Plumbing Question

I have a two year old American Standard commode. The plumber came out last year and did something in the other bathroom (same commode in there) and he told me to order a part from the American Standard company because I wou ld eventually need it and it was free. I placed the order and they sent it . It was not until this week that I needed to use it. I noticed the toile t was making a strange "running water" sound -- only lasts a few seconds .. . and I figured out that must be the part he was talking about. My neighbo r came over and took the old part off and put the new one one. He assured me it was "easy" ... the part was Cadet Flush right flapper assembly.

After he had been gone about an hour -- the noise started up again. It has run extra water in there three times -- the water only runs for a few seco nds.

Does anyone know why this would happen. I hesitate to call the plumber ... I did call before I went to my neighbor. The plumber who had been here an d told me to order the part said he would gladly come by and do it at no ch arge but the woman who makes appointments said she doubted he could do tha t and it would costs me $100 for house call.

Any chance the problem is something entirely different and the swapping par ts was useless? Got my water bill today and it was way down from the last one (we are billed every two months). I'm not sure when this running water thing started .. I only noticed it yesterday but it could have been going o n and I didn't hear it.

Reply to
Dottie
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st year and did something in the other bathroom (same commode in there) an d he told me to order a part from the American Standard company because I w ould eventually need it and it was free. I placed the order and they sent it. It was not until this week that I needed to use it. I noticed the toi let was making a strange "running water" sound -- only lasts a few seconds ... and I figured out that must be the part he was talking about. My neigh bor came over and took the old part off and put the new one one. He assure d me it was "easy" ... the part was Cadet Flush right flapper assembly.

as run extra water in there three times -- the water only runs for a few se conds.

.. I did call before I went to my neighbor. The plumber who had been here and told me to order the part said he would gladly come by and do it at no charge but the woman who makes appointments said she doubted he could do t hat and it would costs me $100 for house call.

arts was useless? Got my water bill today and it was way down from the las t one (we are billed every two months). I'm not sure when this running wate r thing started .. I only noticed it yesterday but it could have been going on and I didn't hear it.

If the short running water sound is the toilet refilling, it sounds like th e flapper has a slow leak. Eventually, after enough time has elapsed, the wa ter level drops low enough so that the fill mechanism triggers, bringing it up to full again. It only drains a bit and then refills by that small amount, so you have those brief periods of a few seconds with water running.

For replacement fill mechanisms, they now have "water sentry" models. Thos e won't refill unless the tank lever has been pushed. That way if you have a slow leak, the tank winds up empty, only a tank of water is wasted and you notice it. But your problem is likely the flapper isn't seating correctly. Could need the mating surface cleaned and/or new flapper.

Reply to
trader_4

Dottie:

A toilet has two valves; one valve lets the water in to the toilet tank, and the other valve lets the water out of the toilet tank into the toilet bowl to cause the bowl to "flush".

What's happening in your case is that water is leaking out of the toilet tank at a slow rate. Eventually, once the water level in the toilet tank reaches a certain level, the valve that lets water into the toilet tank swings into action and refills the tank with water. That's why the toilet only runs for a few seconds rather than the longer time it would tank to fill an empty tank.

Normally, the cause of this water leakage out of the toilet tank is a leaking flapper valve, so the plumber was right to tell you to get a new one as long as you could get them free.

But, from what you're saying, replacing the flapper valve hasn't stopped the leakage of water out of the toilet tank. In that case, the "seat" against which that flapper sits may have a nick in it which allows water to leak even with a new flapper.

I'd ask your neighbor to come down and take another look. Tell him that replacing the flapper hasn't stopped the problem, and he'll look at the seat on the flapper valve to see if it's damaged. You can do that yourself if you want. Just raise the flapper and run your finger over the surface the flapper rests on to see if it's smooth. If it's smooth, there must be some other explanation, but if you can feel a nick or scratch on that seat, then that's the cause of the problem.

Reply to
nestork

Hi, Flapper leak is easy to detect if some dye material is put into tank. Color will show in the tank. Not such a rocket science to fix toilet water leak problem. Is OP elderly senior who can't tackle the job himself???

Reply to
Tony Hwang

More likely a "nub" than a "nick" I've found deposits are much more common than damage.

Reply to
clare

Dottie:

Either Or.

If it's a new flapper, run your finger over the seat it closes against, and if you feel anything except a smooth surface for the flapper to close against, that's the problem.

Reply to
nestork

Dottie,

Take the top off of the toilet tank. You should see a toilet valve maybe with a float. If not then you'll see a float attached by a long arm to the valve. The float is adjustable (up and down) and controls the water level in the tank. You should see am overflow tube running up from the flapper valve. The overflow tube assembly has the overflow tube, the flapper, and the flapper seat. So, is the level of water in the tank near the top of the overflow tube? It should not be less than a 1/2 inch down from the top of the overflow tube. Note the water level. The float is adjusted to control the water level. If you have a slow leak in the toilet valve then water will run down the overflow tube causing the sound of running water occassionaly. Turn off the water valve to the toilet and wait an hour. If the water level drops your flapper or the seat may have a problem. If the water level doesn't go down I'd replace the toilet valve. It's easy and there are lot's of YouTube videos showing how. Often you unscrew the valve top, take out the old bits, put in the new, et c.. If the water level did go down, flush the toilet. The flapper is new but inspect it for problems. Most likely it's fine. Now run you finger around the flapper seat. It should be smooth. If not give it a quick scrub with some Bon Ami or other powder. Don't scrub too hard, the seat is plastic. Rinse well and feel again. If the seat is still not smooth then it needs to be replaced. Probably time to call the plumber. YouTube has lots of videos on simple toilet repairs.

Dave M.

Reply to
David L. Martel

st year and did something in the other bathroom (same commode in there) an d he told me to order a part from the American Standard company because I w ould eventually need it and it was free. I placed the order and they sent it. It was not until this week that I needed to use it. I noticed the toi let was making a strange "running water" sound -- only lasts a few seconds ... and I figured out that must be the part he was talking about. My neigh bor came over and took the old part off and put the new one one. He assure d me it was "easy" ... the part was Cadet Flush right flapper assembly.

as run extra water in there three times -- the water only runs for a few se conds.

.. I did call before I went to my neighbor. The plumber who had been here and told me to order the part said he would gladly come by and do it at no charge but the woman who makes appointments said she doubted he could do t hat and it would costs me $100 for house call.

arts was useless? Got my water bill today and it was way down from the las t one (we are billed every two months). I'm not sure when this running wate r thing started .. I only noticed it yesterday but it could have been going on and I didn't hear it.

I
Reply to
Dottie

st year and did something in the other bathroom (same commode in there) an d he told me to order a part from the American Standard company because I w ould eventually need it and it was free. I placed the order and they sent it. It was not until this week that I needed to use it. I noticed the toi let was making a strange "running water" sound -- only lasts a few seconds ... and I figured out that must be the part he was talking about. My neigh bor came over and took the old part off and put the new one one. He assure d me it was "easy" ... the part was Cadet Flush right flapper assembly.

as run extra water in there three times -- the water only runs for a few se conds.

.. I did call before I went to my neighbor. The plumber who had been here and told me to order the part said he would gladly come by and do it at no charge but the woman who makes appointments said she doubted he could do t hat and it would costs me $100 for house call.

arts was useless? Got my water bill today and it was way down from the las t one (we are billed every two months). I'm not sure when this running wate r thing started .. I only noticed it yesterday but it could have been going on and I didn't hear it.

I printed out the suggestions and I will try them. I already flushed the w ater out and ran my finger around the place where the new part meets - and it felt o.k. Did not feel any lumps or scratches. I'll try turning it off and seeing if the water level changes.

Reply to
Dottie

try them. I already flushed the water out and ran my finger around the place where the new part meets - and it felt o.k. Did not feel any lumps or scratches. I'll try turning it off and seeing if the water level changes.

So, you're finally fingering the flippin flapper that's float filling your fixture with foibles that you finagled forcefully?

. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Hi, Like suggested put some food coloring in the tank. Are you having phantom flushes? So far all the helpful hints re posted. If the chain on the flapper does not have some slack, when it falls down, there is a possibility it won't make a good sealing to the discharge opening. Make sure the chain is not too tight.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

You have two flappers!! Soon you'll be able to open a speak-easy.

It was smart of you to ask again.

Not useless, but it might not have solved this problem.

Do you have the box or wrapper of the free part. What's it called, what are its part numbers?

Wait 2 more moths? It runs an extra second every frew minutes AFTER you just flushed the toilet, or 24 hours a day?

If your flapper leaks a little bit, the water level will go down and eventually the water will turn on to fill it again. That can happen 24 hours a day and should be fixed no matter how much or little it's costing you.

I had this once. You can take the lid off the toilet and look at the water level occasionally. It should always be the same, unless you just flushed. Mine would go dow 2 inches before it refilled.

Reply to
micky

Despite my flippant answer a minute ago, there is something important I should tell you.

If the flapper is what he replaced (it's shaped like a small apple but made of black rubber or neoprene, on a black flat thing with two holes at the edge, that act as pivots. If thats what he replaced, try taking a stick and pushing the flapper into its hole. Don't push very very hard. It's rubber and you could conceivably rip it. But you can push firmly.

And that might stop it from running.

BTW, if the flapper is leaking, you should be able to see waves in toilet bowl. If not waves, at least it's not perfectly flat like ti should be within ten (20?) minutes of bieng flushed.

It coudl take months before the flapper seats itself correctly right away.

(I"ll admit I never checked for imperfections in the seat, but it had worked fine until shortly before I replaced the flapper, and I stil don't think that scratches or bumps were the problem. But I will check some day.)

I have three matching Elger toilets. I was going to be Mr. Homemaker when I bought the house 30 years ago so I bought 3 "1000 flushes" A week or so after putting them in, there were black clouds in the water and the flappers were all deteriorating. The house was 4 years old. I was annoyed.

I removed the 1000 and bought new flappers at the hardware store** and everything was fine for a few years. When I needed another flapper, I bought the "practically universal" flapper and it leaked, so I went back to the same hardware store and bought the same thing I bought the first time. Everything was fine. But the next time I needed a flapper, the hardware store had been run out of business by the big box stores.

But I had the brand and model number, and my friend got a catalog for a wholesale maintenance supply company. She wrote me a letter saying I worked for them, and I bought a lot of good things cheaply. Plus they had the model flapper I needed. No one else had it. No internet yet. I bought 2 dozen.

I used one and everything was perfect. Then the next time I needed one. the toilet ran a little. I think it finally stopped running when the water level above it was high enough, or I would have replaced it again. Nothing looked strange about the flapper.

I would take a stick and force the flappe into its hole and that also stopped it. It took months before it worked normall, and it's been working normally for at least 5 years, as much as 10. .

**
Reply to
micky

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