Replaced all the toilet flappers. More home owner crap

Read in the Readers Digest many years ago: "A person who buys a house thinks they live in the house. Actually they sleep in the house and live at the hardware store."

We bought a high end Toto toilet (highly regarded and reviewed) when we redid the master bath a few years ago. It's got a very different internal set up, no flapper and a completely different valve. I'm on my 3rd set of internals and it still leaks down and runs occasionally. And I can't just go the Home Depot and buy replacement parts. I'm not happy. I'm seriously thinking of pulling it and replacing with a nice but more normal toilet.

John

Edited for punctuation. I swear this thing changes between viewing and posting.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I just flushed one of the toilets and went out to the curb and watched that little red wheel spin. It slowed and finally stopped.

As long as that isn't moving, I am not leaking right?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. The toilet tank will fill, and it has a stop cock at the top of the fill valve. Now, if the flapper and the flapper seat are drooling, it won't be apparent until the level in the tank gets below the trigger point of the fill valve. That's when you hear the water 'run' to refill the tank. It will cycle as long as the toilet tank has a slow leak.

So, if that little red wheel stopped, that's good, but you prolly still have a problem with the toilet flapper seat. Get some 220 grit sand paper, remove the flapper, and use the sandpaper on the ledge of the seat where the flapper sits. This coned area gets a lot of calcium deposits from our hard water, and the flapper won't seat fully on there. In some cases, you need to remove the tank and replace the seat fitting at the bottom of the tank.
 
Personally I have found that it is actually cheaper to buy a low end toilet from Home Debit / Lowes, then it is to fix one..... A 2 dollar wax ring and 10 minutes of your time, swaps a toilet out.... Easy Pleasy...YMMV.
 
docmirror said:
Not necessarily. The toilet tank will fill, and it has a stop cock at the top of the fill valve. Now, if the flapper and the flapper seat are drooling, it won't be apparent until the level in the tank gets below the trigger point of the fill valve. That's when you hear the water 'run' to refill the tank. It will cycle as long as the toilet tank has a slow leak.

So, if that little red wheel stopped, that's good, but you prolly still have a problem with the toilet flapper seat. Get some 220 grit sand paper, remove the flapper, and use the sandpaper on the ledge of the seat where the flapper sits. This coned area gets a lot of calcium deposits from our hard water, and the flapper won't seat fully on there. In some cases, you need to remove the tank and replace the seat fitting at the bottom of the tank.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:
 
jsstevens said:
Read in the Readers Digest many years ago: "A person who buys a house thinks they live in the house. Actually they sleep in the house and live at the hardware store."

We bought a high end Toto toilet (highly regarded and reviewed) when we redid the master bath a few years ago. It's got a very different internal set up, no flapper and a completely different valve. I'm on my 3rd set of internals and it still leaks down and runs occasionally. And I can't just go the Home Depot and buy replacement parts. I'm not happy. I'm seriously thinking of pulling it and replacing with a nice but more normal toilet.

John

Edited for punctuation. I swear this thing changes between viewing and posting.
Click to expand...

We have some upgraded Kohler toilets that use a different mechanism - no flapper valve. They work great. Normally they're 1.3 gallons per flush, but if you think you'll need a little more flushing power, you can hold the lever down until the bowl has cleared. They're also easier to clean than the el cheapo units the builder put it. They were about $200 at Homer's place.

As a total aside, what do you suppose that plumbing fixture makers use to test the effectiveness of their toilets? Do they have artificial poop, kind of like a crash test dummy for the plumbing world?
 
N801BH said:
Personally I have found that it is actually cheaper to buy a low end toilet from Home Debit / Lowes, then it is to fix one..... A 2 dollar wax ring and 10 minutes of your time, swaps a toilet out.... Easy Pleasy...YMMV.
Click to expand...

plus you may end up with a more efficient toilet (gallons per flush) depending on what you currently have and what you buy.
 
FormerHangie said:
We have some upgraded Kohler toilets that use a different mechanism - no flapper valve. They work great. Normally they're 1.3 gallons per flush, but if you think you'll need a little more flushing power, you can hold the lever down until the bowl has cleared. They're also easier to clean than the el cheapo units the builder put it. They were about $200 at Homer's place.

As a total aside, what do you suppose that plumbing fixture makers use to test the effectiveness of their toilets? Do they have artificial poop, kind of like a crash test dummy for the plumbing world?
Click to expand...

Among other things, they use golf balls. No, really!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
docmirror said:
Not necessarily. The toilet tank will fill, and it has a stop cock at the top of the fill valve. Now, if the flapper and the flapper seat are drooling, it won't be apparent until the level in the tank gets below the trigger point of the fill valve. That's when you hear the water 'run' to refill the tank. It will cycle as long as the toilet tank has a slow leak.

So, if that little red wheel stopped, that's good, but you prolly still have a problem with the toilet flapper seat. Get some 220 grit sand paper, remove the flapper, and use the sandpaper on the ledge of the seat where the flapper sits. This coned area gets a lot of calcium deposits from our hard water, and the flapper won't seat fully on there. In some cases, you need to remove the tank and replace the seat fitting at the bottom of the tank.
Click to expand...

I just turn off the water, flush to drain it, dump half a bottle of Hydrochloric Acid in the tank until the scale is foamed away.
 
This is 6PC. I will not be responsible for what happens if he handles HCl(even though he prolly has a jug out by the pool).
 
docmirror said:
This is 6PC. I will not be responsible for what happens if he handles HCl(even though he prolly has a jug out by the pool).
Click to expand...

The next installment of " As The Prop Turns" is going to be a best seller... And a movie to follow...:yes:.....:D
 
There are times I consider just getting in my flivver with a bag of tools and driving over there. It would be faster all around. :yesnod:

If the little mrs had a fresh pie, I'd be on my way.




mmmmmmmmm --- pie....
 
maybe that kid you thought was living in the attic is using water when your not home?
 
I installed 3 Kohler power assisted flushers back in 2000. I have not had to do one repair on them. Clean them occassionally as the high velocity water does most of the cleaning. We used a plunger less than 10 times.
 
FormerHangie said:
...SNIP...As a total aside, what do you suppose that plumbing fixture makers use to test the effectiveness of their toilets? Do they have artificial poop, kind of like a crash test dummy for the plumbing world?
Click to expand...
I suspect they use their kids' toys like my kid did when he was 3. Or the mouse I found one day. Or the snake on another day. Cold water flat in an old three family. At least the toilet didn't spew all over the house.
I installed flowmaster innards when my toilet started acting up. Took me two weeks to get it right. I HATE plumbing! And innards is such an easy task.
 
RV10flyer said:
I installed 3 Kohler power assisted flushers back in 2000. I have not had to do one repair on them. Clean them occassionally as the high velocity water does most of the cleaning. We used a plunger less than 10 times.
Click to expand...

I got a similar Kohler with the two levers. One is green for number one, and the other is silver for number two. So far, I really like it.
 
silver-eagle said:
I suspect they use their kids' toys like my kid did when he was 3. Or the mouse I found one day. Or the snake on another day. Cold water flat in an old three family. At least the toilet didn't spew all over the house.
I installed flowmaster innards when my toilet started acting up. Took me two weeks to get it right. I HATE plumbing! And innards is such an easy task.
Click to expand...

Bean curd....... saw it on one of those cable shows.....
 
FormerHangie said:
The flapper valves should not leak. Check the condition of the surface the flappers seal against. They may be goopy or eroded.
Click to expand...

This.

If you replaced flappers, the seals are gone...there are "place over " seals you can buy that go in very quickly and with no real effort...but they are terribly expensive...:D:D:D
 
RV10flyer said:
I installed 3 Kohler power assisted flushers back in 2000. I have not had to do one repair on them. Clean them occassionally as the high velocity water does most of the cleaning. We used a plunger less than 10 times.
Click to expand...
Same at our home, always something. Replaced them last year with new kohlers........amazing! No plunger, use less water. Really big worthwhile improvement. !!
 
Geico266 said:
Reinvesting some bucks back into an appreciating asset is not a bad thing. ;)

Next, replace the toilet valve seals, or better yet replace the whole valve. Use Fluidmaster. ;)
Click to expand...

Fix the problem...which 6PC has stated is pressure regulator based on plumbers diagnosis. Is it a 600 dollar problem??? Nope..Less than 150 and some time.

Dont fix stuff that ain't broke....even on an appreciating asset.
 
Geico266 said:
Reinvesting some bucks back into an appreciating asset is not a bad thing. ;)

Next, replace the toilet valve seals, or better yet replace the whole valve. Use Fluidmaster. ;)
Click to expand...
This brings up something that has aggravated me for years: Fluidmaster (and every other manufacturer of "toilet guts") makes plastic garbage.

We keep toilet guts in stock. There is rarely a week that I'm not replacing the guts of one of our 25 toilets, due to running on, leakage or noise.

I long for the days of the real brass, simple donkey-float style toilet guts. They lasted forever and were easily adjustable. My local hardware store doesn't even sell them anymore, because the plastic junk is half the price.

Sure, the new stuff is cheaper, but if you're replacing it twice as often...
 
25 fixtures.,.... You should be going to a plumbing supply house, getting good stuff.
 
My hotel is adjacent to the local island hardware store. Ain't no "plumbing supply store" here. :)
 
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