Toilet flush runs constantly after flush...

November 28, 2013 6:48 AM

Hello all. My toilet cistern has developed the extremely annoying habit of continuing to run water into the bowl after a single flush.

2-3 pushes of the flush tends to (not always) stop the water running eventually and the cistern then fills as normal.

There's no ends of advice about this type of issue online, but a complicating factor is the access to the cistern itself, and the type of cistern. It is built into a panel in the bathroom wall, which was tiled all round by the builder. Access (for now) is only via the flush button panel which pops off, then the internal button panel unscrews to reveal the innards. It works by air pressed through a couple of tubes, not by a lever / arm. I have uploaded a few pics to show what i mean.

posted by kev23f to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

If it fixes itself after a few flushes, then the problem is that the flapper valve in the bottom of the cistern isn't reseating itself correctly. Normally that's an easy fix, but in your situation I don't think there's a way to do it that doesn't involve drywall repair and re-tiling.
posted by mhoye at 7:46 AM on November 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: oh joy. Thanks mhoye. There is possible access from the top, but i'll have to remove a heavy marble shelf thingy which has also been tiled up to, nightmare.
posted by kev23f at 8:00 AM on November 28, 2013

I have this too. Yank the handle up after the cistern has filled. You can also jiggle the handle lightly - not so much that you actually flush the toilet again but just enough to get the flapper valve to re-seat itself. The is the solution at my house until someone actually fixes the chain connected to handle from flapper.....
posted by St. Peepsburg at 8:10 AM on November 28, 2013

Or try not releasing the button immediately after flushing to allow the flapper to resettle in a less jarring fashion.
posted by Obscure Reference at 11:44 AM on November 28, 2013