How to replace and buy a toilet flapper

How to replace and buy a toilet flapper

In this post we will cover how to replace the flapper valve in the bottom of the toilet tank and what to look for when purchasing a replacement.  This is commonly used device that sees a lot of wear and tear.  Since the flappers is used every day its important to keep an eye on how your flapper is performing.  A leaky flapper can be a major waste of water and can cost you unnecessary money.  Read on to learn how to ensure your toilet flapper is in good working condition.

You would want to replace your flapper if it is leaking water from the tank, into the bowl. You can determine this by use of a dye test or if your toilet keep whining. A leaking flapper can waste hundreds of gallons of water over time, which is not good for your budget or water conservation.  This is a great starter project for even inexperienced DIYers.  Project time to completion is 10 min.  You will need a replacement kit for the appropriate flapper and a re-run dye test if problems persist.

A major cause of flapper failure is drop in bleach tablets and blue water tablets which damage all the rubber parts in the toilet tank, you should not use them.

Once the flapper is removed, you’ll want to take it with you to the hardware store/home center to find the replacement part. This is because when you get there you will find a daunting variety of replacement flappers and flapper seal rings, and you’ll want to be sure to get the exact one. If you buy the wrong one, your toilet may not flush properly, or it may use more water than its design – therefore wasting water.

Here are the step by step replacement instructions:

1. The first thing to do is to turn the water to the toilet off. To drain the toilet tank simply flush the toilet after the water is turned off.  You can sponge out any remaining water if you want, but this is not strictly necessary.

2. Now you need to remove the old toilet flapper. To do this, first unhinge the chain from the toilet handle rod. Next pull each side, or ear, of the flapper out to unhook it from the flush valve.  The most common toilet configuration has the flapper attached by the ears on the sides of the flush valve. If this is how your toilet is built you will need to cut off the ring on the back of the flapper.

3.  If your fill valve doesn’t have the side hooks for the flapper you will need to use the ring to slide the flapper into place. Put the new flapper into place and hook each ear onto the flush valve.

4.  Connect the flapper chain onto the toilet handle rod. Make any necessary adjustments to the chain. It needs to be long enough to allow the flapper to sit firmly in place but not so long that it gets caught under the flapper as the water rushes out.

Turn the water back on and test by flushing a couple of times.