“You might hear those noises and not think too much about it, but the next time you get your water bill, you’ll see that it’s a lot higher than normal,” Sebestyen says. If your toilet seems to be constantly running, or flushes when no one’s using it, there may be something wrong with this valve. This is nothing more than a rubber or plastic flap that opens and closes, which is why some people call it a “flapper.” When it’s closed, the water stays in the tank, and when it opens, the water rushes into the bowl. When you flush a toilet, the handle lifts a lever that opens the flush valve. Here, you can see the flush valve in operation. Leaky flush valve Listen, not every photo on this site is going to be gorgeous.

There are, however, universal mounts that work with all popular toilet brands, says Anne Sebestyen, the plumbing repair merchant at Home Depot, though these may be slightly more expensive. It might feature a front, side, right, left, or angled mount, and if you get the wrong one, it won’t fit. Before you do, note its location on the tank. If the flushing mechanism is beyond repair, you might need to buy a new handle and lever altogether. If it is, try cleaning it off (there might be sticky sediment buildup) if that doesn’t fix the problem, you’ll have to replace the valve-we’ll talk about that next. That means your flush valve could be stuck.

In rare cases, your handle may not function despite everything being in working order. Unlike most nuts, though, this one tightens when you turn it to the left, counteracting the motion of the handle. The looser it is, the less lift the flushing lever gets, says Dan Halloran, senior engineer for toilets at Kohler. If the chain is attached and the handle still doesn’t work, check the nut that holds the handle in place. Just be sure you’ve turned the water off at the wall or it’ll immediately begin to refill. To avoid fiddling around with it underwater, you can lift the flush valve, emptying the tank. In the second scenario, all you have to do is reach into the tank and reattach the chain. But that’s not the most elegant or sustainable solution.Ī useless handle has two common causes: Part of the flushing apparatus may be weak or broken, or the chain that links it to the flush valve may have come undone. This will open the flush valve at the bottom of the tank, emptying the water into the bowl and pushing your waste into the sewer. In a pinch, you may be able to lift the lid off the toilet tank and manually pull on the lever attached to the handle. The main problem you’ll encounter with the handle is when it simply doesn’t work. If you’re not sure where it is, please, we’re begging you, flush your toilet. Broken toilet handleĮyes are the windows to a person’s soul, and the flush handle is the gateway to everything that makes a toilet go woosh. Then, you won’t have to worry about getting too wet while you work. Find the pipe going into the wall behind the toilet and turn the valve off. Rather than scheduling an appointment with a plumbing therapist, patch up the broken parts on your own-all it takes is a little time and patience.īefore you make any repairs, though, you should shut off your toilet’s water supply. If you haven’t, you could be in for some heartbreak when things start to go wrong: running water, a flush handle that doesn’t work, even “ghost” flushes. But have you really gotten to know your porcelain partner beyond its beautiful (if sometimes cold) exterior? It waits in the same spot every day, ready to receive your gracious gastrointestinal gifts with open arms. Take a seat, it's time to learn about toilets.

New sticky toilet valve