Toilet has been running water constantly after flushing unless the water is turned off. So I replaced the flapper and now it seems to be still leaking, possibly worse.

Before I could have sworn if I turned the water off, it would stop running. Now when I turn the water off, it still runs until the tank empties. I am not 100% sure that this didn't happen before, but I am roughly 80% sure. Of course this doesn't make any sense, because it was leaking, making the trickling water sound constantly. So it is possible that it is exactly as before. I don't remember if the tank held the water before this. It drains pretty slowly.

In any case, I put the old flapper back and still the same...

One thing I noticed is that the water drains through a tube that the flapper is attached to. I see the water draining at the bottom of this tube even when the flapper is closed. Is THIS where the flapper actually drains through, or is there possibly another leak with this tube? I've compared it to another toilet in my house, and it appears that the water drains through this tube in the tank when the toilet is flushed. So this could still be an indicator of a bad flapper.

(I'm talking about the tube that the flapper clips/attaches to by the way). What's interesting is that the water in the tank drains down to where the tube is stuck into another tube. Slightly just above the line where they connect. But then it stops draining. So I'm not sure it's the flapper, as I would think that if it was the flapper, it would drain all the way down.

Then again, I am also not sure that it isn't a leak in the seal where the two tubes are connected, as it doesn't drain right down to this point, just a few millimeters above it. Shouldn't it drain right to the line if this is where the leak is? Or just not enough pressure from the weight of the water to force it through the slight leak at that point? And if so, easier to just replace the toilet? I've done that before and although one of my coworkers has complained about how hard it is, I find it relatively easy and I've heard that if the flapper repair kit doesn't fix the issue fixing the internals of the toilet is a big job. Might be more time involved than direct cost, but would prefer to just be done with it.

I'm about to head to Home Depot to get a full fledged repair kit, but if it doesn't work, I might look at replacing the toilet. I've replaced toilets before, and from what I understand the repair for the leaking tank is a big job. SO it might just be easier to replace with a new toilet.

UPDATE: It looks like the water finished draining below the tube joint overnight, and is pooling up juuust to the edge of the flapper, while the area just below the flapper is still filled with water. This would indicate that the seal that is part of the assembly for this contraption (sorry, not a plumber, just trying to fix this on the cheap) is solid, and that the problem is in fact with the flapper?

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Lifted ball valve. It shuts off fine, but don't think that's the issue. The water keeps filling the tank because it is leaking out of the tank into the bowl. If I let the tank drain a little bit and drop the ball valve in there, it just starts filling with water until it gets to the top where it stops until the tank drains and drops the valve low enough to fill with water again. And it repeats.

Tried new flapper again after cleaning flapper seat area with a rag to clear any slime and grit that may have been there. STILL leaking. Ugh...

I know I got the right sized flapper. Heck, the old one doesn't work either so WTF? If it's not the rubber seal below it, and not the tube, and doesn't get fixed with a new flapper, then what?



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The tank is siphoning water via the refill tube. It should NOT be pushed down into the overflow tube. Rather, it should be positioned above the tube and held there by a clip .

If the water is draining all the way to the flapper, unless the refill hose is so long that it reaches down that far, the flapper is bad or the overflow tube is cracked.

Do you have a plastic or brass flush valve? I'm thinking the seat base is worn or damaged, and allowing water to pass between the flapper and flush valve base.

Which brand of toilet do you have and how old is it?

Best Wishes

It is a briggsplumbing toilet. I don't see any brass in there.

I do believe the flapper was part of the problem but is now fixed, and that the tube is also leaking.

The water would drain just to the edge of the lowest portion of the flapper before (the flapper and seat are slanted). Now, with the putty flapper (as I like to call it, it's a flapper with a new seat and some clay like putty) the flapper holds water. The tank still drains, but only to the very EDGE of the tube joint(where the tube slides into a fitting)! The flapper is well below this and the tank does not drain water after the tube joint (where the tube sits in a bigger tube). I figure some plumbers silicone from the store around a well dried tube will fix that too and I'll be back to normal.

I have some plumbers silicone in another kit I bought, but I will be returning that since it comes with a flapper and I don't need the flapper. Cheaper to get the silicone I'm sure. Will also be returning the other two flappers (they told me I could return them even used, it's just water they said). In any case, some testing and observation solved the problem. Or so I hope...