.

The problem is the flapper generally doesn't go back down to the
bottom in a timely fashion to plug the escape hole, and the source
water begins to fill the tank again.

The source water apparently causes enough turbulence that it resists
the flapper from falling to the bottom. If I were to manually stop
the source water by lifting the float, the flapper drops to the
bottom. I think it would be fixed if there were some way I could
adjust the float to not allow the source valve to open until the
flapper were much closer to closing. Yet, I've adjusted the float as
far as it will go and that doesn't do it. I also think that if it were
a slower flow of incoming water, it might work.

Could it be that someone has used the wrong replacement parts?
Someone has added a 'weight' to the top of the flapper, but that
doesn't really help, and I have an objection to relying on pure
Kentucky windage to fix things.

Any help appreciated.





Just put a new flapper in (following directions) and see what happens.
They're not that expensive and are installed in minutes. You're digging
too deep for a first crack at fixing it.

p.s. I suck at plumbing anyway.


  #6   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 13
Default toilet running

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
news:C92dnY7BPcdak5TVnZ2dnUVZ_s-pnZ2d@choiceonecommunications...
J wrote:

After flushing the toilet, it tends to continue to run. When it is
flushed, the flapper is pulled up which allows the water to escape from
the tank, while at the same time the float falls which opens the valve to
fill the tank with water. All is well to this point.

The problem is the flapper generally doesn't go back down to the bottom
in a timely fashion to plug the escape hole, and the source water begins
to fill the tank again.

The source water apparently causes enough turbulence that it resists the
flapper from falling to the bottom. If I were to manually stop the
source water by lifting the float, the flapper drops to the bottom. I
think it would be fixed if there were some way I could adjust the float
to not allow the source valve to open until the flapper were much closer
to closing. Yet, I've adjusted the float as far as it will go and that
doesn't do it. I also think that if it were a slower flow of incoming
water, it might work.

Could it be that someone has used the wrong replacement parts? Someone
has added a 'weight' to the top of the flapper, but that doesn't really
help, and I have an objection to relying on pure Kentucky windage to fix
things.

Any help appreciated.




I had a similar problem after I replaced the old float arm valve in one of
our home toilets with a Fluidmaster valve.

There was such a strong flow of water coming through the bowl refill tube
that it was flying down the overfill pipe, splashing off the horizontal
surface below and bouncing up against the bottom of the flapper valve
enough to keep it from closing.

I diagnosed the problem for what it was and "proved it" by placing a small
C-clamp on on the refill tube and squeezing it down to reduce the flow
through it. That got the flapper working normally.

I solved the problem "fer real" by sliding a few lengths of 1/16" wire
solder inside the refill tube to create enough restriction to slow down
the flow.

When I was done (and got through patting myself on the back.) I pinged
Fluidmaster with an email describing what I'd encountered and received an
almosr immediate reply which said they knew about that problem and asking
for my postal address so they could send me a free "fix". I did that and
shortly received a little plastic restrictor with barbed fittings on each
side and instructions telling me to to cut the refill tube and stick it
in.

I never got a round tuit and the pieces of wire solder are still inside
the refill tube working just fine.

So, why not try pulling the refill tube out of the overflow tube
temporarily and see if that lets the flapper drop normally.

If it does, you can figure out the rest....

Live and learn,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.




This is one of the best newsgroup responses I've seen in a long time.

John

  #7   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 19
Default toilet running


On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:44:47 -0500, "John" you
wrote:


So, why not try pulling the refill tube out of the overflow tube
temporarily and see if that lets the flapper drop normally.

If it does, you can figure out the rest....

Live and learn,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.




This is one of the best newsgroup responses I've seen in a long time.

John



...why not just reduce the water flow by turning down the faucet handle
under the toilet?

  #8   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,963
Default toilet running

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:50:33 -0400, 01dyna wrote:


On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:44:47 -0500, "John" you
wrote:


So, why not try pulling the refill tube out of the overflow tube
temporarily and see if that lets the flapper drop normally.

If it does, you can figure out the rest....

Live and learn,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.




This is one of the best newsgroup responses I've seen in a long time.

John



..why not just reduce the water flow by turning down the faucet handle
under the toilet?


I don't know about that one, but I've has valves that make a loud
noise when only partly open.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Never underestimate the power of stupid
people in large groups"
  #9   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 21
Default toilet running

The flapper does get above the surface of the water. But the water level
never drops low enough for the flapper to close. The water level only goes
down to a height of maybe a couple of inches.

wrote in message
...

The only thing that brings the flapper back down into the sealed
position is the water level dropping low enough to expose the flapper
above the surface of the water. Is the water escaping fast enough
to expose the flapper? The inlet water should not overcome the
emptying of the tank.



  #10   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 21
Default toilet running

Thanks for a nice detailed response. I believe the problem you described is
the same thing I'm experiencing. Yes, by removing the refill tube from the
overflow tube, the flapper will reseal. Also, if I restrict the flow of
water at the wall by partially closing the stop valve, the flapper will
reseal. Now I need to decide how I'm going to fix it for good....

Thanks.

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
news:C92dnY7BPcdak5TVnZ2dnUVZ_s-pnZ2d@choiceonecommunications...
J wrote:

After flushing the toilet, it tends to continue to run. When it is
flushed, the flapper is pulled up which allows the water to escape from
the tank, while at the same time the float falls which opens the valve to
fill the tank with water. All is well to this point.

The problem is the flapper generally doesn't go back down to the bottom
in a timely fashion to plug the escape hole, and the source water begins
to fill the tank again.

The source water apparently causes enough turbulence that it resists the
flapper from falling to the bottom. If I were to manually stop the
source water by lifting the float, the flapper drops to the bottom. I
think it would be fixed if there were some way I could adjust the float
to not allow the source valve to open until the flapper were much closer
to closing. Yet, I've adjusted the float as far as it will go and that
doesn't do it. I also think that if it were a slower flow of incoming
water, it might work.

Could it be that someone has used the wrong replacement parts? Someone
has added a 'weight' to the top of the flapper, but that doesn't really
help, and I have an objection to relying on pure Kentucky windage to fix
things.

Any help appreciated.




I had a similar problem after I replaced the old float arm valve in one of
our home toilets with a Fluidmaster valve.

There was such a strong flow of water coming through the bowl refill tube
that it was flying down the overfill pipe, splashing off the horizontal
surface below and bouncing up against the bottom of the flapper valve
enough to keep it from closing.

I diagnosed the problem for what it was and "proved it" by placing a small
C-clamp on on the refill tube and squeezing it down to reduce the flow
through it. That got the flapper working normally.

I solved the problem "fer real" by sliding a few lengths of 1/16" wire
solder inside the refill tube to create enough restriction to slow down
the flow.

When I was done (and got through patting myself on the back.) I pinged
Fluidmaster with an email describing what I'd encountered and received an
almosr immediate reply which said they knew about that problem and asking
for my postal address so they could send me a free "fix". I did that and
shortly received a little plastic restrictor with barbed fittings on each
side and instructions telling me to to cut the refill tube and stick it
in.

I never got a round tuit and the pieces of wire solder are still inside
the refill tube working just fine.

So, why not try pulling the refill tube out of the overflow tube
temporarily and see if that lets the flapper drop normally.

If it does, you can figure out the rest....

Live and learn,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.





  #11   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 21
Default toilet running

It does indeed solve the problem. But I'm pretty sure the stop valves are
not designed to restrict flow and wear out much faster when used for that
purpose.

"S. Barker" wrote in message
...
i would think the simplest solution may be to shut off your service valve,
then open it just a tad. It'll fill slower, and quieter, and the lack of
turbulance will probably solve your flapper dropping problem.

s


"J" wrote in message
newsomdnadtKYcqbZXVnZ2dnUVZ_hWdnZ2d@nuvoxcommuni cations...
After flushing the toilet, it tends to continue to run. When it is
flushed, the flapper is pulled up which allows the water to escape from
the tank, while at the same time the float falls which opens the valve to
fill the tank with water. All is well to this point.

The problem is the flapper generally doesn't go back down to the bottom
in a timely fashion to plug the escape hole, and the source water begins
to fill the tank again.

The source water apparently causes enough turbulence that it resists the
flapper from falling to the bottom. If I were to manually stop the
source water by lifting the float, the flapper drops to the bottom. I
think it would be fixed if there were some way I could adjust the float
to not allow the source valve to open until the flapper were much closer
to closing. Yet, I've adjusted the float as far as it will go and that
doesn't do it. I also think that if it were a slower flow of incoming
water, it might work.

Could it be that someone has used the wrong replacement parts? Someone
has added a 'weight' to the top of the flapper, but that doesn't really
help, and I have an objection to relying on pure Kentucky windage to fix
things.

Any help appreciated.








  #12   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 21
Default toilet running

It works. But the manufacturer of the stop values say not to use them to
restrict flow, as they wear out much faster.

"01dyna" wrote in message
...

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:44:47 -0500, "John" you
wrote:


So, why not try pulling the refill tube out of the overflow tube
temporarily and see if that lets the flapper drop normally.

If it does, you can figure out the rest....

Live and learn,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.




This is one of the best newsgroup responses I've seen in a long time.

John



..why not just reduce the water flow by turning down the faucet handle
under the toilet?



Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Running toilet tackled HeyBub Home Repair 0 September 3rd 07 03:14 PM
Running Toilet Missing helpneeded@phone_a_shrink.org Home Repair 3 June 14th 06 08:35 PM
Help fixing a running toilet Wawa Home Repair 2 November 24th 05 05:02 PM
Fixing running toilet Sasha Home Repair 4 August 13th 05 06:34 AM
Toilet doesn't stop running chemqueries Home Repair 3 June 16th 05 04:06 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:07 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"