Toilet still "ghost flushing" after replacement

[zeekha]

Hi, I had a toilet that was seeming to flush itself and the tank was spraying the water up which was causing it to trickle down the side of the toilet and soak the floor. The toilet is on the second story, and I can see directly underneath is when I am on the first floor.

I replaced the entire toilet last week, but since then, I still see a little bit of dripping from what seemed like directly beside the toilet drain pipe (looking from underneath) and I can hear intermittent trickling. I noticed today that this new toilet is now flushing itself. So it leads me to believe it's not the toilet, but possibly the drain pipe, or maybe some valve attached to it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Big Dave]

Did you install the toilet yourself both times? Perhaps you did the same thing during both installations and don't have the connection between the tank and the bowl correct? I've put a few in, and am always careful about those bolts and washers and torque. That might cause the flushing and leak.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[zeekha]

Did you install the toilet yourself both times? Perhaps you did the same thing during both installations and don't have the connection between the tank and the bowl correct? I've put a few in, and am always careful about those bolts and washers and torque. That might cause the flushing and leak.

I bought the house a couple months ago and the toilet was already installed in the upper unit. I didn't notice any leaking for months, only in the past couple of weeks. I've already replaced the toilet in my unit and have not noticed any leaking, so I think it was done correctly. We bought a cheaper toilet for the upper unit which required a bit of assembly for the tank, and replaced it the same way we did in my unit. We're going to take the toilet off and check around the drain pipe this evening, and replace the wax ring. Hoping I can get some advice online of what else to check or do for the reinstall.

 

[Smooky]

The ghost flushing is usually a result of the flapper leaking. If it is spraying up on the lid something is messed up on the fill valve. If it is dripping on the floor it could be many reasons such as a loose connection of the water inlet, the stop could be leaking. The tank could be leaking at the tank to bowl connection or at the tank bolts. The overflow should be set so water does not leak out the handle hole etc. There could be a problem with the drain connection and or there is a clog etc.

 

[zeekha]

The ghost flushing is usually a result of the flapper leaking. If it is spraying up on the lid something is messed up on the fill valve. If it is dripping on the floor it could be many reasons such as a loose connection of the water inlet, the stop could be leaking. The tank could be leaking at the tank to bowl connection or at the tank bolts. The overflow should be set so water does not leak out the handle hole etc. There could be a problem with the drain connection and or there is a clog etc.

I will make sure to check the flapper. It was the old toilet that was spraying up, hitting the lid, which I'm pretty sure was trickling down the side of the toilet resulting in quite a bit of water leaking through the ceiling below. I have not noticed the spraying since putting in the new toilet, and the leaking has been reduced to drops of water which seem to seep through the floor about 1/2in from the drain pipe (looking underneath from the main floor).

We're going to install a new wax ring to ensure a good seal between the floor and toilet. I will double check the overflow level and drain connection as well.

 

[Standardairconditioner]

New toilets will come with everything that is correct and proper for a long service life.

Follow the manufacturer's directions implicitly.

Problems from a new toilet install is often ALWAYS the fault of the installer.

Your DIY skills may not be adequate here, and my recommendation is to call a professional that can certainly resolve this situation 100%.

 

[Jadnashua]

If the toilet does not sit stable, and rocks, you need to pull it up and reset it with new wax and shims.

 

[Sluggo]

How do you intend to check the flapper? Often the problem with the flapper is a slight mismatch between it and the porcelain surface it sits on. An easy way to diagnose this is to put several drops of food coloring in the tank, and come back an hour later to see if any of the dye has tinted the water in the bowl. If it has, you have a slow leak due to an imperfect seal. There are other things that can be wrong with the flapper, but this is one of them.

 

[r.g.]

If you are using a 'fluidmaster' ball cock valve the clip that directs the refill tube into the overflow must be used. If the refill tube is inside the overflow and terminates below the water level in the tank when full... it will siphon the water out of the tank. The ball cock will cycle over and over

 

[r.g.]

Hi, I had a toilet that was seeming to flush itself and the tank was spraying the water up which was causing it to trickle down the side of the toilet and soak the floor. The toilet is on the second story, and I can see directly underneath is when I am on the first floor.

I replaced the entire toilet last week, but since then, I still see a little bit of dripping from what seemed like directly beside the toilet drain pipe (looking from underneath) and I can hear intermittent trickling. I noticed today that this new toilet is now flushing itself. So it leads me to believe it's not the toilet, but possibly the drain pipe, or maybe some valve attached to it?

I can not believe that no one mentioned the refill tube!

 

[ohsmall]

I will make sure to check the flapper. It was the old toilet that was spraying up, hitting the lid, which I'm pretty sure was trickling down the side of the toilet resulting in quite a bit of water leaking through the ceiling below. I have not noticed the spraying since putting in the new toilet, and the leaking has been reduced to drops of water which seem to seep through the floor about 1/2in from the drain pipe (looking underneath from the main floor).

We're going to install a new wax ring to ensure a good seal between the floor and toilet. I will double check the overflow level and drain connection as well.

I also replaced the toilet that was ghost flushing and even with the new toilet it’s still happening. It didn’t happen immediately after replacement/ seemed to take a couple of days for the issue to start up again. Little mold like items form on the inside of the bowl around the rim in a day or two and the flushing is about every couple hours . Can it be the toilet pipe and attachments that are under the floor? A clog? Or the part the toilet gets attached to in the floor? I am at a loss and my water bill is 4x what it used to be.
Would love to hear how Zeekha solved the problem!