Had something similar happen last year—thought it was sediment too, but nope. Turned out the flapper seal had warped just enough to mess things up.
Totally true, better swap parts sooner than mop floors later..."catching it early saves a lot of hassle later on."
Had a similar issue come up at a client's place, but swapping out the flapper seal didn't quite do the trick. Turned out the problem was actually further down the line—a partial blockage in the drain pipe was causing water to back up slowly, which made it look like the seal was faulty. I spent way too long messing around with tank parts before realizing it wasn't even about the seal at all.
Definitely agree with tackling these things early, but sometimes it's worth taking a step back and checking other possibilities before just swapping parts. Learned that lesson after spending half a Saturday chasing my tail. A quick inspection of drain flow or a snake through the pipes can save you a lot of unnecessary headaches...and trips to the hardware store.
Been there myself recently, and yeah, it's easy to get tunnel vision on the tank parts. A few weeks ago, I spent hours swapping out seals, adjusting floats, even replaced the fill valve—nothing helped. Finally realized the real culprit was a partial clog further down the line. A quick snake through the pipe cleared it right up.
Couple things I learned from that experience:
- Always check the drain flow first—just pour a bucket of water directly into the bowl and see how quickly it drains.
- If it's slow, don't waste time messing with tank components; grab a drain snake or auger.
- If the drain seems fine, then move on to checking seals and valves.
Sounds like you figured it out eventually though, so props for sticking with it. Plumbing can be frustrating, but at least next time you'll know exactly where to start troubleshooting.
"Always check the drain flow first—just pour a bucket of water directly into the bowl and see how quickly it drains."
That's solid advice, but honestly, I've found that sometimes even a quick bucket test can be misleading. Had a similar issue last year—bucket drained fine, but the toilet still wouldn't flush properly. Turned out to be a sneaky vent blockage on the roof causing airlock issues. So yeah, drains are usually the culprit, but don't underestimate those pesky vents... plumbing gremlins strike again.
"Turned out to be a sneaky vent blockage on the roof causing airlock issues."
Glad you mentioned this—vents are seriously underrated culprits when it comes to toilet drama. Had one job last summer where the homeowner had spent days plunging and snaking before calling me in frustration. Bucket test looked perfect, but sure enough, climbing onto the roof revealed a bird's nest blocking the vent pipe. Moral of the story: sometimes the issue's not where you'd expect it... plumbing really keeps us on our toes, huh?
