How To Repair Toilet Flush

Terminal Updated on March sixteen, 2022 past

Why is My Toilet Handle so Loose?

A Toilet handle is attached to the toilet using a locknut from the inside of the toilet tank. A loose/fluctuant toilet handle autonomously from being plainly annoying can also bear on how your toilet performs.

The main reason your toilet handle is loose is because the locknut which holds information technology in identify inside the tank is loose as well. This is caused past the constant up and downward motion of the toilet handle which causes the nut to move slightly over a period of time.

To fix a loose toilet handle, plough off water to your toilet, flush the toilet and remove the tank lid. Utilize a wrench to tighten the handle locknut until it'due south snug. This locknut is commonly contrary-threaded and then to tighten it y'all will need to turn it counterclockwise.

There is a safety washer between the tank trunk and the locknut which helps the locknut to tightly grip on the tank. If this rubber washer is worn out, you will end up with a loose toilet handle as well.

Seeing that it may be very hard to buy the washer on its own, you lot may have to replace the complete toilet handle. The good affair is that toilet handles are not very expensive unless you determine to get a really swish ane. They are also quite easy to supersede so you don't need to pay a plumber.

Sometimes you may non be dealing with a loose toilet handle but a slack flapper lift chain. A flapper elevator chain is the link connecting the flush handle to the toilet flapper.

If the lift chain is as well slack, the toilet flapper will not open upward fully during flushing and you will end upwardly with a toilet that does not flush all the style. Toilet lift chains should ideally have a ½-inch slack.

If your toilet handle is non flushing, the flapper lift chain may have disconnected from the handle arm, the lift chain is too loose or information technology is entangled against another toilet tank function. Remove the toilet tank lid and bank check if any of this is the case.

How to Fix a Loose Toilet Handle

At present permit us look at how to fix a loose toilet handle in just a few minutes. You lot will need the following items for this task:

Adaptable wrench
Dispensable gloves

These are the steps to follow:

1. Plow off Water to the Toilet

Since the toilet tank is always total of water, it is most impossible to piece of work on the toilet handle with the tank nevertheless full and hence the demand to drain it showtime.

Look for an oval-shaped knob on the wall behind the toilet. That is the toilet's shut off valve. Plow it clockwise to turn off water to the toilet tank. If you have a push/pull valve, pull information technology out gently to stop water from flowing to the tank.
Affluent the toilet and hold the toilet handle down to remove as much h2o as possible.
Lift off the toilet tank hat and identify it abroad in a safe identify where it cannot autumn off and fissure. Always lift it with both hands and resist the temptation to place information technology on top of the basin.

ii. Tighten the Affluent Handle Locknut

With the tank lid out, lift off the toilet flapper if there is all the same a lot of water in the tank. This will allow water to menses to the bowl.
Check the overall weather of the toilet tank parts. Is the lift chain entangled on anything? Has the lift concatenation disconnected from the flush handle arm etc.
Take hold of the flush handle locknut (inside the toilet tank where the handle is mounted) and cheque if it is loose.
Check also if you can run across the rubber washer and its state as well. If all other toilets parts look alright relieve for the loose flush handle locknut, the solution volition exist like shooting fish in a barrel. Delight note that plastic locknuts do not have a prophylactic washer, just a thin plastic washer.

Use the adaptable wrench or slip-joint pliers to plough the locknut counterclockwise until just snug, especially if is made of plastic. I am sure yous are well aware of the "righty-tighty lefty-loosey" play tricks. In this case, you will need to practice the opposite. Every bit I had mentioned earlier, the flush handle locknut is ordinarily reverse-threaded.

The master reason flush handle locknuts are reverse-threaded is to prevent them from loosening every time you flush the toilet. To affluent a toilet, you usually push the toilet handle down, which is a counterclockwise move.

If the locknut is tightened in a clockwise direction, flushing the toilet would cease up loosening it. Despite this innovation, toilet handles will still loosen but it will take a long time for them to do so than if the locknut was tightened in a clockwise direction.

After tightening the locknut, function examination the toilet handle and bank check if it is every bit tight as it should be.
If it is, plow on water supply to the toilet and later on the toilet fills flush it just to be sure the trouble is fixed.
Put the toilet tank chapeau back on the tank.

And that is how to set up a loose toilet tank lid.

How to Replace a Toilet Flush Handle

If you make up one's mind to supervene upon the toilet handle, there are several things that you volition need to consider. The first one is whether you need a side or a front-mounted toilet handle.

Although in that location are universal toilet handles in the market, not all side-mounted handles will exist replaced with front-mounted handles.

Y'all volition as well demand to make up one's mind whether to buy a toilet handle from your original toilet manufacturer or from other manufacturers. You lot tin can remove your sometime toilet handle and have it with you to a plumbing store and social club and exact replacement, or you can use your toilet's model number to club the same.

If you are non sure of your toilet model, remove the toilet tank and check the inside of the tank on the wall straight opposite from yous. The toilet's model number volition either exist molded or printed there.

Another thing to consider as well is the finish you want on your affluent handle. There is chrome, oil-rubbed bronze, polished brass and nickel among others. Check out the best toilet handles in this post.

Once you lot have a bought a flush handle, here is how to remove the old ane and install the new 1.

Plow off water to the toilet.
Affluent the toilet and hold downwardly the flushing handle to remove most of the water from the tank.
Remove the toilet tank lid.
Disconnect the toilet flapper lift chain from the toilet handle arm and drop it within the tank.
Loosen the toilet handle locknut. Since as we take seen these nuts are reverse-threaded, you will need to turn it clockwise to loosen it.
Once loose, remove it through the affluent handle arm.
Slide out the safe washer besides.
Remove the toilet handle and arm associates from outside the toilet tank. You lot will need to pull information technology out gently every bit you wiggle it out as the same time.
Put in the new affluent handle through the hole pretty much the same you removed the one-time one.
Slide in the rubber washer until it is in contact with the body of the tank.
Feed the new locknut through the arm as well, and screw information technology on the flush handle until merely mitt-tight. Utilize a wrench to gently tighten information technology. There is non need to overtighten it especially if it is plastic.
Connect the elevator chain to the toilet handle arm. Adjust information technology to make sure it but has a ½-inch slack and that it is connected directly on top of the flapper/flush valve.
Turn on water to the toilet.
Flush the toilet severally to make sure that the new toilet handle is working properly.
Put back the toilet tank lid .

And basically that is how to replace a toilet tank chapeau. I hope this guide was helpful.