Hi. I live in a home that was built only two and a half years ago. I had no problems with the master bath toilet until a couple of weeks ago when I noticed this dripping sound. I checked to make sure there wasn't water dripping on the floor anywhere, then lifted the tank to try and figure out where it was coming from.

I'm no plumber, but I've seen the inside of a toilet tank a few times. Mine doesn't look quite like the older setups that my mom's house has. There's still a big black rubber ball (the float ball?) that goes up and down with the level of the water when you flush. But I'm used to seeing some sort of flexible straw-like tube (overflow tube?) that fits down inside the other PVC tube (bowl refill tube?) in the toilet. I don't know what it does, but I don't have one.

In any case, the thing that's dripping inside the tank is on the left hand side, and it's blue. It sits above the water level and drips water into the tank, creating the sound. When you flush, the drips go away for a little while, then come back. This blue thing sits atop of a black pole, and the floatball comes off it. If you push the floatball down, the tank starts to fill up (and excess water flows down the bowl refill tube, luckily).

I have other toilets in the house with the same setup, so I can compare. This one that's causing problems sounds like water is draining very slowly out of it somewhere. Maybe this is causing the drips in an attempt to fill up the bowl?(!) Also, in another toilet, there is a wax ring around the bottom of the black tube -- the problem toilet doesn't seem to have such a ring.

However, none of them have the flexible straw-tube that goes down the other PVC tube in them. Are these just newer toilets that don't employ those anymore?

I apologize if this is way confusing -- these drips are just driving me crazy at night and I want to make sure I'm not wasting water. Thanks for any help you can provide!

Hello abbyqueue,

It sounds like you have problem with your flapper velve, or your fill valve, also the way you explain your refill tube is missing, see the image below and tell me if this what you see in your toilet tank, if so I will tell you how to fix your problem, Thanks.

John

Here are the images, Thanks.

Hi John. My setup looks like the second picture (inside parts 3). You are correct -- I don't have refill tubes in any of my toilets. When the tank fills up after a flush, the water level comes up to almost the top of the overflow tube. If I push the float down more, the tank fills more and the excess just flows right down the overflow tube. Why would I need refill tubes in addition to that?

The blue thing I was referring to was the fill valve -- that's the thing that's dripping into the tank. If you flush, the tank fills completely. Then if you go back and check after a while, the water line in the tank is down at least an inch and the fill valve is dripping.

Thanks for your help!

none of them have the flexible straw-tube that goes down the other PVC tube in them. Are these just newer toilets that don't employ those anymore? Why would I need refill tubes in addition to that?
Because the refill tube directs water into the bowl to fill it as the tank fills. If your tank parts are different the image I've put up then give me a brand name of the toilet or a picture of the ballcock. Regards, Tom

Hi Tom. My toilet looks just like that picture except the fill valve is blue instead of black. There is no refill tube. There is a little spigot-like tip on the fill valve that looks like a good place to connect one of those tubes, but no tube.

I don't have the brand name on me -- I'm in class all day.

Hi Abbyqueeue,

Tom's Image and mine are similar, as he says the fill tube are needed because it directs water into the bowl to fill it as the tank fills.
The first thing to fix is to install the fill tubes on all your toilets, and I am sure that your dripping sound will disappear, if the problem is still there let us know, we will tell you more, good luck.

John

Make sure you install the tubes as it looks in my picture or Tom's picture, and please let us know how it worked, Thanks.

John

Great. I'm so proud of myself -- that was the first thing I noticed when I busted open the tanks, the missing fill tubes (even though I didn't know what they were called).

I know it's a quick fix, but now I have to yell at my homebuilder. This is typical of them -- to leave something small yet important out of the process. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

Good let me know if you still have any other problem with it, How old are your toilets? Thanks.

John

Two and a half years.

Ok I hope your problem will be fixed with installing the fill tubes no other adjusment needed, good luck.

John

Hi again. I called my homebuilder's service department today and they said that this is a newer design in which the fill tubes are built within the system so you can't see them. They said that if I didn't have fill tubes, my tank/toilet would not fill up, so they're in there, it's just different from the usual system.

FYI, the brand of toilet is Sterling. Does this make sense?

Toto toilets don't have the hose coming off them. There is a port that looks like it should have a hose connected but the end is not drilled out. If you have a toto toilet let me know and I will let you know what to do. I think some sterlings have the same setup.

I have no idea what a "toto toilet" is... all I know is the brand, which I've already reported. There is a port on the fill valve that does look like it should have a fill tube attached to it, and it does look "drilled out." There's a space inside it. Does that help?

Please flush the toilet and lift the lid of the tank see where is the water coming from, if it is coming from the port that you mentioned above then that is the fill port and it does need the fill tube, the tank will fill regardless of the fill tube if it is installed or not but the tube is installed because it directs water into the refill tube and to the bowl to fill it as the tank fills, if you install the tubes I am sure your dripping sound will disappear, if possible can you take a picture of the interior of the tank and post for us, Thanks.

John

I can answer the first question now -- the water does not come pouring forth from the little "fill port" after you flush. I'll need to figure out exactly where it comes from when I get home.

Hello Abbyqueue,

As mygirldad say some new toilets doesn't have the fill tubes installed and the port you talk about it is sealed off, I am not sure what is the model Number of your toilet, please click on the link below and open the PDA file it may give some clue about your toilet, Thanks.

Regards,

John


http://www.sterlingplumbing.com/onlinecatalog/pdf/ci402502.pdf

Yes, I guess it's like the one in the PDF file. However, the tube port doesn't appear to be sealed off. I can clearly see a hole in it, but it may be sealed off further inside it. There is no water that comes out of it.

I'm guessing it's one of those problems mentioned in that PDF file, as water continuously runs into the bowl -- either it's the flapper or float valve.

It is very easy to check if it is the flapper or the float valve.

Close the angle stop under the toilet tank remove the lid mark the water level leaave it for a fww hours check if the water level is belo the mark then the flapper is leaking, in your case it will good if you put some food color inside the tank, after a while check the bowl if the color shows your flapper is bad time to change it, if both tests are OK then you have to work on the float velve, let me know what you come up with, good luck.

John

Well, I can already tell that the water level is sinking. That's why it's dripping -- in an attempt to keep the bowl full. Does that help or should I continue with the tests?

I think your flapper is leaking, close your angle stop flush your toilet, check your flapper for any distortion or waveyness, check your hand if it turns black, check the seat where the flapper set for codition, take your flapper to a plumber supply get the same one install turn on the water and check, thanks.

Jon


Continuation of my post #22

It sounds like you have a bad flapper or the tank water level is too high. Check the following.

Check the "critical level" Mark at least an inch over the top of the white overflow tube.

Check the tank water level, it should be at the mark in the tank or 3/8 to 1/2" below the top of the over flow tube when the tank is filled and the ballcock shut down

Feel around the flapper flat edge. If it's wavy or you feel rough spots replace the flapper,
The linkage between the flapper and the flush lever should have 1/4" play when the tank is filled, good luck.

John

I have no idea what a "toto toilet" is... all I know is the brand, which I've already reported. There is a port on the fill valve that does look like it should have a fill tube attached to it, and it does look "drilled out." There's a space inside it. Does that help?

Sorry about the confusion. I was posting at the same time as you and your post showed up first. Toto is a brand of toilet, I thought that you may have had that brand, but once I submitted my answer I saw that you had a different brand.
Unless water is pouring over your overflow tube, it definatley sounds like a flapper problem.

Mygirldad,

You are correct some of the new Toto toilets and the Sterling toilets has now fill tubes, see the link which in my post #18, and I agree with you his problem is with flapper, Thanks.

John

I finally got around to replacing the flapper tonight and that, apparently, is not the problem.

I replaced it, then flushed, made sure it worked properly, and waited to see if the toilet would start dripping. Sure enough, it is. In fact, it's gotten worse -- water's now coming in a constant stream from the top of the flush valve (the big blue piece that sits on the black pole). The good news is that the stream makes less noise than the drips, but of course the bad news is that it shouldn't be dripping at all.

Again, to sum up, when I flush, the tank fills fine. But you can hear a leak somewhere, and when the water in the tank gets low enough, water starts dripping (or streaming) from the top of that flush valve blue thing. What next?

You know what else might be important to note? There's a little sticker on the overflow tube that says "water line." Of course, it's about to come off because it's been sitting in water for two years, but it's hanging on. It's about an inch or so below the top of the overflow tube. When I flush, the tank fills all the way up past that line to the very top of the overflow tube WITHOUT leaking into it. It's amazing how closely the thing is calibrated, actually. Then the water starts leaking into the bowl and when the level gets down far enough, the flush valve starts dripping. I don't know if the incorrect water level has anything to do with it, but I thought I'd mention it.

Why not simply replace the ballcock since that's apparently the culprit? Cheers, Tom

Yes I agree with tom change the ballcock and adjust the water level accordinly and you will be OK, Thanks.

John

OK, so now I go buy a ballcock and replace it... how do I "adjust the water level accordingly"?

OK, so now I go buy a ballcock and replace it... how do I "adjust the water level acinstructions.cordingly"?

Instructions should come with the ball cock but depending upon which ballcock you purchase,(see image) if you need help tell me what you have and I'll tell you how to set the water level. Here are some general instructions.
Check the tank water level, it should be at the mark in the tank or 3/8 to 1/2" below the top of the over flow tube. The linkage between the flapper and the flush lever should have 1/4" play when the tank is filled. Also, check the small tube coming out of the top of the ballcock and make sure it's connect to and draining into the white overflow tube. More questions? I'm as close as a click. Tom

If you read the previous posts, you'll see which kind of system I have. As I've said, I don't have a refill tube.

If you read the previous posts, you'll see which kind of system I have. As I've said, I don't have a refill tube.

You were advised to replace that ball cock. Did you change your mind? Tom

I was previously advised to replace the flapper, not the ballcock.

I was previously advised to replace the flapper, not the ballcock.

Yes that is true we thought that you had problem with the flapper, you changed that and did not solve your problem, Tom aske you in his post #27 to change the ballcock and I agree with him, Just Fallow Tom's instruction and you will be OK, Good Luck.

John

I was planning to -- just got to give me a little more time than a few hours. :)

I'll try to get to it this weekend and let you know how it goes.

OK, I bought a ballcock today at Home Depot, but the only kind they had came with an entire flush/fill (whatever it's called) valve and all that. Should I just replace the whole system?

I believe you bought the fluidmaster complet kit, which has the fill/flush valves and the flapper.
I don't think you would need to replace the flush valve at this time, just replace the ballcock (fill valve) at this time and see what happens.

I bought the one that has the fill valve, but no flapper -- right on the brand, though.

However, when I went to replace it, I couldn't even do the second step -- twisting off the stupid thing that connects the water supply to the toilet. It's too tight. This is exactly why single women hire people to do things -- not because we can't figure out how to do it, but because something ridiculous like being unable to loosen something stifles us.

Anyway, while fuming over this, I decided to do some more detective work. I got out the food coloring and all that. I thought, if water's leaking into the bowl, that means it has to be coming from the hole under the flapper, right? Sure enough, when I reached into the tank and pressed down on the (new) flapper, the dripping sound stopped. Water seemed to stop leaking into the bowl. So it HAS to be the flapper, right?

I put my old flapper back on, which is made of a heavier rubber than the cheap plastic one I bought a few days ago, and the leaks don't seem as bad. Argh! How can I possibly fix this if neither flapper works?

Anyhoo, does that sound like a flapper issue to you? Or something else still?

Hi Abbyquene,

Check the flush valve. Most likely the new flapper is not sitting against the old flush valve assembly. We almost always replace flapper AND flush valve assembly at the same time to reduce chances of call backs!

Click on the link below it will tell you step by step how to change a ballcock /fill valve, a flapper or a flush valve, good luck

http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/17646/

To change the flush valve would need the tank removal it be a bit more job, you may need a plumber to do it for you, good luck.

John

Since you have already purchased the complete repair kit, the cost to have a plumber come in and fix it should be reasonable.. However, if you still have a little fuse left before you blow, we will be happy to walk you through repairs. Sounds like you definitely need to replace your flush valve assembly. Good luck and lets us know what you think.

Well, the directions on the back of the kit seem pretty self-explanatory, which makes the fact that the only problem is that I can't unscrew the damn nut all the more frustrating. Even my adjustable wrench isn't adjusting large enough to fit around it, so all I have are my (soft, tender) woman-hands.

In any case, I don't think the kit will solve the problem, which is the flush valve assembly. I'll stop by the hardware store again and see if they have a kit for that.

Well, the directions on the back of the kit seem pretty self-explanatory, which makes the fact that the only problem is that I can't unscrew the damn nut all the more frustrating. Even my adjustable wrench isn't adjusting large enough to fit around it, so all I have are my (soft, tender) woman-hands.

In any case, I don't think the kit will solve the problem, which is the flush valve assembly. I'll stop by the hardware store again and see if they have a kit for that.

Hey Abby,
They make a spud wrench,(see image) to address the spud nut on the flush valve. Pick one up at a plumbing supply house. Good luck, Tom

Replace the whole ball valve assembley about £5 to £8

Right now, after I put the old flapper back on, it seems to be working fine. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it starts leaking again, but if it ain't broke... well, you know.

Thanks for all your help. When it leaks again, I'll know to replace the flush valve assembly. :)

Exactly, not broke, don't fix. When you have problems again( and you will) let us know.

My problem seems to be number 4 is leaking...