Got a toilet question

[mclasser]

Toilet wasn't flushing correctly; turned out the old fill valve was leaking water out the top. Bought the same replacement part (Flushmaster 400A) and set the height & water fill level correctly as listed in the instructions.

Toilet flushes great again but now once a day, it makes a running noise for like 2 seconds. Doesn't phantom flush but just a running noise. The old busted part never did this. I ruled out a possible bad flapper by adding some food coloring to the tank water; the bowl stayed clean,

Is the new fill valve bad out-of-the-box?

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Could it be your float needs to be adjusted just a hair? Watch it fill if is to close to the top of the drain pipe sometimes the valve may not shut all the way off.

 

[Barkleymut]

I have noticed the same thing after replacing the internals on 2 different toilets in my house. Since it is so infrequent I decided that I don't care. It has become less frequent over the past year, maybe once a week or so.

 

[Oildudeny]

As mentioned check the float level, is your supply fully opened? if a multi turn valve.

 

[mk378]

If the fill valve keeps opening the water must be going somewhere. Either it is set too high and going down the overflow tube or the flapper is leaking.

You could close the supply valve and without flushing check if the level in the tank drops.

 

[Fattylocks]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Could it be your float needs to be adjusted just a hair? Watch it fill if is to close to the top of the drain pipe sometimes the valve may not shut all the way off.

It is that wee tiny adjustment. I fiddled around with the float level a dozen times before it settled in and was happy.

 

[Paul_Siu]

When you hear that phantom flush, try opening the cover and see where the water level is at. Is it over the top of the tube? If it's going over, the water would run into the bowl.


Paul

 

[Aredeeem]

Had the same problem with mine. The round silicone seal on the bottom of the flapper has tiny valleys and bumps, too small to even see or feel that allows water to get past it, lower the water level in the tank, and cause a short phantom re-fill. Take a finger tip dab of Vaseline and run it around and on that seal. Worked for me.

 

[Aredeeem]

No need to remove the flapper, just reach in, pull it back and coat the seal. Doesn't need much.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Originally Posted by Aredeeem
Had the same problem with mine. The round silicone seal on the bottom of the flapper has tiny valleys and bumps, too small to even see or feel that allows water to get past it, lower the water level in the tank, and cause a short phantom re-fill. Take a finger tip dab of Vaseline and run it around and on that seal. Worked for me.

So if the 'bottom of the flapper' is leaking, the water should be going into the Bowl.
Add some Food Dye in the tank and next day see if the Bowl has coloring in it / maybe just a poor fitting flapper.
At least you would NOT have to mess with any other components.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted by Aredeeem
Had the same problem with mine. The round silicone seal on the bottom of the flapper has tiny valleys and bumps, too small to even see or feel that allows water to get past it, lower the water level in the tank, and cause a short phantom re-fill. Take a finger tip dab of Vaseline and run it around and on that seal. Worked for me.

This (confirmed with 3 different toilets at 3 different houses).

Worst case, a new Fluidmaster replacement flapper is cheap.

Also, some in the house may pull just hard enough to kink the chain into an obstruction.

 

[Dave9]

There are only 3 places the water could be going to cause it to keep topping off.

1) Evaporation, tank lid off and gale force wind blowing at it. You'd notice.

2) Crack in tank, leaking on floor

3) Getting past flapper. if it is a very tiny rate, you might not notice the food coloring.

Flappers get old and harden, and the mating lip can get water deposits or fungus. Clean both, and sometimes I'll put a light layer of silicone grease on the flapper mating seal area and get a few more months out of it before replacement.

 

[AZjeff]

The float could be dragging on the standpipe causing strange fill problems. A flapper is $5, how much time does one spend to get a little more life out of one?

 

[Wolf359]

The flapper and fill valve go all the time. Should change the flapper the same time you change the fill valve. The water level should be about 1/2 inch to 1 inch below the tube otherwise sometimes the water level will overflow the tube.

 

[SZR48207]

Fluidmaster sells a "contractor pack" of 3 flappers by itself for a reason. These are wear items that should be replaced occasionally. You should also take a small cloth and clean up the flapper mating surface since mineral deposits can grow along that seal.

 

[JohnG]

99% chance that your flapper has a slow leak.

HOWEVER, there is a self cleaning function built int the 400A that might cause this. Make sure the adjustments aren't too high, use the dye trick mentioned above, and if those all pass scrutiny clean the needle and seal inside the 400A. Could be a little bit of lime scale in there.

 

[zrxkawboy]

Once a day, for 2 seconds? Not worth worrying about.

 

[Aredeeem]

If those two seconds occur at 2AM just off the master bedroom I'd be willing to bet that 90% of the members of this forum would be lying there with one eye open saying "What the heck was that!?"

 

[CR94]

One tricky possible cause I don't see mentioned yet .... Even if the water level is slightly below the top of the overflow tube, some systems will allow water to siphon slowly through the small tube down into the overflow pipe. Cure is to be sure the end of the small tube is above the water level.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

There could be trash under the rubber disc. Turn the water off to the valve and remove the disc cap. Open the water valve slowly to let water out and any trash that might be there. Re-assemble, turn water back on, and this should fix it........hopefully!