Old American Standard toilet from around 1954. Has some Fluidmaster components in it.
It works OK but about 4 times/day it pumps maybe an additional gallon of water in, so it has a slow leak.
I checked the stopper and it's aperture: both look fine, but I spread a little vaseline on both to help insure seal. No help. Overflow tube, etc look OK.
Visual inspection looks OK but it leaks. Any ideas?
Thx, Willie
Turn the valve off that supplies water to the johnny. Put some food coloring or other dye in the water closet of the johnny, and let it set overnight. If there is coloration in the basin the next morning, then the flapper is leaking and must be replaced. Sometimes they look perfectly fine, but still leak a bit.
You can get a good flapper at Home Depot or Lowes for $ 6-7.
James
Put some dye in it to help you see exactly where it's leaking.
TDD
We had one toilet flapper looked fine but it had somehow crinkled or got worn one side and leaked a little bit. Sometimes good idea to keep a spare valve assembly or at least a replacement flapper along with a spare toilet base wax seal, in the bathroom vanity cabinet. That helps when the toilet malfunctions at
2.00 AM over a long holiday weekend, 50 miles from the nearest hardware that 'might' be open on the morrow and 'might' (or might not!) have a suitable replacement. So this time buy two. With luck you 'might' need the second one within ten years and you or whoever is then involved will look like a hero!
I've seen flappers that look OK develop a leak. There are kits that contain an insert to take the place of the existing valve seat and a new flapper. I would use one of those if there were any nicks in the valve seat. Here's a good guide:
Frustrating, I know. But it's only a gallon. Forget about it.
If the valve seat is brass, try smoothing it with a brillo pad so that the flapper makes a better seal.
Actually a viable suggestion, as there's no shortage of water here, and I'm not metered.
But I'd wake in the middle the nite, hear the damned thang, and it'd give me heartburn. :-)
That was a help.
Turns out what I got is a Fluidmaster Flusher Fixer Kit from 15-20 years ago. Looks plenty different from the one they sell now.
All I need is a flapper, near as I can tell, but I guess I may have to buy a new FFFK, rip the old one out, and replace it.
Unless someone knows where I can get just a flapper?
Thx, Willie
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