I have a leaky supply tube near the shut off valve below the flush tank, near the floor. I first tried tightening the nut where the tube enters the shut off valve (that's where the leak is) which did not stop the leak. I didn't want to tighten it any more for fear of overtightening. Then I loosened it, and gently raised and looked at the end of the chrome tube. There is a brass ferrule on the end which slides a bit on the tube, up and down. Is that normal? Can the ferrule be bad? I put it back together, tightened it up again, and it still leaks, though not as bad as it first did. Where could the problem be? It just doesn't seem to be getting a snug enough seal around the tube...

Hi Quimiqua...

Before the shutoff breaks due to overtightening or something like that I would resommend that you simply go out and purchase a new FLEXIBLE BRAIDED TOILET SUPPLY HOSE. Install the new toilet supply hand tight plus a full turn or so and you can be confident that this is fixed/resolved for a good time to come.

If the shutoff leaks behind the shutoff handle after you are all done then you should just need to snug the packing nut up using a pair of pliers... hold the shutoff with one pair of poliers and tighten the packing nut with another pair of pliers.

This is the approach I would use here... ;)

Mark

Mark has put you in the right direction. In some newer plastic flush valves, the soft copper will not distort enough to seal, that's why the braided risers work so well, they have integral rubber washers. There are 2 sizes from the stop valve, 3/8 and 1/2. Take the old one to make sure it is the right size. Turn the water off, flush the toilet, put a catch pan under the riser pipe and remove it.