Randomly running toilets are costly. And they’re loud.
Normally the biggest problem is an old toilet flapper.
So in today’s tutorial, you’ll learn how to choose and install the flapper in less than 5 minutes.
Plus, you’ll avoid some key mistakes and save money.
Let’s dive in!
How to Choose Your Toilet Flapper
Many thanks to Fluidmaster for sponsoring this tutorial.
It’s important that all homeowners learn how to replace toilet flappers. It prevents the wasting of water, reduces utility bills, and empowers you to do more projects.
Most toilet tanks look like this on the inside
The flush valve is in the center. And the flapper covers the flush valve.
Now here’s the problem,
What size flapper do you need?
Common flapper sizes are 2 inches and 3 inches.
If you don’t have the old flapper it’s easy to get the wrong one.
That’s where the Fluidmaster Super Flapper saves the day.
It can replace either a 2-inch or 3-inch flapper.
You can buy the Super Flapper by itself or get a kit with the Super Flapper and PerforMAX fill valve.
Frankly, if your fill valve looks even remotely old, I’d get the kit.
That way, you can replace most of the parts that cause running toilets.
How to Replace Your Toilet Flapper
This is an easy repair. But you can run into problems. So we’ll address those.
The first step is to shut the water off at the toilet shut off valve.
If your valve doesn’t work, you can turn the water off to the house.
However, this might be the time to replace that old valve – here’s a great tutorial on that topic
The next step is to flush the toilet and remove most of the tank water.
Disconnect the flapper change from the handle and unhook the old flapper arms from the flush valve.
Here’s the cool part of the Super Flapper,
It comes with an Easy Sizing Guide.
Use this to measure your old flapper.
If your flapper is 2 inches, remove the blue seal, blue bulb, and blue arms.
Then install the new flapper by snapping the red arms onto the flush valve mounting posts.
If your flapper is 3 inches, stretch the red seal to remove it and clip the blue arms onto the flush valve.
The final step is to connect the chain to the tank lever. Leave about 1/2 inch of slack in the chain so the flapper will work properly.
Turn on the water to the toilet and allow the tank to fill up. Ideally, water should stop about 1/2 inch from the top of the overflow pipe.
You can adjust the fill valve to get the correct water level.
The Super Flapper also has a blue dial in the center.
That can be used to adjust how much water is flushed. Turn the dial clockwise to flush more water and counterclockwise to flush less water.
If the tank is holding water and you get a strong flush, congrats! Your toilet flapper repair is complete.
Sometimes the flush valve can be warped. And this causes the flapper to not seal properly.
Here’s a great tutorial that shows how to fix faulty flush valves.
Also, if your flush valve’s float gets stuck, I recommend replacing it.
Here’s a terrific tutorial that shares how to install a new fill valve.
If you’d like to buy the super flapper, here’s a link to Fluidmaster’s website
Or you can visit most home stores and pick one up.
I hope these tips help you fix your toilet. Thanks for visiting and talk with you soon.
Cheers,
Jeff
