[Ildon]

So after many misadventures helping to get my mom's kitchen sink fixed, she's now brought it to my attention that her toilet has an issue as well that she would like to see fixed.

I had a look at it and I'm not sure what the cause is. The fill valve usually has a healthy level of noise going when water runs through it, with an equally vigorous spray going through the attached tube into the overflow tube.

Now, the water noise is very weak and no water at all is going through the tube toward the overflow. I popped off the cap from the top of the fill valve to see if it was anything obvious, and all I noticed is that there's an angry fizzing of water hissing up around the plastic assembly just beneath there.

Additionally, there's a very weak trickle of water dribbling outward from around where the arm for the floater attaches to the column. I've never seen water coming from there before and it appears to be some sort of leakage in nature.

Any hints or advice? I could just cut the water and replace the entire valve, but if it's possible to save a buck, I'm all for putting work into it. I just need to know what to look for and/or try.

Thank you in advance for whatever help might be provided here.

[afaroo]

It sounds like you have a Fluidmaster fill valve, and you said you removed the cap, now let’s try it one more time, close the angle valve under the tank, remove the cap, put your hand on top of the fill valve, open the angle valve see if the water flows good, if it does put the cap on and try if the problem is fixed, if no flow, try to disconnect the supply line at the bottom of the fill valve and try if water flows good need to replace the fill vale they are cheap it would not make you bankrupt , if no flow you have problem with the supply line or the angle valve, good luck.

John

[speedball1]

Great Post John.
Hey lldon, If you have no flow from the ballcock it might be a bad seal.
Purchase a FluidMaster Seal #242 and replace the seal following the image john put up. Good luck, Tom

[Ildon]

It is indeed a Fluidmaster fill valve. At least, according to the cap (which may or may not have accidentally been forgotten in my pocket and stowed away on my trip home with me) it is. I'm heading over there now to check it out and I'll try what you guys recommended. More to come! Thanks for the help.

Wow. The thing ate my long, detailed reply, claiming that the token had expired. Awful. I'll repost something more terse so as to avoid making the impatient board cry again.

The disassembly process was different than expected. I had to detach a pin securing the arm to the floater to the fill valve, as it was impossible to manipulate the piece at all with that in the way, being that it attached directly atop it.

Once it was freed, I still couldn't just lift anything away. Plastic locking tabs had to be lifted so that the entire thing could be twisted about 90 degrees, which then allowed it to be pried upward and away, revealing a rubber-coated underside and the cross-shaped plastic assembly down in the column that can be seen in the second photograph above.

Turning the water back on, there was a very healthy flow of water upward through the column and exiting where the now-removed seal had been. Very healthy, at that. Made a bit of a mess due to not expecting it to be so strong.

Anyway, I reassembled the whole deal after cutting the water off again. Turned it on and at first everything seemed to be fixed. The flow sounded strong once again and there was a vigorous spray of water through the rubber tube over into the overflow tube.

Gave it a second flush after it filled, just to be sure, and the problems were back again. Flow was much weaker-sounding, fizzling up around the plastic seal assembly I'd just put back into place, as well as dribbling out from around the base of the arm supporting the floater. This trickle appears to be all that gets the tank filled now, although it takes about half an hour at such a weak rate.

Being that the disassembling was different than expected, are we still sure that it's a FluidMaster Seal #242 that I want? I'm going to go out and try to find something tomorrow. If there's any doubt, I can head back over to her place first and take some pictures of the whole thing with my phone, although the resolution is pretty poor and they won't look nice at all.

Otherwise, I'll pick up the part named here and see if that fits the bill. I'll report back in afterward.

Thanks again, guys.

[afaroo]

Hello Ildon,

I would suggest to replace the whole fluidmater fill valve see the image, they are cheap and easy to replace , Thaks.

[Ildon]

Hello Ildon,

I would suggest to repalce the whole fluidmater fill valve see the image, they are cheap and easy to replace , Thaks.

I'll stop in at Lowe's or Home Depot and see if they sell the kit then. Will I need any special tools or some sort of goop/putty for the installation?

[Fr_Chuck]

No special tools, a nice larger pair of pliers will do the job. Make sure you hold the unit when you losen the nut on bottom.

Turn off the water and flush to empty tank as much as possible. Replacing the entire part is very easy and fast.

I am sure they make a nice speical tool to fit under in tight area but you can do it without one.

[Ildon]

I thought you folks might want to know that, thanks to your help, I was finally able to get some time to head over and fix my mom's toilet. All is well on that front now.

I'm beginning to think that the plumbing at her place is cursed though, as I noticed that the water shut-off valve in the utility closet doesn't seem to do the trick anymore. It worked fine when I had the sink problem to take care of, but for the toilet problem, it seems that there's still a bit of water permitted through the household pipes even when the valve is tightly closed.

I'm kind of hesitant to ever touch it again, as it seems to get worse each time it's used, but that's a problem for another day. For now, thank you guys again for your assistance. You make it all look too easy and I'm grateful for the time you took to help me out with both of those problems.

(EDIT: Frustrating. It won't let me give out rep to John and Tom. I guess the rep I passed along during the sink adventure is still counting against me there. Sorry, guys. You deserve the boost!)

[afaroo]

Hello Ildon,
We do appriciate when some one come back and tell us that our advises helped and it great that if we can help, Thanks for your update.

John