While I was out, for only 2 hours, my tank toilet started spraying a narrow straight stream of water out the bottom of the tank. I don't know how that is even possible, since I could find no leak in the line to the tank or the connection at the tank, nor any hole in the tank (other than the one for the line). But I saw and felt the je before I turned the water offt, and it flooded the powder room, hall, and one room of the basement.
I got a new simple metal line, like was used in the first place, but now I'm having a hard time tightening it enough to stop its dripping, and I'm not even sure if it's dripping from the valve or the tank connection.
Plus I bent the vale handle with the pliers trying to turn the water off at the toilet, so I thought I'd replace the valve. A guy shopping said he didn't trust compression fittings, and recommended a push on valve by the same company, Brassworks?. How could a push-on valve possibly work well? Plus I don't trust the compression fittings either, compared to solder. There is a wall next to the toilet, not much room, what would you use?
I recently had a similar experience. Water was leaking from bottom of tank around the fill valve fitting. No amount of re-tightening or new washers would stop it. Took 2 days to find that a pinhole leak had appeared in the threads of the fill valve in the open area between the tank nut & washer, and the line from the shutoff valve.
More than you ever wanted to know. Sorry. I capitalized a couple good words.
Well, if I had posted here before I did so much work, I might well have replaced the valve. But the job was 90% done by then, and the question was intended in case, which seemed very possible, I'd have to take it apart and start from scratch..** But I appreciate the goid advice on the valve, and I'll use compression fittings when I start replacing them.
The fill vallve is on the left -- I guess they all are -- and when I got home, the water appeared to be jetting out from a place about an inch to the right of the valve, but jetting down and to the left. Maybe it was BOUNCING off of the lower half of the toilet. But I rushed to turn the water off, first trying to use my hand on that valve, and then to the basement, which actually worked, easily. (A bigger valve on a bigger pipe, that I use every couple years I suppose)
So I did't really see where the water was coming from. REED's seems like the best guess, and I have the old valve in front of me now, and can't see any light where it sholuldn't be. Plus it's plastic and not thin. Don't see how there could be a hole. Tomorrow I'll reassemble it, and try to turn the valve off and blow through it.
To repair the line, I wasn't sure how long to make it. The original line zig-zagged a little even though it didn't have to, and I wasn't sure whether to cut mine that way, and I cut it with only half the extra length the original one had.
Then I tightened it to the toilet hand tight, and tightened to the valve with an end wrendh. I knew how tight I made it at the valve, but wasn't sure about at the toilet, and it was a bit wet and I couldn't tighten it anymore. So -- and I know you all said not to -- I used a vise-grip to grab it gently and must have tightened at least one more turn. Still diripping, the line seemed crooked, so I hit the line it with the side of the vice-grip, and I think I straightened it out. Tightened a little more and no dripping.
I have a plastic dishpan under it, so I can see if there is any dripping.
Except when I turned on the water in the basement, it ran for 30 seconds, and yet no water in the tank. Then another 30 seconds. Thenn I went upstairs to make sure something wasn't overflowing, I'd used one toilet and it still hadn't refilled. Then another minute and another 30 seconds. Finally I notoice that, by coincidence, the flapper didn't seat on the first toilet, so all the water was running out. Once I pushed that down, the toilet was fine,
except it makes a HECK OF A LOT OF NOISE, compared to its predecessor, also a plastic thing with a cup that floats up along a plastic shaft. The new one is the Fluid-Master, adjustable height. About 25 years ago I put in a Melnor valve, and it advertised the next time no filddling with the plumbing, because the valve had a bayonet mount. So I was annoyed when no store I went to sold a matching valve (I'd forgotten the brand, but they looked different)
Well, now the valve is out of the tank and I still can't separate the bayonet mount, after 25 years. The fluid-master comes apart by pulling up a sleeve, and then pulling up the whole thing. We'll see how that works in 25 years.
**So I didn't replace the valve, and I'm daunted because I have 11 of them, I think, 2 1/2 bathrooms with hot and cold sinks valves and
I"m going to replace the handle, and after I fix my phone line and clean the kitchen, I may replace the valve. Although better yet, I'll replace the valve for the tioilet next to my bedroom, which had a worse vavle rthan this one and still needs a new filler valve.
The lines TO the shut-off valves of the toilets are chrome plated and stick almsot 6 inches out of the wall. ,
I can't seem to find a wrench that fits the body or the supply side nut, and my medium adjustable wrench can't be found, but I have a couple bicycle size adjustable wrenches if necessary.
I think there are 13 of them, counting sinks and toilets, but I'll try. Oh, two more counting the washing machine, although it doesn't seem to use such teeny valves.
Actually only the toilets use the ones with the almond-shaped handles. Why is that?
If you must use them, after opening the valve completely, close it 1/4 turn. This will give you some "wiggle" room in the future when the valve seems stuck.
Micky, you will probably have the best luck with a braided wire line like this:
They cost a bit more, but the connection is toatally different than the tube and rubber come system. We have gone to these exclusively as we change out all uses. They supposedly are less prone to bursting when you're gone on vacation or whatever.
That's what I thought, AFTER I tried to connect it**.. How much longer should a metal line be than the minimum distance? An inch or two seems to accomplish nothing.
**I had only made a new line once before, and in that case, the two valves didn't line up so I had to make it S-shaped regardless. .
Easoer tp bend, I guess.
But they don't shine? I thought in a bathroom everything was supposed to shine!
Yes, I am! How could you tell?
My computer broke -- not the hard drive but the computer -- and I thought it would be fixed in less than a week, so I used this spare computer witth the names that were in it. It's dragged on for 5 or 6 weeks now, and I don't even have time to work on the old computer.
But when I got back to the original computer, I was going to announce my secret identity. For me, having a secret idently is about as exciting as life gets.
Certainly a possibility, at least some day. I can also imagine bring alive, sick or injured, maybe unconscious, not being able to get down from the attic, for days. I put a phone in the unfinished attic for just this purpose. OTOH, all this could happen in my bedroom too, or any room.
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