Top 7 Best Toilet Flappers

Buying the right toilet flapper is essential as it controls and regulates the water inside the bowl. If your toilet makes continuously hissing noises, or you see water leaking after every flush, then that might be because your toilet flapper system has failed to do its job.

In such a scenario, replacing your toilet flapper system is the best choice. But the biggest issue is which one you should buy. Not all toilet flappers are made equally, and it gets very confusing to pick one out of them as a wrong decision would lead you to waste your money. Also, check the best toilet brushes to clean the tank and the corners of the toilet seat.

How to pick the right toilet flapper?

While buying a toilet flapper is not rocket science, there are a few things that you should take into consideration to ensure you are making the right decision –

Material

Looking for material can be tricky. That is because most commonly, toilet flappers are made of a combination of rubber and plastic. The rubber provides a tight seal to prevent water leakages, while the plastic offers rigidity and connects the flapper to the overflow tube.

While the material on all of the flappers looks similar, each of them is built differently. Therefore, you should look closely at the quality of the material or take an expert’s opinion into consideration. Overall, a good-quality flapper would last between three to five years.

Type

When buying a toilet flapper, you might encounter different types of products. Generally, we can classify flappers into three separate categories that include –

Rubber Flapper

Rubber flappers are the most common type of flappers you would see nowadays. It looks like an upside-down hat that gets attached to the opening of the valve. The best thing about rubber flappers is that they come in different sizes, making them easily suitable for all types of smart toilets.

Seat Disk Flapper

Seat disk flappers are one of the oldest types of flappers. These flappers are mainly made of sturdy rubber and look like a rounded disk that fits the valve. Whenever you flush, this flapper lifts up and then drops it back to fill the tank again.

Though it is easy to replace and relatively cheap, these types of flappers are a bit bulkier in size. That makes it take a lot of space in your toilet water tank.

Tank Ball Flapper

Tank ball flappers are the rarest type of flappers, designed to fit some specific toilets. These flappers contain a rubber ball that sits on the drain hole to hold water inside the water tank. When you flush, the system plugs the flapper out, allowing water to drain from the tank.

Also Read: How to Remove Toilet Seat with Hidden Fixings And Bolts?

Size

The next thing that you should look after is the size of the valve. Modern toilets usually feature 3 to 4 inches wide valves, while most older models have 2 inches wide valves. If the flapper is too small or too large, it won’t work efficiently, and the water will leak. So, measure the size of the valve to ensure you are buying the right flapper.

GPF Compatibility

Another thing that you need to take into consideration is how much water your toilet uses in each flush. Most commonly, home toilets use around 1.3 to 1.6 gallons of water in each flush, but these numbers can vary. If your toilet uses water between these ranges, you will need a 3-inch flapper for that.

Some other toilets even use lower and higher gallons of water per flush and come with different dimensions, requiring either a small 2-inch flapper or a big 4-inch flapper.

Closing Time

Lastly, you should be looking at the closing time to ensure you won’t waste an excessive amount of water while flushing. However, if the flapper closes before emptying the water tank, it will not clean your toilet efficiently, and most commonly, you will need to flush again.

The good thing is, most flappers come with adjustable dials that allow you to adjust how long you want valves to be open for each flush.

The 7 best toilet flappers

After considering all those factors in our head, we have finalized these seven toilet flappers that you can buy right now –

Fluidmaster 502P21 PerforMAX 2-inch flush valves

Fluidmaster 502P21 PerforMAX is a great toilet flapper designed for 2-inch flush valves. It is made of micro ban material that prevents the growth of bacteria, mildew, mold, and other harmful microbes, making it more durable than others. This toilet flapper features a very rigid frame that delivers ultimate reliability and the best seal.

Our Opinion: The adjustable design allows you to configure closing time as per your needs so that you can get the best cleaning with adequate water.

It is a universal flapper, mainly designed for toilets with 2-inches valves, and works well for flush tanks with water capacity ranging from 1.28 gallons to 3.5 gallons per flush.

Fluidmaster 5403 Water-Saving Toilet Flapper

Fluidmaster 502P21 PerforMAX is an excellent value for money, but sadly, it is only available in a 2-inch size. This one comes in a 3-inch size, making it compatible with most modern toilets. However, compared to the aforementioned flapper, this one is more rigid and durable. Manufacturers claim that this product can last up to 10 years. Therefore, they offer a ten-year warranty on the product.

Our Opinion: This toilet flapper is ideal for high-efficiency usage for toilets that use 1.28 to 1.6 gallons of water per flush.

The flapper features a solid frame that prevents it from twisting and bending and a kink-free chain. The durable silicone seal offers ten times more life than regular flappers and resists hard water, chlorine, and corrosive minerals such as magnesium or calcium.

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Korky 54BP Toilet Tank Flapper

If you are looking for a simple and budget-friendly flapper for your toilet, then this one from Korky can be an excellent option for you. It is a rubber flapper made with 100% flexible rubber material that offers an excellent seal with outstanding durability, while the chain is made of stainless steel that is quite robust.

Our Opinion: The design is suitable for all 2-inch wide valves.

This tank flapper is suitable for any toilet tank that uses between 1.2 to 3.2 gallons of water on each flush. You can also configure this flapper as per your requirement to avoid wasting a lot of water while also getting efficient cleaning. Installation is also very easy, and you can easily set it up within a minute or two.

TOTO THU500S Replacement Flapper

TOTO is a very popular toilet brand in the US and other nearby regions, and therefore, if you own a TOTO toilet and want a replacement flapper, this can be a great solution. You can also use this flapper on other 3-inch flush valve tanks, though. So, this flapper is not limited to TOTO toilets only.

Our Opinion: Even though it is pretty easy to install and use, you get an in-depth installation guide with the product.

The flapper body is made of polypropylene with a 3-inch wide rubber sealing surface. The overall design is pretty sturdy and reliable.

American Standard Universal Flapper with Float

American Standard is another reliable brand that manufactures different types of plumbing fixtures and bathroom solutions. The flapper we have picked from their lineup is a universal 2-inch flapper, suitable for all 2-inch valve tanks.

Our Opinion: It is made of a solid frame with a very flexible rubber ball, making it pretty durable and sturdy.

This flapper comes with a floater that comes with some adjustable plastic clips. You can adjust these plastic clips to control flush duration. The only deal-breaker for this product would be its pricing, but in my opinion, I would say it’s worth the investment.

KOHLER Genuine GP85160 Flapper with Float

KOHLER needs no introduction. It is one of the leading suppliers for toilet and other bathroom essentials. The flapper replacement we have picked from KOHLER is quite similar to the above-mentioned American Standard’s flapper. But this one is a more budget-friendly option.

Our Opinion: On Amazon’s website, you can also see a bunch of different toilets this flapper is compatible with.

This KOHLER toilet flapper replacement also features a float that can be used to control the duration of each flush. It is a 2-inch flapper, making it compatible with a wide range of 2-inch valve toilet tanks. It is a KOHLER’s genuine part; therefore, you don’t have to worry about the quality and durability of this product.

Korky 2004BP Adjustable Toilet Flapper

Toilet flappers with floaters are new tech that offers pretty optimal performance, and these are becoming more popular too. Therefore, if the above-mentioned KOHLER or American Standard’s toilet flappers have attracted you but your budget doesn’t allow you to buy them, this one from Korky can be the best bet for you.

Our Opinion: It is made of high-quality rubber material that protects itself from bacteria, hard water, chlorine, and other minerals.

Korky 2004BP is an excellent toilet flapper replacement that features a floater but at a significantly lower price. It has a 2-inch design, making it compatible with most 2-inch valve toilet tanks. And lastly, it is a made in America product.

FAQs

What is the best material for toilet flapper?

One of the most popular and commonly used materials for toilet flappers is rubber. However, microban materials make the flapper more durable and long-lasting, and both of these materials are great.

What is the best brand of flapper for a toilet?

It is a tricky question as there are so many reliable brands that make high-quality flappers for toilets. If you have a good budget, you can consider buying flappers manufactured by American Standard, Kohler, or TOTO. On the flip side, if you don’t want to spend that much, go with brands like Korky, Fluidmaster, Lavelle, etc.

Who makes the best toilet flapper repair kit?

A few reliable manufacturers for the entire toilet flapper repair kits are Fluidmaster, TOTO, KOHLER, American Standard, etc.

What is the best way to clean toilet bowl flapper?

To clean a flapper, you first need to cut out the water supply to the flush tank and then flush all the water inside that tank. After that, you can gently lift the flapper and clean it with the help of an old toothbrush or something else.

What kind of toilet flapper is best?

The answer to this question completely relies on what type of toilet you have, but most commonly, rubber flappers are the best type of toilet flappers. But if you have a toilet that requires seat disk flappers or tank ball flappers, you need a compatible flapper, and they are good too.

Closing Comments

Toilet flappers are an essential item in your toilet system, and if it fails, it can burn a hole in your pocket by leaking tons of water. Leaking toilets is not good for the environment as well as your pocket because you will increase your water bills.

Therefore, you should only buy a reliable toilet flapper that doesn’t fail. The products mentioned in this list are very reliable, tested, and trusted by plumbers across the USA. We even recommend buying these flappers to our local clients.