A few months ago, while house sitting for a friend, we were startled awake in the middle of the night by the flush of the toilet. We grabbed the nearest object and called a friend who stayed on the phone with us while we went to investigate. We searched the house. Nothing. Just as we were about to hang up, we heard the flush again but the bathroom was empty! Turns out the "phantom flush" is one of 5 common toilet problems that can easily be fixed yourself.
The phantom flush, water trickling into the tank, a bowl that empties slowly, the dreaded clog, and leaky seals are all problems that can be fixed without calling a plumber, using just a few simple tools. For detailed instructions, click here
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Comments (12)
i just changed the flapper on the toilet in my new rental. it was dripping loudly when i first saw the place and still was when we moved in ... seems the previous tenants didn't mind it at all. it makes me wonder how many gallons of water dripped away over time.
btw - the new flapper was less then $5 and only took a minute or two to swap out once the tank was emptied.
The linked article isn't terribly helpful if you don't already know a thing or two about toilets.
I'm handy around the house, but know very little about plumbing, so when the article tells me to simply "turn the tank upside down for better access", my reaction is, "great, where's the how-to for turning the tank upside down??"
I've had the same reaction, Abby, but (in the light of day), it's pretty ridiculous to think of an intruder taking the time to flush! :)
This is why I love having a tankless toilet...
i hate having a tankless. if you see it's gonna overflow, you can't cut the water. five years of eventless use and the flush valve was replaced... three overflows - not backups - OVERFLOWS in less than a year.
jick,
that drives me crazy too, considering that we live in a country where it is common to use clean drinkable water for the toilet.
my problem doesn't seem to be on here. The toilet double flushes every time, as in I am done and flush and as soon as the bowl fills it flushes again.
Talk about wasteful. I have googled this and only come up with "dual flush" toilets which is nearly the opposite feature.
nevermind, i just changed up my search terms and found that it might be fixed with a new flapper or slowing down the tank fill time.
My best friend's family's house has had phantom-flushing toilet for years. They've never fixed it because they insist it's "Grandpa's ghost." For some reason Grandpa is big on flushing the toilet (but he's also been known to move candles and turn on fans). So there you go. Some flushes may be actual phantoms. Or not.
Just be sure you have a working second toilet before you embark on any plumbing adventures. Turned out I had a nonstandard tank which none of the flapper/seal kits available at Home Depot would fit. Ended up going to the salvage yard and getting a whole new tank...2 days later.
"i hate having a tankless...
...you can't cut the water."
Actually you can!
Where the pipe comes out from the wall, then makes a 90 degree within what appears a beefy housing then turns towards the center to the flush valve, in this housing there is a screw slot (probably flathead): This is the water shutoff valve.
Just a few turns with the screwdriver clockwise and the water is off!
this shut off screw is usually behind a faceplate that will screw off by hand.
At work I have shut it off many times when the water continuously runs