"Jiggle the Handle" Question

[Rhaine86]

I'm not sure if this has been answered before but I didn't see it had been dealt with recently so I'm going to go ahead and ask.

What causes one the need to "jiggle the handle" of the toilet to get it to stop running??? And what can a person do to fix this problem?

[LazyPup]

Normally that is a result of a flush handle to flapper chain that is a bit too long. The handle lever drops before the flapper does and a bit of the chain gets sucked into the flush valve, which in turn prevents the flapper from properly seating when it drops.

If you will lift the lid and examine the chain, it should be fairly straight down from the handle arm to the flapper. If it appears to be really loose you can open the safety pin type clip on the handle and take up a couple links of the chain to adjust it.

The proper lenght of the chain should be the lenght from the flapper at rest in the seated position to the handle in the at rest position + about two links of slack.

[Rhaine86]

Okay- so I flushed the toilet with the lid off and examined what it does. The chain has slipped off the handle a couple times but the length appears to be okay. What I noticed though is that the flapper just doesn't come back down unless you manually push it down or jiggle the handle which does the trick. If I were feeling *really* brave, I would stick my hand in there and feel around to see if I could move something or screw something or whatever but....I hate that part of the toilet so much. For whatever reason I have a phobia that is quite ridiculous. It's a miracle I actually have come this far! Any suggestions?? Can a flapper be replaced/adjusted etc??

Once again, I find your response most helpful LazyPup- and the pictures have kept me from calling each part a "dealybob" and "thingamajigger".

[LazyPup]

Replacing a flapper valve is inexpensive and very easy to do.

First examine the flapper where it attaches to the standpipe. There are basically two types of mounting systems. The most common type has two little arms that project out from the sides of the standpipe near the base and the flapper has to rubber ring tabs that snap on the arms. They are very easy to change because the height of the arms is preset so you usually won't have any problem with needing to adjust the flapper.

The second type of mount is a ring type but they are not common. The ring type is a little bit more difficult because you have to adjust the ring so that the flapper is in proper alignment with the center of the flush valve seat and the height needs to be correct to prevent the flapper from leaking. I am including an illustratoin that shows the proper alignment of the ring type flapper.

Korky and Fluidmaster both make high quality flappers which are relatively cheap, typically about $2 or less.

They have now started making flappers that are sized to the flush rate of your toilet, so you should know what your flush volume is when purchasing a flapper. The GPF or Gal/flush should be marked on the inside of the tank. Very Old toilets are typically 5gal/flush. followed by 3.5gal/fl and the new water savers are 1.6gal/fl.

Fluidmaster now makes a universal flapper that has a rigid plastic mounting frame and the rubber flapper ball can be rotated to adjust for the differing rates of flush. They are about $5 but they work very good.

To change the flapper, turn the water supply valve off and flush the tank to drop the water level. Remove the old flapper and install the new one in the opposite manner as removing the old one.

Adjust the chain length and attach the chain to the flush valve handle.

Turn the water valve on, wait till the tank fills and test flush the toilet. Make any final adjustments that may be necessary.

[Rhaine86]

Just wanted to say that my toilet is fixed! I took the opportunity to clean out the tank and it looks (and runs) as clean as new! I appreciate the help- as always.

[LazyPup]

Thank you very much for letting us know the outcome of your project. The Thankyou's are the only compensation we receive for answering the questins so you can be sure they are very much appreciated.

PS. I bet you overlooked the most important part of your project. No tradesman should have to work for nothing. Write a plumging bill for about $40, drop it in the cookie jar, grab the cash out of the house maintenance budget, then grab your partner and go out to dinner.

[Rhaine86]

Great idea- but for me, the actual notion that I don't have to wait while the toilet flushes and jiggle the handle anymore is a treat in itself! I was telling my husband the other night how strange it seems to not stand by the toilet and wait. It's so nice when things work right!!!