My house has three toilets and I've had the same problem on two of them. The flapper valve leaks, so I replace it, but it still leaks. Both sealing surfaces were smooth and should have sealed fine. So what was the problem? The gasket that seals between the porcelain of the tank and the main flush tube that is sealed by the flapper had begun to swell. It had swelled to the point that it interfered with the outer edge of the flapper and the flapper could not make a complete seal. I confirmd this my making a thin marking paste out of water and red chalk dust and applying it to the surface the flapper valve is supposed to meet, as well as the protruding rubber gasket material and pressed a small square of cardboard against it lightly. Sure enough I got a nice red circle and a large blob off to one side that indicated there was a protrusion in the same plane as the sealing surface. The swollen rubber trimmed away easily win a single edged razor blade and the problem was fixed. I like to use chlorine-based toilet freshener tablets in my toilet tanks and I think these may attack the rubber of the seal and make it swell.
This is a case that dictates you replace the flapper.
First check that the toilet flapper is in good condition and the sealing surface between the flapper and toilet valve is clean and not damaged. Try cleaning the sealing surface to see if this makes a difference.
It is quite normal for the toilet flapper to detiorate with time and require replacement as the rubber breaks down. See this site for instruction on:
How To Replace a Toilet Flapper
http://www.danco.com/HowTo/How-To-Replace-a-Toilet-Flapper
You can find a Eljer retail location by using the on-line search function here:
http://www.eljer.com/dealers.aspx
However you may be best served by simply removing your toilet flapper and taking it to your nearest plumbing supply store to find a suitable universal replacement.
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