When your toilet won’t stop running, it can quickly get on your nerves. Plus, it can make your water bill much higher than it needs to be. Here’s what you should do when you find that your toilet is making too much noise.
Open the Tank Lid
Take the lid off of the toilet tank. Once you have, you can see the toilet’s inner workings. You’ll find a small chain that connects the flushing mechanism to another component called the flapper. Pay particular attention to the condition of the flapper, because it’s going to be essential for fixing this toilet problem. In case you need a refresher, the flapper is the piece at the bottom near where the drain is. You might have to play with the flapper and see if it is too loose or too tight. If it’s too loose, then the flapper might not push up as far as it needs to when you flush the toilet. If it’s not tight enough, then the flapper might not sit flat against the bottom.
Adjust the Flapper
Next, you’ll have to adjust the flapper. Use the shut-off valve to stop the water supply, at least until you’re done. All you have to do is turn the valve clockwise. Then you will need to take the pin off the handlebar of the flapper. Moving the pin in the flapper will shorten it. Put the pin back in the end of the handle to make sure it stays put. Once you’ve done that, you can turn the water supply for your toilet back on.
Fix the Flapper
The method above might have only made a small difference. Examine the flapper closely to see if it has a ring or a set of ears holding it in place. It’s normal to find either the ring or the ears, but you shouldn’t have both mechanisms. If you do, then that means the flapper gets stuck more frequently. Take the ring off and only rely on the ears. As soon as you do that, it should fix the problem.
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