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What Is a Toilet Flapper?
Before You Begin
Turn off the water when working inside the tank.
Although it’s possible to work without shutting off the water, it’s easier if it is off.
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At the base of the toilet is an oval valve.
Turn the handle clockwise until it stops.
Flush the toilet once to empty the water from the tank.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Adjusting the chain’s length or trimming it usually fixes the problem.
Adjust the Chain Length
Locate the chain in the toilet tank.
Unhook and then re-hook the chain to adjust its length.
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It should have about 1/2-inch of slack.
Test the Operation
Flush the toilet.
It should fully flush.
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If it doesn’t, adjust the chain again.
Trim the Chain
Sometimes, the toilet chain is too long, and it hangs down.
If the excess chain hangs too far, it can fall between the toilet flapper and the toilet valve.
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Thus, it creates an opening, never allowing the flapper to seal the valve fully.
The fix is to use a wire cutter or side-cutting pliers to trim off the excess chain.
This is annoying and can waste up to 200 gallons of water daily.
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If it is, water will leak down into the toilet bowl after the flush.
Shorten the chain slightly so it doesn’t get pinched beneath the flapper.
You may be able tomake small adjustmentsto the flapper that stop the leaking.
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In this case, you’ll need to replace the flapper.
Or, you might replace the entire flush valve/flapper assembly with aconvenient repair kit.
The fix is to adjust the toilet chain or replace the toilet flapper.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
How to Fix Your Leaky Toilet Flapper.
Pinellas County (Florida) Utilities Department.
The Current: Winter 2022 - WaterSense Current.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
