My neighbor laughed at my $8 toilet flapper replacement trick

Told my neighbor about swapping out the rubber flapper every 2 years to stop a running toilet. He said he just uses a zip tie to hold the chain tight and saves money. Tried it and yeah, it works way longer than I thought. Been 6 months still no issues. Makes me wonder what other cheap hacks im missing on basic stuff. Anyone else got a weird fix that beats the "right way"?

2 comments

2 Comments

bell.emma11d ago

Wait wait wait... a zip tie on the toilet chain? That's wild. I've been swapping out rubber flappers every year like a chump. Does the zip tie mess with the water level in the bowl at all? My old landlord taught me to use a piece of fishing line to hold the float cup steady on old toilets, saved me from buying a whole new fill valve once.

patricia_lee5d ago

Honestly, I gotta disagree with the zip tie trick. That line about "does the zip tie mess with the water level" is exactly what I was thinking. I've seen too many toilets get messed up from people trying to cheap out on a $8 part. A proper flapper replacement keeps the seal tight and the water level right where it should be. Ngl, the zip tie thing might work for a bit but you're just asking for a bigger problem down the road when it slips or breaks at a bad time. I'd rather spend the few bucks and know it's done right.