TIPS

Q: What will cause my toilet to flush by itself in the middle of the night?

A: This is actually the most common question I get. First… no your toilet in not haunted and your cat probably isn’t that smart! The most common cause of “ghost flushing” is a worn flapper, though on occasion the problem may be worse. Basically what occurs is that the flapper warps from a combination of time and water quality. As the flapper warps the seal between it and the flush valve is broken and water will leak into the bowl. Eventually enough water will drain from the tank to cause the fill valve, or ballcock, to activate and fill the tank again, causing the “ghost flush”. In the Sarasota area the water can be so aggressive that it may be necessary to change the flappers in your toilets one a year.

To find out if this may be your problem, simply remove the lid from the tank and add food coloring to the water in the tank. If it is leaking badly you will see the colored water appear in the toilet bowl almost immediately. A slower leak may take a couple of minutes to appear. If you don’t have food coloring, most hardware stores have color tablets that work wonderfully and are pretty cheap (while your there buy a flapper. It will save you a trip back later. If you buy the wrong one just return it.).

The fix is easy* (note the asterisk, it’s not always easy!). This is a plumbing repair I want you to fix yourself. Most happy homeowners aren’t so happy while writing an $85-$150 for a 15 minute job.

So here is the fix:

Turn off the water supply to the toilet. (Usually located below the toilet)
Remove the lid and place it in a safe location. (Can’t tell you how many times the lid gets broken. That usually mean new toilet!)
Push and hold the flush handle allowing most all the water to leave the tank. (The thingy at the end of the chain is the flapper… just in case anybody wasn’t sure yet!)
Remove the flapper a.k.a. “the thingy”. Typically there are two prongs connected to the flush valve that hold it in place and the rubber flapper will easily come off.
Install the new flapper in the reverse order. (If you need to buy a flapper, take the old one with you for making the selection of the new one easier. While you are there buy flappers for the rest of your toilets and plan on replacing them also.)
Adjust the chain length to allow for proper flushing. Too short and the flapper will not seal and water will continue to flow. Too long and the flapper will not lift high enough to properly flush.
Turn the water on and give it a try. You may have to do 6 & 7 at the same time to get the chain length right.

* Though most domestic toilets have a standard flapper, there are many variation and as manufacturers continue to perfect the flushing system flappers will vary and parts may not be readily available at retail hardware stores. If you remove the tank lid and are scared off by what you see, call us and we will be happy to schedule you in. Also, the flapper may not be the root of your problem. If you go through these steps and the toilet still runs, you may need a complete rebuild of all the parts in there. Again, call us and we will take good care of you.