I've got something to post that I don't hate. In fact it makes me happy. But it requires talking about fixing toilets.
I've got a bathroom upstairs, in the hallway, that rarely gets used. But the house will be full Thanksgiving week. That bathroom's toilet keeps running after you flush it. The flush valve (the flapper) closes OK, but the fill valve doesn't shut off when the tank fills. Water runs down the vertical pipe in the tank. So I shut off the water to it. I've known about it for weeks, but ignored it until yesterday. My wife (who apparently likes thinking about toilets more than me) reminded me yesterday to fix it, or she would call a plumber
.
I moved into this house when it was new, a bit more than 25 years ago. Within a few months I replaced the fill valve and flappers on all 3 toilets. I installed
Fluidmaster replacements, the
400A fill valves and
standard red silicone rubber flappers. I've had little or no problems with them, and I highly recommend them. They're simple to install and work much better than the old type of toilet innards. A while later, I bought 3 or 4 replacement flappers, and
replacement seals (part #242) for the fill valve. I stashed them in the back of closet upstairs, and on rare occasions I had to replace a flapper.
Yesterday, the toilet in question needed a new seal for the fill valve. I had forgotten I had a handful of them until I rummaged in that closet. It took me more time to find the parts in the back of the closet than it did to take out the old original seal and pop in the new one. An easy fix! No problems! The Fluidmaster fill valve has lasted 25 years and only once needed a cheap (now costs $2.75) repair. Sometimes life is good
.
