How to Change a Toilet Tank Flapper...Save Money on Your Water Bill! Plumbing Tips!
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- Опубликовано: 20 май 2024
- In this video I change a toilet tank flapper. Not a complicated job, but can and will save you money if it is holding tight by reducing your water bill. Definite place to check first if your water bill is higher then normal or your pump is cutting in and out.
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Nice, It's the little stuff that adds up... one drip at a time.
Here in Ca. ... we have no water to waste this year.. DROUGHT..
Keep up the good work.
Hello Joe;
Thanks for the kind words!
The little stuff does add up for sure Joe!
Hopefully you will get some rainfall soon!
Thanks for commenting and enjoy your day! Al
super fine
love your east coast accent. Knipex in your vids is always appreciated. Next time you touch that brasscraft shutoff valve to turn off water please replace it with a Dahl. lates
Hello Dave;
Thanks dave!
Gotta love the Knipex! Big fan of them here!
I know you like the Dahl products! I will keep that in mind when I do. Fluidmaster is another I go to as well!
Thanks for commenting and have a great week! Al
I only wish I'd thought to youtube plumbing videos earlier. I am currently taking plumbing in college, and am nearing the end of my course. I can say I've sure learned a hell of a lot more watching these videos then my instructor was able to teach me. I'm looking for an apprenticeship very soon, any tips? I am also east coast
very good, thanks
Hello pei broker,
You're more than welcome!
Hopefully it will help with any future repairs.
Thansk for commenting and enjoy your week! Al
what are the most common things you can do to keep your flapper working properly? i often here people say to jiggle the handle to get the flapper back down and sometimes when you flush the flapper is straight up , what causes this , too much play in the chain or what?
Hello GmGarlo,
There really isn't anything that can be done to keep it working properly once it is installed. One of the biggest things when installing a flapper is to make sure the chain or line from the handle to the flapper has very little slack in it. You may have used a toilet where you had to hold the handle down in order to flush it properly. This is a sign that there is too much slack in the chain. very common problem easily fixed by shortening the chain.
The flapper should gradually go down with the water as it leaves the tank and enters the bowl. Quite often a flapper is changed and it is the wrong flapper for that tank. Believe it or not they come in different lengths and an eighth of an inch makes all the difference in the world when it comes to seating properly.
As they get older they will begin to soften and take different shapes. Some will warp a little and will stand up until the handle is rattled. It takes very little for this to happen.
One way to test if it is time to change a flapper and install a new one is to do a dye test. First check to make sure the water level is at least a quarter of an inch below the stand pipe in the tank. 3/8ths is recommended, but a 1/4 will do. Place a few drops of dye in your toilet. Let it sit for a few hours. If you come back and check the bowl and it is the color of the water in the tank; then your flapper must be replaced.
Thanks for commenting and enjoy your week! Al
thank you Al. i looked further and it IS slightly below the fill tube water level. I see bubbles though coming from the base of the flush valve mechanism.......
Hello RJF,
Definitely sounds like the flapper to me. That is what I would change you.
I am quite certain this will fix your problem.
Thanks for commenting and enjoy your weekend! Al
TheOldkid888 hiya again Al...I'm probably going to tackle the repair this weekend; Let me ask ya, even though no bubbles or leaks seem to come from the flapper itself or that area {flapper seems that it is sealing well to the hole it covers), ya think it is still the flapper that is suspect? (because my bubbles are bubbling up from that flush valve (at the left corner of the tank when you look inside)
RJ F
To exclude you flapper from being the culprit, add a little food coloring in the tank and let it sit for a while. If the bowl turns the color of the food coloring there is a very good chance the flapper is gone. You will see lines of the food coloring coming down the bowl.
If the waterline is below the standpipe then your fill valve is shutting off. Lift the flexible refill tube out of the standpipe as well to see that now water is going down it either.
Hope this helps.
The food coloring test will tell say what is going on with the flapper.
Thanks for commenting and get back to me when you get a chance! Al
alrighty, thanks Al!
One miscellaneous question- where have you found is the cheapest place to get PEX? I'm looking to redo my entire house, and make a front garden spigot connection. I'm in the US. You are in Canada, right?
Hello RJF,
I am not sure exactly where it would be cheaper in the U.S., but I believe Home Depot has the cheapest price on pipe.
Their pipe "cannot" be expanded, but is ideal for any crimp system. Keep that in mind when you pick out your connections.
Thanks for commenting and enjoy your week! Al
hi Al, RJ here...I greatly appreciate all you do on here! I had a couple questions, since you answered a few of mine so well a while back. One of my toilets continuously sounds like a pot of hot water simmering to nearly a boil. You look into the bowl itself, and at the outside edge of the bowl it LOOKS like water boiling, too! SOMETHING is leaking. Coincidentally, in March I see you did this video! I think my flusher/flap is suspect. What do YOU think?
Hello RJ,
First thing to do is remove the cover off the toilet tank.
If the water level in the tank is below the standpipe and water is going into the bowl then your flapper in the tank is probably where the problem lies. If it is up to the top of the standpipe then your ballcock has to be adjusted simply by turning the screw half of a turn clockwise. This will lower the water level in the tank so that it is below the top of the pipe. It can only be one of the two scenarios.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for commenting and let me know how you get along RJ! Al
Just checking back in with you, Al. OK- so I changed the flapper and the entire flush valve mechanism. I used the Fluidmaster vertical weight type (similar to what you show in this video- and for anyone seeing this- I wish I spent a bit more to get the next level up (maybe like your brand here?). This thing is NOISY. Plus, it seems to take FOREVER to refill the tank. Also, every so often I hear it run (topping off?) for several seconds as if something is leaking. Al, do you have a message board or an email?
Great video ... another Northern Californian living with the drought here. Now tell me what position my shower valve stem should be when in when I put it in place. Like it looks in the package when you purchase it or do you unscrew it ??? Still don't have it right.
My plumbing issues are driving me nuts! The nut cracked on my toilet flex hose at 3:55 am and water started flooding my bathroom. Luckily I had the sense to shut off the water supply valve off.
Rhonda Cooper
Thanks for the kind words!
What type of shower faucet do you have? Let me know and I will see what i can do for you!you
I am glad you were able to shut it off to begin with. Nothing worse then scrambling for a valve and it doesn't work. It is always to good for everyone in the house to know how to shut the main water off.
At the time it seems like a major ordeal, but it is really a small thing in life; especially where you had it all under control! Congrats on that!
Get back to me about the shower faucet and I will see if we can figure it out!
Thanks for commenting and have a great weekend! Al
TheOldkid888 I believe it is a Price Pfister. The valve stems are approximately 6 inches long, maybe a little bit longer. I replaced the seats and valve stems with new. Then put the plastic nipples, flanges and two extensions (each) on the ends of the stems because the plumbing sets back far in the wall. Everything screwed from left to right as I was reinstalling it. When I screwed the handles on and turned the water back on the handles were tight and would not turn. Has to be something with the valve stems.
I "Jerry Rigged" the shower .... took everything off except the seats and valve stems and put the handles back on with the set screws. Packed the holes in the fiberglass shower with plastic so water wouldn't run down inside the wall and we have been using the shower.
Hello Rhonda;
I am glad everything is in working order for you!
If you contact Price PFister they will mail replacement parts to you in the mail. Tell them what type of faucet you have and you will be all set! I know this for a fact!
Hopefully some rain will be in the not too distant future for you!
Thanks for commenting and have a great week! Al
Hi Al, Was just wondering...How do I raise the water level in my toilet? I just feel that when the water goes back into the toilet after being flushed...that the water level is low. Thanks, and keep up the good work By'e!! ;)
Hello caper2u;
The water level should be about 3/8ths to 1/2 of an inch below the stand pipe.
As far as raising the water level that depends on what type of fill valve you have. If you have a ballcock you will have to turn the screw on the top of it counterclockwise a little at a time and that will raise it to where you want it.
If it is a mechanism like in this video you pinch the metal clip and slide the float up the stainless steel rod to where it will be suitable.
Thanks for commenting and have a great week! Al
Thanks a bunch, this will help when I get my flapper from Amazon. Seems easy enough.
+No Sabras
You are more then welcome!
You should be all set once you get the part if you take your time!
Thanks for commenting and have a great week! Al
I Made A Video About how to service your fill valve
I replaced my flapper and and it is still leaking. Should I replace the part that it seats to? I haven't seen a direct replacement in the hardware stores. Instead there are ones that look like they stick onto the one that is already there. I'm not real fond of that idea.
+justtisha
I don't think you have to replace the flush mechanism. You can lift the flapper and feel it to make sure it is smooth. You may want to check to see if it is the correct flapper. Some of them are slightly longer than others.
What type of toilet is it? Does the water rise above the standpipe?
Thanks for commenting and get back to me when you can. Al
+TheOldkid888 Water does not rise above the stand pipe. The flapper is a universal one and seems to be the correct length. I bought this one to replace the old one because I would hear it filling up intermittently. I'm not sure what kind of toilet it is. The flapper wiggles side to side a little bit. If I move it with my hand and position it perfectly, it'll hold fine but it does not seat this way with every flush. The leak is pretty small.
justtisha
You may have to try another style of flapper.
The flapper should not have too much movement sideways on the ears of the standpipe. Another style may correct the problem for you. I also prefer a flapper with a stainless steel chain rather than a rubber one.
Thanks for commenting and best of luck with the repair! Al