American Standard toilet #4061 runs intermittently

[Telkwa]

Good day!
I'm asking for help with an American Standard toilet. The sticker inside the tank says #4061. Several times a day I can hear the fill valve run for 10 or 15 seconds.
I'm guessing it's the flapper valve although I can't see anything wrong with it. I brushed off the seat and wiped off the flapper valve. It's still running intermittently.
The sticker inside the tank says "FLAPPER - 7381321-200.0070A" I assume this is an American Standard part # (?) All the hardware inside is Fluidmaster.

I went to American Standard website, which is clunky and hard to navigate. I followed a link from their website to Faucet Shark. FS says the 4061 flapper is
7381008-400.0070A.

Maybe the flapper part has been upgraded since our toilet was built?

Since the parts are all Fluidmaster, I'm wondering if, rather than trying to chase down the official American Standard part # I should just shop locally for a good quality 3" Fluidmaster flapper? Like maybe this one?

Thanks!

 

[breplum]

If your WC is not 1.6 gpf, then get the Fluidmaster Premium Adjustable version, which allows for flexible flush timing. Use reveal tablet in tank to disclose if you actually have a leak at the flapper (or food coloring).

 

[wpns]

Is the water level in the tank right up to the overflow pipe? I’ve seen this, and it leaks slowly past the overflow, which looks like flapper valve leaks. Try adjusting the water level in the tank down an inch, the float might be getting waterlogged.

 

[Telkwa]

It's funny as a person gets older. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about toilets.
Turns out there's always more to learn. For instance, breplum's advice to use a reveal tablet or food coloring sounds like a great idea. Something I never woulda thought of on my own.

I left the toilet valved out overnight. The tank drained right down to the flapper seat and seemed to stop there.

I popped the flapper off its perch. The sealing surface had a little wobble or kink or wave or whatever you want to call it. Adjacent to the wobble there was a subtle streak of water staining on the rubber surface.

As mentioned above, all the parts in the tank are Fluidmaster. I went to the local Home Depot. They had a rack of flappers. Mostly Korky and some Fluidmaster. Bought a Fluidmaster #502 PerforMax. The #502 flapper has a feature that allows you to adjust the flush. It seems like a very simple mechanism but I don't understand how it works. Left it at Max.

No problems overnight. Looks like the flapper was the culprit.

On the front of the #502 cardboard display piece it says "Resists Chlorine". On the back it says "DO NOT USE IN-TANK DROP-IN TOILET BOWL CLEANERS CONTAINING BLEACH OR CHLORINE."

We'd been using drop in bleach tablets for a few years. I knew this was not advised but I was lazy.

So the bleach tablets are outta here. During my googling the last few days I landed on the Fluidmaster website. Was introduced to their "Flush and Sparkle" kits. Seemed like a neat idea so I bought the basic kit and some replacement cartridges.

wpns, thanks for the help. As adjusted right now, the float mechanism is regulating water level about a half-inch below the top edge of the overflow pipe.

 

[wpns]

Thanks for the followup, many times we don't hear what the resolution was. Good idea to let it leak down to see where the problem was, and yes, Fluidmaster is pretty good with parts.

 

[Bird Doo Head]

Decades ago, a priest I know asked me to go to a parishioner's house because he was called by this very elderly lady to do an exorcism of the spirits who ran her toilet during the night. The woman was dead serious.

It was the flapper.

 

[cliffyk]

A "flapper" -- Francis Bavier ("Aunt Bee")