My $5 fix for a leaky toilet that everyone told me would fail

Everyone on this forum says to replace the whole flush valve assembly when a toilet runs intermittently, but I spent $5 on a new flapper and cleaned the sealing surface with a scouring pad instead. It has been 8 months since I did that in my rental in Austin and the tenant hasn't complained once. Has anyone else had luck with just cleaning instead of replacing the whole valve?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabethg1823d ago

Tbh that’s how most things are, people just jump to replacing stuff without trying the cheap simple fix first.

the_hugo23d ago

My wife's car started making this weird grinding noise last spring. I took it to three different shops and they all told me I needed a whole new transmission, wanted like four grand for the job. Turned out it was just a loose heat shield rattling against the driveshaft, took me twenty minutes with a screwdriver and a zip tie to fix it. Sometimes you just have to poke around a bit before you throw money at the biggest repair.

the_patricia23d ago

Wish it was always that simple though, right?