Pro Handyman Blog

A common problem for a toilet is phantom filling…you know, all of a sudden the toilet water starts running. This can be from several causes, one of which is the flapper. One solution is to replace the flapper, but also check the seat that the flapper sits upon. If this seat is pitted or has buildup on it, even the new flapper won’t stop the water from draining out of the tank.

You can buy a flapper assembly called a “flush fixer” to remedy this problem. This product has a soft putty ring at the bottom that conforms to the pits and unevenness. It essentially creates a new seat and stops the water from draining out of the tank.

Dry the old seat and push the soft putty ring down upon it. The new flapper assembly simply pushes down onto the soft ring. You need to make sure that you orient the new flapper assembly in such a way that it doesn’t interfere with the other components of the toilet. The new assembly will have a cup that tips back and drains when then closes the flapper. You may have to play with the positioning of the flapper to make sure it operates smoothly and doesn’t hit any of the other parts.

This part will save you from taking the tank off of the bowl and replacing the flush valve assembly.