How long should that thing inside the toilet last?

spacejamz

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
10,837
1,489
126
It seems I am replacing these things about every 3 years...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fluidmaste...r-Kit/15788362

I have 3 toilets in the house and am on my second set of replacements in 7 years on two of them...

They don't seem to shut off right (no water is coming out but there is a slight hissing sound coming from it)...

I have gotten this brand listed...is there a more reliable brand to use?
 
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thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
3,488
412
126
I've only had to replace 1 in the last 5 years, and the house was built in 2007, so I doubt the previous owner replaced it before. IDK about brands, could it be something in the water deteriorating the part? Doubtful, but I think it's weird you're having to replace the toilet part that often.
 

Svnla

Lifer
Nov 10, 2003
17,999
1,396
126
LOL, the same darn thing is acting up (hissing and water coming out so slow) at my place now. I just shut the water off by the valve at the bottom and turn it on when I need to flush. I think mine is at least 5 years old.
 
Feb 6, 2007
16,432
1
81
You get what you pay for? $11 every 3 years really isn't that big a deal. But if it kept failing at that rate, I'd try a different brand. Go to an Ace Hardware or Lowe's or whatever and look for a fill valve that's solid enough to kill someone with.
 

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
43,537
5,945
136
You get what you pay for? $11 every 3 years really isn't that big a deal. But if it kept failing at that rate, I'd try a different brand. Go to an Ace Hardware or Lowe's or whatever and look for a fill valve that's solid enough to kill someone with.
Brass ballcock, FTW.
 
Feb 25, 2011
16,822
1,493
126
8 year old house, three toilets, two people.

Just replaced our first, with a cheapo-$5 unit. (It was making that hammering noise as it came close to closing.) There's another toilet doing the same thing intermittently, but it's not so bad that we need to hurry.
 

WilliamM2

Platinum Member
Jun 14, 2012
2,514
548
136
I have one that looks exactly like that. I used it to replace the 1975 original in 2004. Still working fine, no leaks.

We have very hard water, yet they seem to last a looooong time.
 

Legios

Senior member
Feb 12, 2013
418
0
0
Generally its just the flapper (red part) stiffening up so it doesnt seal as good. You can replace just that part and things should be good.
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,856
1,048
126
are the stock ones all generic? Meaning it doesn't matter what brand you buy - ie. Toto vs. Kohler vs. American Standard?
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,967
19
81
Actually no. However, it may have to do with the hardness of your water and if you're using any chemicals(like bleach tabs in the water tank).

QFT, in one apartment these things failed like twice a year.

In my home, I haven't needed to replace any of them since I moved in and re-did the toilets with dual flush type set ups. That's been 4+ years now.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
2,319
284
126
What you linked to is a set of two valves - a fill valve and a flap valve. You can buy each separately, and of course there are other brands of slightly different designs. But my main point is, you don't need to replace the entire thing. However, you do need to select and install a valve in each location that can be disassembled so that you can replace the most common part that wears out.

First, the large fill valve. By FAR the most common problem with these is that a little rubber disk inside the top part wears out. At first, sometimes you can get it to work again simply by changing the setting of the float that senses the water level. The valve should stop filling the tank when the level is BELOW the top of the overflow tube about 1". But once the inner disk wears out you can't solve that way - you have to take apart the top assembly and remove the rubber disk (often mounted in a little plastic plunger shaft) and replace it with a new one. (In some cases, if you're lucky you can take out the disk, turn it over and put it back in the plunger. The new surface will work just fine for a few more years.) By the way, it is NORMAL when you replace the rubber disk that the new one will deform itself to fit the inner parts of the fill valve, and start to leak in a week or two so that the tank keeps on overflowing the central tube. THIS is really when you can fix that by re-adjusting the float setting to make it shut off at a lower tank level.

If there's no clear simple way to take apart the top of your fill valve, you can buy a different design and install it. Maybe buy a spare disk / plunger part in the store at the same time. Then NEXT time you can make this simpler repair. I'm more accustomed to the older valve design with a brass rod and float stuck out the side to sens tank level.

Now, the small flap valve. It's the one that the handle lifts to let water flow from the tank to the bowl. The one shown has a collar that slides down over the overflow tube, and a holder that supports the red rubber valve seal. When this valve fails, the problem is that the tank will fill and then stop filling normally, but then water will leak past this valve slowly, lowering the tank level until the fill valve opens up briefly to refill the tank. The most common cause is that the runner flap part becomes dirty or stiff. You can buy replacement flaps only for most such valves. If you can't get one for your flap valve, buy a different design that has a flap easy to replace, and a spare flap. The other possibility - less common, but it does happen eventually - is that the hard circular base of the flap valve - that is, the edge of the hole down to the bowl - erodes and becomes so uneven that the rubber flap can't seal against it. That is when you have to replace the part UNDER the flap.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,890
642
126
As was said, it's your water that's doing them in. I just rebuilt both toilets in our condo with these. http://www.korky.com/?p=Product&i=111 What I really like about them is that there is no hissing sound as the water slowly reaches the correct level. It fills the tank and shuts right off and it fills the tank very quickly. There are three paths built into it for filling the tank.
 

Carson Dyle

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2012
8,174
524
126
Generally its just the flapper (red part) stiffening up so it doesnt seal as good. You can replace just that part and things should be good.

This.

The ones that slide down over the overflow tube can also rotate a couple of degrees over time, so they need to be rotated back into position every once in a while. The filler valves, no matter how cheap, should last more than three years.
 

spacejamz

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
10,837
1,489
126
found the problem



may as well replace all three of these toilet water supply valves while the water is shutoff...

Hope I dont' regret not doing the ones under the sink (5 sinks x 2 supply valves = too much work)...
 
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boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,890
642
126
found the problem

may as well replace all three of these toilet water supply valves while the water is shutoff...

Hope I dont' regret not doing the ones under the sink (5 sinks x 2 supply valves = too much work)...

Uh, I don't see how that is going to stop the hissing sound. You've found a secondary problem you didn't know you had. That's a damaged neoprene seal that could have caused a leak on the floor or not allowed you to turn off the water to the fill valve in the tank, not an internal leak in the toilet tank which is causing the hissing sound. Replace that one if you can't get a new seal but replacing them all is not necessary.
 

Blanky

Platinum Member
Oct 18, 2014
2,457
12
46
I've been "fixing" one of mine for about five years (the others are fine). Even when the float is in the up position there is still a tiny hiss due to obviously a questionable seal. I have fixed it again recently by putting a block of foam under the float, thus raising it up more forcefully, and pushes the plunger down and stops the hissing. I enjoy fixing stuff that doesn't need to be replaced if possible.
 

bryanl

Golden Member
Oct 15, 2006
1,157
8
81
I typically get almost 10 years from Fluidmaster 400A flush valves and 5 years from flapper valves. Most flappers are now made of vinyl, even most black ones, and vinyl toughens over time and permanently warps or develops an indentation from pressing against the drain seat. Rubber flappers don't do that but develop rubber powder that can be scrubbed off (messy) to restore the seal. Rubber flappers are more likely to break where the chain attaches.
 

Scarpozzi

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
26,389
1,778
126
I replaced my toilets 5 years ago (when I first moved in) to the cannister valve kind by Kohler:



There's a small gasket at the bottom of the valve seat. They need to be replaced about every 5 years.... I've had one unit leak a little, but it's not been near as bad as the flapper design. Between the weight/balance design of the traditional flapper failing and the float design, I think the cannister style is definitely the way to go.

I've had bad luck with the old style for years....they always seem to need adjustment or replacement.
 
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