WC tank filler mechanism: Fluidmaster Pro Bottom Entry Fill Valve

[Andy Burns]

yep :-)

[The Medway Handyman]

Much!

[The Natural Philosopher]

Totally flabbergasting! Will investigate...

(Anyone else having problems with the code page used in my postings?)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Does this look better, Andrew?!

[The Natural Philosopher]

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

[David WE Roberts]

I presume the message is coming up as intended here because Windows Mail defaults to a standard character set if it doesn't have the correct one. And doesn't tell you.

[Andy Burns]

Yes, that's why I mentioned it, thunderbird (along with several other newsreaders) takes the source charset into account when composing a reply and defaults to the same charset.

[Maurice Batey]

Well, yes and no (see below)...

You were so right!

Although for composing messages to post, I almost never use the newsreader's Composer - preferring the full-blown Linux editor Kwrite (whch *is* configured to use UTF-8) - I occasionally (for short postings) use the newsreader's Composer, and it was with the code settings here that things had gone awry, because the code set had somehow - in the last few days - got set to that 'iso-2022-jp'! How that happened I do not know. It was not a conscious act on my part, as I had never heard of that code set, and had also forgotten the existence of the Composer option to change it.

So, thank you, Andrew, for putting your hand up and thus allowing me to correct this bizarre screw up...

[Maurice Batey]

Thanks, Les - and I learned a new acronym. :-)

[Maurice Batey]

Under the tank is a short copper pipe projecting through the bottom of the tank. (When I say short, I mean there is only a gap of around 2" between tank and bulkhead. Can 't get hand in...)

Inside the tank presumably, but the problem there is that the pipe coming through from underneath projects some unches into the tank, whereas I believe the Fluidmaster needs to be fitted at the bottom of the tank. So the problem that would arise for me is how to shorten that entry pipe and provide a thread for the Fluidmaster to screw onto.

That's the bit I don't undertstand. Surely the Fluidmaster can't be mounted on the end of a flexible pipe? Did you mean perhaps a flexible pipe from the outside, terminating just inside the tank?

[The Medway Handyman]

I think we need a photo.....

None of this makes sense.

[Maurice Batey]

Yikes - thanks for pointing that out!

(One has to use real adcdress when posting to Gmane, and hit the wrong button...)

[Maurice Batey]

OK - here they are:

3 are of the potential to-be-converted WC tank.

N.B. My earlier reference to 'little room under tank' refers to the WC tank that has already been converted. The above tank has more room underneath, as can be seen.

[Mike Humphrey]

The valve isn't usually "mounted" on any pipe, but supported by the cistern. There is a hole in the bottom of the cistern (once the old valve is removed). The new valve drops into this hole, then a nut goes onto the bottom end and tightens against the base of the cistern. The valve is now fixed in place, and the cistern watertight, but no water supply is connected. Then a tap connector goes onto the bottom of the valve. If the old valve had a tap connector on the end of rigid pipe, it will only fit if the new valve is exactly the same length. If not, the easiest way to deal with it is to cut off the tap connector and a bit of the supply pipe, then attach a flexible tap connector.

Mike

[Mike Humphrey]

That looks pretty standard. So, you need to turn off the water (I don't see an isolating valve, so you may have to turn off the mains supply) and empty the cistern. Unscrew the tap connector (the nut that screws the copper pipe to the plastic base of the valve) and the pipe will be disconnected. Undo the plastic nut that holds the valve to the cistern base, and the old valve should lift out. Drop the new one in its place and do up the plastic nut. At this point I would try pouring some water into the cistern to make sure it's watertight before going any further.

Then you need to conenct the water. You have three options:

1) Use the tap connector that's already there - but you should really replace the washer. This will work if the new valve is the same length as the old one, but if not then the connector may not reach. 2) Alter the pipework to make the connector reach. A lot of effort compared to option 3. 3) Use a flexible connector. You need to cut the water pipe to the left of the elbow, at a point where the flexible connector will reach the valve in a smooth curve without any kinks. Clean the paint off and attach the flexible connector to the pipe (with a compression joint), then screw the other end onto the valve. You may want to add an isolating valve if there isn't one already. You can get flexible tap connectors with screwdriver-operated valves built in, but these tend to stop working after a while - I would use a separate lever valve.

Mike

[Maurice Batey]

That's what's puzzling me. I had assumed tnat when the new valve has been fixed in place, it is at that point connected to the water supply that had been feeding the old valve!

Looks as though I shall have to leave this for the plumber...

[Maurice Batey]

But if the new valve is now fixed in place at the bottom of the tank (at the point where the mains feed comes in) , how does one then put a connector onto the bottom of it?

I think I'm going to have to buy another valve so I can get take a good look at the mechanism's layout...