How often flappers and fill valves are changed plays a major role in determining how much and how long water will be wasted. It’s necessary to balance the cost of replacement, including materials, maintenance time, and tenant/guest inconvenience, against an increasing likelihood of flapper/ fill valve degradation leading to undetected water loss. Your maintenance schedule, if you even have one, greatly influences the amount of water lost over an entire property. A lack of routine maintenance allows sediments and other materials to build-up on the flappers and damage or impair fill valve operation. Not changing either leads to the greatest waste as an ever-increasing number of toilets develop problems as aging flappers will warp, crack and become more prone to “sticking” and fill valves become more prone to sticking open, or leaking. Changing all parts at the same time presents budgetary and logistical problems.

Optimal Solution: Change only those parts which exhibit problems, at the onset of the problem(s).

Range of Assumptions: (click the one that is closest to your schedule)

Flappers are prone to two faults, leaking (phantom flush/equilibrium) and sticking wide-open (aka running toilets). Flappers operate best when made by the original manufacturer or a third-party Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) as these OEM parts are manufactured to meet stricter specifications, and thereby create a tighter seal with the flush valve. Universal flappers may reduce initial costs, but are more prone to leaks and sticking wide-open because they are designed to operate across a wide range of flush valves, overflow tubes, etc. Adjustable flappers allow property managers to adjust the volume of water used in a flush. On one hand they potentially reduce the amount of water used per flush; but, unless the correct adjustment has already been determined, significant maintenance time could be spent in determining the optimal adjustment and fluctuates with each individual toilet. Flappers can stick wide-open, without the user being aware, for several reasons.

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Leaking Flapper (Percentage)

Optimal Solution: Have a methodology in place to identify flappers which are prone to leaking and sticking wide-open.

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Like flappers, buying the optimal fill valve has an extremely high influence on the amount of water used, maintence issues, and potential water wasting problems. When replacing a fill valve, a premium quality design and manufacturing process are key to making the best selection, such as the Lavelle or Fluid Master 400 Series or fill valves. These fill valves tend to have the fewest problems, though, as they age the diaphragms are prone to wear. Inexpensive, non-premium fill valves, usually imported, not US made, have a greater incidence of failure due to poor manufacturing standards. These valves tend to leak sooner, more frequently and to a greater extent than premium fill valves. Toilets still using a ball cock fill valve are inefficient, prone to malfunction and generally should be replaced.

Optimal Solution: Use a Fluidmaster 400, or similar quality, fill valve.

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Water quality, the amount of calcium and/or magnesium as well as the presence of sediments in the water, influences how quickly parts within the tank degrade. The higher the presence of these materials the more quickly flappers warp, crack, and otherwise fail. Likewise, the diaphragms inside the fill valve can be damaged, causing them to leak, become stuck open or, when in combination with a leaking flapper, go into equilibrium. In addition, poor quality water also allows for build-up of sediments on the flapper, flush valve and other components inside the toilet tank. The location of your property within the US determines the quality of your water, from Very Hard to Soft. Several maps are available to help determine the degree of hardness water your property is likely using.

Optimal Solution: If your property is located where the water is Hard/Very Hard use of a water softener can improve the water quality.

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As with everything related to real estate, it all comes down to location, and even when thinking about what influences water loss problems, location can matter. If your property is in an urban setting, consistent water pressure, overall quality of the service lines, even access to a continuous flow of water are all improved. These factors present less stress on overall toilet operation. Less stress equals more efficiency and less wear and tear on components. In the event a property is sourcing its water from a well, external (and at times uncontrollable) factors can cause undue stresses on the water system including, drought, extreme rainfall/flooding, intrusion of chemicals into the water table, etc. Also, any condition which artificially decreases the amount of water available even temporarily, such as a high percentage of toilets continuously running, can have an adverse effect on the operation of a toilet in general, and again could lead to premature wear or damage to components.

Optimal Solution: n/a

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