Toilet tank gradually losing water

[Dkahn04]

One of my toilets leaks water so that every 5 minutes or so, it has to fill back up. It doesn’t leak onto the floor, so it isn’t an issue of property damage so much as just a waste of water. I have replaced the flapper several times, but it seems to make no difference. Am I correct in thinking that it has to be the seal around one of the components? I really don’t want to pay a plumber $300 to fix it but am not comfortable replacing anything other than the flapper by myself.

My tank setup is pictured in the attachment. Can I just caulk around all of the seals and see if that fixes it? If so, is there a specific product anyone would recommend?

Thanks

 

[havasu]

So, if water is not going onto the floor, water must be passing through the flapper. Have you felt the surface under the flapper to ensure you don't have sediment which is allowing water to seep in under the flapper? Are you certain that is the correct flapper? Unless your flush valve has sediment under it, or needs replacing due to a crack, it must be your flapper. Place some food coloring into the tank. If that color is in your bowl in the morning, you are leaking under the seal.

Caulking will do nothing for you.

 

[GReynolds929]

That adhesive repair seat is a common cause of leaks and issue. Remove it, clean the flush valve seat and install a new flapper. If you turn water off and let it leak out what is the water level in tank when it stops?

 

[Dkahn04]

That adhesive repair seat is a common cause of leaks and issue. Remove it, clean the flush valve seat and install a new flapper. If you turn water off and let it leak out what is the water level in tank when it stops?

Thanks, I did this test and see that the water level comes up to about where the flapper is. I had wondered if it was any of the black gaskets around the bottom of the components, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I have replaced the flapper a few times and continue to have this issue, however. What is the “adhesive repair seat?”

 

[GReynolds929]

What is the “adhesive repair seat?”

The stick on seat is circled in red. The flapper is currently attached to it. The flapper is supposed to be attached where the blue circles are. When you take the seat off check the original and make sure there are no nicks in it.

 

[FLForester]

My son had this same situation. Went through all that you did. Finally determined that that the thin black hose was placed too deep into the overflow tube so it was slowly siphoning water away. Please check this. I wasted a lot of effort and time changing parts that were not necessary.

 

[havasu]

My son had this same situation. Went through all that you did. Finally determined that that the thin black hose was placed too deep into the overflow tube so it was slowly siphoning water away. Please check this. I wasted a lot of effort and time changing parts that were not necessary.

This is one of the leading causes of toilet water draining from the tank. Thank you for mentioning it!

 

[humbolt]

I agree with FLForester. I had the clamp holding the refill tube placed to deep into the Overflow Tube. As a result I lost water to the point where the toilet would not flush. I raised the clamp and did not have that siphoning effect. The toilet flushed properly. Sounds like a simple fix but it worked for me.

I also noticed that no one mentioned the Tank O-ring Seal...which the flapper sits on. Please review the parts of a toilet on google to see the location of this part if necessary.

 

[TomFOhio]

You have a Fluidmaster Flusher Fixer Kit in there. Best thing to do is take the tank off of the bowl and replace
the flush valve assembly.