What Is Ghost Flushing, and How Can I Fix It?

While most people consider themselves to be at least decent with some projects around the house, we tend to find that a lot of people simply draw the line at plumbing. Part of this is its invisibility; it’s behind your walls most of the time, so it’s out of sight out of mind. Many folks don’t get the chance to ever really work with it, which lowers their confidence that they can fix it.

There are many minor issues with plumbing that can be fixed with the smallest bit of know-how and a few basic tools, one of which is the mysterious phenomenon called ghost flushing.

Read on for more tips on not only how to identify this problem but also how to fix a ghost flushing toilet.

The signs of ghost flushing

Before we get started, please don’t tell us any of your Casper jokes—we’ve heard them all! Ghost flushing actually just means that you hear the toilet flush on its own, usually from another room or floor. It can take a while to pick up because you’re not always convinced that you heard what you heard or because you probably just dismiss it because you assume someone else is in the bathroom.

Once you do notice it, it becomes difficult to ignore. That’s when you can roll up your sleeves and get to work once you know how to fix a ghost flushing toilet.

External causes of ghost flushing

Ghost flushing can happen for a few reasons, but it usually points to a problem with how water is flowing in or out of the tank—the large vertical part on most residential toilets. It could be a problem with a cracked tank, for starters. This can happen if someone has bumped the toilet against the wall hard enough to damage it. If the crack is up high, you might be in luck; you can adjust the water fill so that it doesn’t reach the crack. If it’s low on the tank, unfortunately that means it’s probably time to replace the toilet.

Internal causes of ghost flushing

Other problems can emerge if there are internal problems with the toilet. If the toilet flapper is broken or worn out, then it means that the water flow in and out of the tank can’t be regulated, so the toilet will flush itself when the water level gets too high. This is what ghost flushing is.

The flush valve can also be the cause of your problem. This is the piece that actually flushes the toilet, and it can wear out and break over time and require replacement. Fortunately, this is a quick DIY fix, so knowing how to fix a ghost flushing toilet often just means a trip to the home improvement store for a piece or two, and you’re good to go.

Knowing what ghost flushing is and how to fix it is really just about understanding that water is flowing into and out of the toilet irregularly. Once you’ve established that this is (probably) the underlying cause, you can either try a DIY fix or make the call to our team at Rooter Express. We’ve handled every plumbing challenge under the sun, from installations to repairs, and we want to earn your business and your trust next, so call us today.

Categorised in: Plumbing Maintenance