Delayed flush lever

[hboogz]

I have a two piece american standard toilet whose flush lever was changed. When flushing the toilet now, I have to hold the lever down for about 20-30 seconds in order for the toilet to flush properly. Is there something I could adjust to change this to a quick-flush? If I have to replace some components, what could I do in order to change the flush to one that flushes quickly without the need of holding the lever down for that long?

Also, I've noticed that the toilet's tank takes longer to refill as well. Seems all related, just need a push into getting all pieces tied up.

Thanks,

Harry.

 

[Terry]

The flapper may need to be trimmed to allow it to swing freely on the pivots.
Most flappers can move easily, float up and then drop down. Since you are draining the entire tank now, it will take longer to refill.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hboogz]

The flapper may need to be trimmed to allow it to swing freely on the pivots.
Most flappers can move easily, float up and then drop down. Since you are draining the entire tank now, it will take longer to refill.

Thanks for the prompt reply!

I'm a newbie, so I apologize in advance. Trimmed, using snips, around the circumference of the flap?

 

[WJcandee]

Thanks for the prompt reply!

I'm a newbie, so I apologize in advance. Trimmed, using snips, around the circumference of the flap?

Actually, I'm not sure that Terry interpreted your question the same way I do. If the flush lever was changed and you have to hold the handle down to make the toilet work, it's usually an indication that the chain isn't set at the right length. That is, your flapper needs to be pulled up far enough to float on/in the water until it gets to a certain level, whereupon it drops. If the chain has too much slack in it, it never pulls the flapper all the way open, and you end up having to hold down the handle. It is also possible that the chain isn't hooked on the right hook on the handle, so that when the handle travels its full distance, it doesn't pull the flapper up high enough. Usually it's a chain length issue, though. Try tinkering with it. There should be just a smidge of slack so that the flapper can fully-seal (i.e. it's not being held off the valve), but no more than a link of slack is necessary.

Hold off on trimming anything until you mess with the chain. [EDIT: I see what Terry and Jim are talking about now. If you have the old-style flush valve (i.e. with no hooks for the flapper), then as the instructions Terry cited indicate, you just slip it over the overflow riser; if it has hooks, then you cut out the circular thing and attach the wings on the flapper to the hooks. I have both types in our house, but use the same flapper, cutting one but not the other.]

Let us know how it goes.

PS I assume you have a normal setup with a flapper and such. Do you know what model toilet you have? Does it look like this on the flush valve side?

How Does a Toilet Work - Anatomy of a Toilet - Korky

When you flush the toilet by pressing down the flush handle, the rubber flapper, sometimes referred to as a float valve, is lifted. This causes the water that was held in the toilet tank to rush into the bowl and flush the waste.

www.korky.com

 

[hboogz]

Thanks wj!

I have a suspicion it has to do with the chain, as, I was, unfamiliar with the mechanics of the lever/flap assembly and how much slack is suppose to left on the chain. So to be clear, where should the chain be connected (ring hole) ? Based on this "There should be just a smidge of slack so that the flapper can fully-seal (i.e. it's not being held off the valve), but no more than a link of slack is necessary." There shouldn't be a lot of slack left on the chain and the flapper should fully seal ?

Yes, it's a normal setup just as depicted in the image!

 

[WJcandee]

Great! Looks like you got it. Try hooking the chain to the hole that makes the chain as close to vertical as possible. A little lean in the chain is no problem, and, of course, the further out the chain is on the bar from the handle, the further up it is going to be pulled when you push the flush lever. When the lever is at rest, the chain should not be holding the flapper off the seat. A half a link or up to a full link of slack should be enough to ensure that but still jerk the flapper up high enough to float when you push the handle.

A little tinkering and you should have it fine. A quick funny story: put a new flapper in a lowboy toilet that had a pushbutton on the lid. The button pushed against one side of what was effectively a plastic trip lever inside the toilet. In other words, there was basically a normal trip lever mounted inside which was activated by the button pushing against it. I set the flapper up perfectly, tested it a few times by pushing on the internal trip lever with the cover off. All set! Then I put the cover back on. Of course, I had neglected to realize that when you put the cover back on, it pushed the trip lever down a bit; the "rest" position of the lever wasn't the same with the cover off and on. So the toilet immediately started running. The cause wasn't instantly apparent to me, so I had to tinker with it until I went "Duh." Then I had to figure out exactly how much the cover pushed on the lever so I could set the chain. Took some tinkering, but that's the fun of these kind of repairs: you try it, you try it again, you try it again and voila! -- perfect.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[Jadnashua]

If your overflow tube has hooks, you need to cut the ring out. If it doesn't, then the ring is what holds it. You do NOT want to use the ring AND the hooks. The diameter of the plastic overflow (with hooks) and the brass one are usually different, and if you use the ring on the plastic one AND the hooks, it often won't seal because it is distorted. Course, if you get an OEM flapper, it generally doesn't require modification, but the 'universal' ones, may.