How To Fix A Double Flushing Toilet?

Last Updated on September 6, 2022 by acechapman

Does your toilet flushes normally, but then your bowl almost immediately fills up with water and it flushes again? Double flushing in your toilet is also a problem.

Your toilet may be flushing twice because your toilet flapper is taking too long to close the flush valve opening. This causes more water to flow into the bowl. You could also have too much water in your tank.

Adjust the flapper cone to make a toilet flush twice more quickly. This will then reduce its buoyancy and allow it to close faster. You will need to replace a lighter flapper if it is not working properly. If the tank water level is too high, you can also lower it.

It is important to understand the workings of a toilet before you can diagnose why it is double flushing. You will be able to fix double flushing in your toilet and other common problems if you know the function of each part.

HOW A TOILET WORKS

Gravity flush toilets make up the majority of flush toilets. This means that water flows from the tank to the bowl by gravity. When it reaches the bowl, a siphon effect creates that suckers the waste from the bowl to the drain pipe.

A single flush or dual flush toilet may be available. Dual flush toilets use flush buttons to flush, while single flush toilets use a trip handle. This is usually located at the tank’s side or front.

Dual flush toilets don’t have flappers and flush more often than single flush toilets.

We will focus on single flush toilets that actually use flappers as we examine how they work.

Toilet Handle

Here is where the flushing process begins. This is located outside of the toilet tank, but it has a long arm that goes inside. Simply push the handle to flush the toilet.

Lift Chain

The toilet handle arm is attached to the lift chain and the flapper to the flapper. The lift chain will be slack when the toilet isn’t in use. Pushing the handle down will cause the chain to pick up tension and lift the flapper off of the toilet.

Toilet Flapper

This is why your toilet flushes twice. This rubber seal is located at the top of your flush valve opening. It stops water from entering the bowl and opens only when the toilet flushes. The flush handle will be pushed down by the lift chain. This will lift the flapper from the flush valve opening. Thus, allowing water to flow to the bowl for flushing. If the flapper does not fall in place immediately, it will be repositioned. However, water can still flow to the bowl once flushing has occurred. This triggers a second flush.

Fill Valve

It is responsible for filling the tank with water after every flush. It is connected to a toilet float that moves in and out of the tank, controlling the opening or closing of the fill valve. The float cup or float ball will be found on your toilet. The fill valve might not be adjusted correctly. If it is too high, water will take longer for the tank to fill the bowl. This will trigger a double flush.

How do you fix a toilet that flushes twice?

We have now shown you how a toilet works. It should be simple and quick to fix a double-flushing toilet. It’s easy to fix a toilet that flushes twice because the replacement parts are inexpensive and you can do it easily at home.

Before you can fix a double flushing toilet with a flapper, or fill valve problem, it is important to first identify the cause.

• Remove the lid on the toilet tank and put it aside.
• Check if the water level is too high, you can check the tank. This is unlikely to be a problem, but it is possible. The ideal water level should be one inch below the overflow tube. To prevent overflowing, the toilet overflow tube is a large pipe located in the middle of the tank.
• Observe how long it takes for the flapper to return to the flush valve after you flush the toilet. If it takes too much time, it is something you should fix.

FIX THE TOILET FLAPPER

• Turn off the water supply to your toilet. You will find the shutoff valve on the wall behind your toilet. If it is a push/pull valve, turn it clockwise.
• To remove as much water from your toilet as possible, flush it and then turn the handle to the side.
• Take off the tank lid and put it in a safe place so it doesn’t break or fall off.
• Make sure you know which flapper it is. Adjustable flappers have larger holes. Turn the dial to reveal them. Larger holes allow air to escape from the flapper faster, and the flapper will not fall in its proper position.
• Adjust the flapper and then turn on the water supply to the toilet.
• To test if the toilet flushes properly or twice, flush it.

Your problem is solved if the toilet flushes as intended. You will need to replace your toilet flapper if it flushes twice more than usual or if the flapper isn’t working properly.

You need to ensure that the flapper you use is right for your toilet. If your toilet flushes twice, you should at least buy a heavier flapper.

The best universal toilet flappers are by the Korky. You can also buy a flapper directly from the manufacturer of your toilet. This should work flawlessly. Write down the model number of your toilet and ask for a matching flapper at your local home improvement shop. Your toilet model number will be stamped on the tank.

Make sure you order the correct size, universal toilet flapper if you are going to purchase one. The flush valve size determines the size of your toilet flapper. The typical size of a flush valve is between 2 and 4 inches.

HOW TO REPLACE A TOILET FLAPPER

After you’ve purchased the correct flapper, it shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to install it.

• Turn off the water supply to the toilet.
• Take off the tank lid, and then place it in a safe place.
• Completely drain the tank.
• Lift the lift chain off the flush handle arm.
• Take the flapper ears out of the overflow tube pegs
• Get rid of the flapper.
• Place the flapper onto the opening of the flush valve.
• Attach its ears to the pegs of the overflow tube.
• Connect the lift chain and the flush handle arm.
• The length of the lift chain can be adjusted. When not in use, it should have a half inch of slack.

This should repair a toilet that is not flushing or has a defective flapper. To be certain, flush the toilet.

ADJUST THE WATER LEVEL IN YOUR TANK

This can happen when you try to replace your toilet fill valve yourself but do not adjust the toilet float height correctly. The height of your toilet’s toilet float determines how much water is in the toilet.

It is easy to adjust the water level in your toilet tank. No matter if you have a floating ball or a cup, all that is required to adjust the water level in your toilet tank is a screwdriver.

• Take off the lid from the toilet tank and store it in a secure place.
• Check the connection of the float ball arm to the fill valve if your toilet has one. One screw will be visible. Turn the screwdriver clockwise until you see one screw.
• To test if the toilet flushes once or twice, flush it.
• Continue to adjust the float ball until you solve the problem.
• A float cup, which is usually mounted on the fill valve body, will be attached to the fill valve body by a long plastic screw.
• You can also use the screwdriver clockwise to adjust the water level until it reaches the desired height.
• To confirm the problem with the double flushing toilet, flush the toilet.

Wrapping up

This is how to fix a toilet that flushes twice. You should hire a plumber if you don’t feel confident doing such repairs yourself. The cost of the repair will be approximately 100 dollars, but it may vary depending on where you live.

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