Faux Flushing

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Lynn M.

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Several times a day, my toilet randomly makes a noise that sounds like it is being flushed, but the one time I was in the bathroom when this happened, I did not see any water movement in the stool part, so it wasn't actually flushing. What is wrong and how can I stop this from happening?

The toilet and house is 17 years old. I believe it is an Eljer toilet, 3.5 gal., in the lower priced category. Just over 2 years ago, I replaced the fill valve with a Hydroclean EZ fill valve. The faux flushing started about 6 months ago. When I lift the cover off, I can hear what sounds like a faint dripping noise, but I don't see any water movement or air bubbles.
 
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The flapper needs to be replaced...it allows water to leak by until the fill valve turns on...this is the noise that you hear that makes you think the toilet flushed...
 
barring a cracked tank, the only way water can escape from the tank is through the flapper. Usually the flapper just needs replacing, but new or old the flapper does need to seat completely because just a very tiny seepage will result in the problem you are experiencing. Easy and cheap repair.
 
Thanks for the replies, Gary and Cass. I'm pretty sure I replaced the flapper when I replaced the fill valve two years ago, but your answers make complete sense. I cleaned the sediment off the flapper and it's seat just now. If I still hear that phantom flushing, I'll buy a new flapper.
 
flapper

Sediment on the flapper is not the problem. A warped or otherwise distorted flapper is the cause. It could also be the small refill tube inserted too deeply in the overflow pipe, but that would normally have caused the problem from the time the fill valve was installed, unless somthing has disturbed it.
 
The reason there is a mineral build up on the flapper is because water is leaking by very slowly ...it just need to be replaced now or you will be back to the original problem soon...
 
I replaced the flapper and my toilet still "flushes" by itself as much as it ever did. I made sure to leave a small amount of slack in the connecting strap.. The replacement flapper tank ball was a RPFV96 Fillpro. Do I need to try a different brand of flapper?
 
noise

It is not uncommon to get "prewarped" flappers. I avoid anything with the FillPro name on it, but probably just because I do not like their fill valve. The only ones I use are tje ones in a sealed package. The loose ones get distorted from packing. YOU could still have the small refill tube inserted down the overflow pipe and that will cause the same symptom.
 
My FillPro flapper came in a sealed package.

The end of the refill tube is attached to a small clip that is attached to the top of the overflow tube. This positions the end of the refill tube at the top end of the overflow tube. Is this okay?
 
If it is still leaking, you could still have a warped flapper valve. Check it carefully...maybe press down on it a little to see if the leak stops.

As long as the tubing going to the overflow tube ends above the water line, it won't siphon.
 
check flush valve as well

you also want to be sure the flush valve face (the part the flapper seals against) is clean, i will use a good strong fingernail and scrape along the face of the flush valve to remove hard water deposits, you should feel a nice smooth face for the flapper to seat against, if it is not smooth and you cannot lightly scrape it clean and smooth, you need to replace entire flush valve, follow up with a dye test of the tank to make sure water is still not seeping past flapper
 
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