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Easily Tank 2-Flush Toilet Issue

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By MARK HETTS Universal Press Syndicate

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 14, 2008

Can you explain how I can fix our toilet? We have to hold down the handle for a while to make sure everything is flushed. Does this mean that the flapper is closing too fast?

Although it's possible there is something wrong with the flapper (the rubbery thing in the tank that lifts when the handle is pushed down, allowing water from the tank into the toilet bowl), Mr. HandyPerson thinks the problem likely is that the water level in the tank is a little low.

On most toilets, it's fairly easy to adjust. If your toilet has a float ball on a threaded rod attached to the water fill valve, you can raise the water level by grabbing the rod firmly in one hand and gently bending the float ball end up slightly.

In other toilets, the float is mounted on the fill valve tube and there is a little clip that you can pinch to raise the float slightly on its wire stem.

There is usually (but not always) a visible fill line in the tank. If the water level is raised higher than the line, it will drain over the overflow tube, and your toilet will start refilling the tank and running constantly. So doublecheck to be sure your adjustment hasn't raised the water level higher than the fill line.

If you find that you still have to hold down the handle for a complete flush, then you might have a problem with the flapper. They do wear out.

Rubber flappers are inexpensive (under $10, found at any hardware store) and not difficult to replace. However, there are quite a few different kinds. To make sure you are buying the right replacement flapper, you'll want to remove the old one and take it with you to the store. To do that, turn off the water to the toilet, flush the toilet to drain the tank, and remove the flapper. Some are screwed onto a small brass rod, and others are attached to the overflow tube by a collar that slides up and off the tube.

Now, Mr. HP is aware of the difficulties of describing the workings of a toilet tank using words alone. Consequently, when you read this column and look inside your toilet tank, you may not recognize or comprehend what the heck he's talking about. It's also possible your toilet may be a different design than the ones Mr. HP describes. In either case, you may want to ask a friend who has some familiarity with toilets to help walk you through adjusting the water level or replacing the flapper. Neither is the kind of thing that requires a plumber.

You didn't mention the age of your toilet or whether it's a low-flow model (1.6 gallons or less). If it's an older, non-low-flow model (or if it's a low-flow model from 1995 or earlier, some of which require more than one flush to do the job), you might want to think about a new low-flow toilet. That's because an older model could be wasting thousands of gallons of water a year.

New, better-designed low-flow toilets can be purchased for less than $200. Many local water utilities offer special rebates that can lower that cost.

Mr. HP is of the opinion that dollar-for-dollar, spending a few hundred dollars to save many thousands of gallons of water over many years is a significant and important contribution to the health of our planet. Your letter provides an opportunity for him to point that out, as he has before and surely will again. Good luck.

Share your home repair problems, interesting questions, funny experiences and useful tips by writing to Mr. HandyPerson, c/o Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64111.

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