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Easy Fix When You Have to Hold Down the Toilet Handle to Flush Your Toilet

September 19 by kevin 10 Comments

allthumbsdiy-images-holding-down-toilet-handle-to-flush-toilet-v2-fl

Do you have to hold down the trip handle to flush your toilet? If yes, I may have a simple solution for you.

PROBLEM

When you press down on the toilet handle, chain that is attached to it pulls up a toilet flapper (a.k.a. tank ball).

Toilet flapper’s job is to open (to allow water into the bowl via flush valve inlet), and remain floating until the water level is lowered. As the water level is lowered, flapper is lowered at the same time, ultimately closing the inlet so that the water can be refilled.

You have to manually hold the flapper open by holding down the toilet lever because the flapper is unable to stay afloat by itself.

SOLUTION

Flappers are made from rubber and it degrades over time, especially in a mineral rich, wet-environment. The degradation allows rubber to lose its floating capability so to solve this problem, we need to replace it (during the removal process, the old flapper literally disintegrated in my hand – see fig. 1.1).

Required Tools and Materials

  • Pair of latex or Nitrile gloves;
  • Sponge;
  • Vinegar;
  • Korky Universal Flapper Repair Kit – Fig. 1.2

I tried bunch of different flappers and found Korky to be the best. I chose the repair kit version, just in case I needed to put on a new rim.

allthumbsdiy-images-new-toilet-flapper-korky-fl
fig.1.2
allthumbsdiy-images-new-toliet-flapper-installed-fl
fig.1.3

ALL-THUMBS-DIY-STEPS

  1. Shutoff the toilet water supply;
  2. Flush the toilet to drain the water in the tank;
  3. Disconnect the trip lever chain from the flapper;
  4. Slip off the flapper’s collar from the overflow pipe;
  5. allthumbsdiy-images-old-toilet-flapper-disintegrating-a-fl-fl
    allthumbsdiy-images-old-toilet-flapper-disintegrating-fl
    fig.1.1
  6. Before replacing the flapper ball, gently scour the seat or rim, of the outlet valve with paper towel. If there are any remaining deposits, soak a sponge in a 50/50 mix solution of hot water and vinegar and to gently scour the rim again; Do not use a steel wool or scouring pads as they may score the rim, resulting a leak;
  7. allthumbsdiy-images-old-toilet-flapper-clean-rim-a-fl
    allthumbsdiy-images-old-toilet-flapper-clean-rim-b-fl
  8. Reverse installation Steps #3 – 4, making sure that the “ball” side is facing down;
  9. Turn on the water supply and test flush

WRAP UP

Korky flapper repair kit comes with a tube of silicone and a new seat. If your seat is nicked or otherwise damaged, you may want to use these parts to ensure that your new flapper does not leak.

If you found this article to be useful, can you do me a favor and sign up for my newsletter? The signup form is found at the top of the screen on the right side.

Good luck with your repair and let me know how it turns out!

 

Filed Under: Toilet Flapper Tagged With: holding down lever to flush toilet, toilet flapper

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mike says

    January 31 at 10:49 pm

    maybe sometimes the chain is too long or having too much slack

  2. kevin says

    February 2 at 11:50 pm

    @mike-

    Thanks for the comment. Yeah, i initially thought that too but when that flapper didn’t stay float, it made sense.

  3. Laurie Edwards says

    February 8 at 11:33 pm

    Do I have to adjust the Korky flapper or does it adjust itself to fit the hole?

  4. kevin says

    February 10 at 5:49 am

    @Laurie-

    It should fit as-is. Just make sure to get all the gunk off the seat (use something like a soft scrubber).

    Kevin

  5. Rhoda says

    August 6 at 6:02 pm

    Thank you! This makes sense. Other sites were talking about chain length, but if it’s been working fine for 15 years and suddenly stops working, the chain ain’t the problem. I’m going to Lowes to get a flapper!

  6. kevin says

    August 7 at 5:05 pm

    awesome. make sure to pick up some stainless steel cotter pins (attaches chain to pulldown bar) as they tend to break. whatever you do, do not use a paperclip as it will rust the pulldown bar

  7. AJ says

    September 23 at 11:41 pm

    My plumber just put on a new flapper and I am now having this problem, which I didn’t have before. So this cannot be my problem.

  8. kevin says

    October 5 at 12:31 am

    If your plumber made the replacement and you are still experiencing the same problem, i say get a new plumber.

    there really isn’t much to troubleshoot inside the tank

  9. JZ says

    March 4 at 12:10 am

    A toilet has a bowl, not a bowel, LOL.J

  10. kevin says

    April 9 at 6:12 pm

    @JZ

    lol, thanks for catching that typo. IN my defense, bowel movement involves a toilet, so…..

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