I am clueless about plumbing and I have no idea what the parts are in the toilet. But this is what is happening... my toilet is making a loud running water noise and when I look in the toilet, it is bubbling and it won't really flush. When I press the handle it just goes down. When I looked in the tank, it is bubbling in there too. But I lift this one part( it is big, round and black and connected to a little pole( forgive me for not knowing name parts) anyway when I lift it up, the sound goes away but that one part has to stay down... this problem has happened before and when I played with the black thing for a bit, it went away but it is constantly doing it. I even have to close my bathroom door because it makes so much noise.

Please help.I don't want to get a plumber and spend a fortune if I don't have to.

Thanks,
Jessica

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Originally Posted by jdolphin

I am clueless about plumbing and I have no idea what the parts are in the toilet. But this is what is happening....my toilet is making a loud running water noise and when I look in the toilet, it is bubbling and it wont really flush. When I press the handle it just goes down. When I looked in the tank, it is bubbling in there too. But I lift up this one part( it is big, round and black and connected to a little pole( forgive me for not knowing name parts) anyway when I lift it up, the sound goes away but that one part has to stay down...this problem has happened before and when I played with the black thing for a bit, it went away but it is constantly doing it. I even have to close my bathroom door because it makes so much noise.

Please help.I dont want to get a plumber and spend a fortune if I dont have to.

Thanks,
Jessica

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Hi Jesssica,

Before we start lets get our terms straight so we're on the same page.
That little black thing is called a flapper and the chain that connects the flapper to the flush lever is called linkage. The pole the flapper's connected to is called a overflow tube. The thingy that fills the tank is called a ballcock and the ball on a rod is called the float ball. The chrome valve under the tank that shuts off the water is called a angle stop and the tube connected to the tank is called the supply. Does the ballcock run all the time or does the water seep past the flapper? Let's start by adjusting the tank parts.
With the flapper seated the linkage wants to have 1/4" of play. Too much play and the flapper doesn't get pulled back enough giving you a short flush. Too tight and it lets water seep past the flapper. I adjust the chain by the link and if it needs fine tuning, I bend the flush lever rod a bit untill I have the desired play in the linkage. One more thing about a flapper. you will see where the old flapper hooks onto the base of the white overflow tube. On a older type with no hooks the flapper has a ring that slips down over the overflow tube to the seat. If your tank has hooks, take a sharp knife or scissors and cut the neoprene ring off on the marks provided and hook the flapper on the hooks. Leaving the ring on will interfere with the flush. The water level in your tank should be 3/8 to 1/2" below the top of the overflow tube when the tank's filled. There's a small 1/8 th inch tube that comes off the top of the ballcock. This must be connected to the overflow tube.
If you have more questions click on back with them. Cheers, Tom