07-26-2007, 12:28 PM
If there is a float above the flapper, remove it.
If there's no float, adjust the chain so there's less than 1/2-inch of play on it and no more.
If none of that helps... (aw heck, even if it does...)
Change the flapper.
10 years is about 5 years longer than many flappers last. If it's red, it's natural rubber and those things usually last like 2-4 years at the outside. You've gotten your value from it. (I'm sure that someone has a story about a stopper that lasted two decades, but that's not typical.)
Probably the biggest cause for a running toilet is a bad flapper seal. Jiggling the handle and playing with the chain might help it seat, but just postpones the inevitable. Change it.
A replacement flapper typically costs like $3-6 dollars and takes less than 5 minutes to install. For best results, clean the valve seal (the open hole that the flapper drops onto) while you're changing it.
If there's no float, adjust the chain so there's less than 1/2-inch of play on it and no more.
If none of that helps... (aw heck, even if it does...)
Change the flapper.
10 years is about 5 years longer than many flappers last. If it's red, it's natural rubber and those things usually last like 2-4 years at the outside. You've gotten your value from it. (I'm sure that someone has a story about a stopper that lasted two decades, but that's not typical.)
Probably the biggest cause for a running toilet is a bad flapper seal. Jiggling the handle and playing with the chain might help it seat, but just postpones the inevitable. Change it.
A replacement flapper typically costs like $3-6 dollars and takes less than 5 minutes to install. For best results, clean the valve seal (the open hole that the flapper drops onto) while you're changing it.