I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.
Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to. It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up. Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.

On Jul 19, 7:41 pm, Joe wrote:
I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.
Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to. It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up. Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.

You could get a toilet supply line that has the correct size fitting
for the supply valve on one end and a female pipe thread on the
other. Install a plug on the female pipe thread end and connect the
hose to the leaking valve. I would consider replacing at least the
toilet supply valve and the main valve. Some time in the future you
will probably need to shut the water off for some reason and you won't
be able to.

Eric9822 wrote:
On Jul 19, 7:41 pm, Joe wrote:

I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.
Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to. It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up. Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.


You could get a toilet supply line that has the correct size fitting
for the supply valve on one end and a female pipe thread on the
other. Install a plug on the female pipe thread end and connect the
hose to the leaking valve.

Uhhh.....female pipe thread and male hose thread will not connect.

Not sure what you mean by a "plug". To me a "plug" is solid.

There are PVC pieces with pipe thread on one end and hose thread on the
other.
Usually they come in diameters way up near 1 inch.

Never seen one with a 3/8 FPT x 3/4MHT or 7/8 MHT.

Are you thinking of something like that?


I would consider replacing at least the
toilet supply valve and the main valve. Some time in the future you
will probably need to shut the water off for some reason and you won't
be able to.

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 02:41:54 -0000, Joe wrote:

I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago.

I don't think you mean "flapper gasket", just "flapper".

I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally.

You could put vice-grips on most handles and that will enable you to
tighten it more. That's what I have to do on one toilet. I put the
vice-grips on with the handle pointing awaay from the wall, since they
don't fit parallel to the wall, but it's still plenty of help.

So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.

You can solve most of that by turning on many or all of the faucets in
the house.

Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to.

That's called the ball cock.

It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off

I've never seen one where you have to take the tank off. Look at it
again. You undo a nut around the supply tube and separate the tube
from the toilet/ball cock**. Then you loosen and remove the big nut
right above where the supply tube/pipe was and remove the ball cock
from above.

**If there is still water coming out of the supply pipe/tube at this
point, you'll probably know before you remove it. But you can put a
dishpan under that side of the tank, and you can probably buy three
feet of rubber or maybe vinyl hose that you can slip over the supply
tube and put the other end in the toilet. Don't forget that the tube
is flared at the end so it's about a quarter inch greater in diameter
than the rest of the tube. Rubber stretches more than vinyl, but
maybe buy 5 feet instead of 3 and run the tubing you buy two feet up
the supply pipe/tubing and just tape it on there where it will
probably still be dry. Then put the other end in the toilet.

so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up.

AFAIK almost everyone replaces the ball cock with a Fluidmaster, that
you can buy in advance. The advantage of this is that it has a
bayonet mount, as in camera lenses, and the next time it fails, it can
be removed from above and replaced in about 10 seconds. (That is, if
they haven't changed the mounting, and so far they've changed it twice
for me in 24 years, so I haven't had the benefit of quick change. But
I know they've had reasons, and maybe they are done now. I think I'm
only on my 5th or 6th one for 3 toilets in 24 years, with the second
set this yearso that's only one every 12 years. That also means they
only changed the design every 12 years.

The disadvantage seems to be that they fail sooner, but I might not be
in a postition to judge, since I've lived here for 24 years, and I
only lived in two other places that had ball cocks, one from age zero
to 10, and I was only paying attention from age 5 on, and one from
ages 10 to 17. They were still brass then, but it's only 7 years
instead of 24.

Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.

The valve? Aren't you removing the valve? Do you mean the tube/pipe?
The tube won't fit a garden hose. I don't see how a hose clamp will
help. Even the small diameter garden hose I don't think you won't be
able to clamp down enough, in fact barely at all.

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 02:41:54 -0000, Joe wrote:

I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to

One more thing. Normally, you would move the tube that feeds the
toilet as little as possible, so that it's easy to get the tube on
straight again, like it was, and therefore easy to tighten the nut.
Although it's not so hard to straighten it if you have to, but you
will only be catching the water in the dishpan, or maybe a towel, at
this point, if it is still dripping, which I doubt.

So remember that when you are trying to slip the rubber tubing on to
the tube, and don't bend the tube if you can avoid it. IIRC it will
move a little without bending. That is, iirc it will bend but spring
back, as oopposed to bending and not springing back. But you can bend
it back if you have to, it's good practice.

You won't ruin it but if you do they sell new ones. If metal, bend
them around a classic coke bottle (because it has circles of many
diameters.) or around some cylinder, to avoid kinking. You don't need
a tubing bender for a few bends.

Also, the Fluidmaster comes with some extra parts, (Which are extra
depends on the toilet) and with a rubber part stuck inside another
rubber part, that have to be separated, so read the directions and
assemble the thing, the bottom part, minus the valve itself until you
are familiar with it, before you start the whole disconnecting. So it
won't take forever to reassemble when the water is running through the
tube into the toilet.

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 06:27:05 -0400, mm
wrote:

(That is, if
they haven't changed the mounting, and so far they've changed it twice
for me in 24 years, so I haven't had the benefit of quick change. But
I know they've had reasons, and maybe they are done now. I think I'm
only on my 5th or 6th one for 3 toilets in 24 years, with the second
set this yearso that's only one every 12 years. That also means they
only changed the design every 12 years.

Of course I live alone. If I lived with 3 other people, would they
only last 1/4 as long? Is it age or use that matters?

In article
. com,
Joe wrote:

I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this -

You don't need to turn off the water, just tie the float UP so no
more water comes in.

Turn the house water off as best you can and find a faucet that is lower
than the toilet and open it. IF its a slow leak one faucet should do it.
Outdoor faucets usually are lower than indoor faucets. Any leaking water
will be drained by the lower faucet and never make it to the toilet.

"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...
I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.
Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to. It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up. Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.

On Jul 19, 11:26 pm, jJim McLaughlin
wrote:
Eric9822 wrote:
On Jul 19, 7:41 pm, Joe wrote:

I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.
Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to. It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up. Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.

You could get a toilet supply line that has the correct size fitting
for the supply valve on one end and a female pipe thread on the
other. Install a plug on the female pipe thread end and connect the
hose to the leaking valve.

Uhhh.....female pipe thread and male hose thread will not connect.

Not sure what you mean by a "plug". To me a "plug" is solid.

There are PVC pieces with pipe thread on one end and hose thread on the
other.
Usually they come in diameters way up near 1 inch.

Never seen one with a 3/8 FPT x 3/4MHT or 7/8 MHT.

Are you thinking of something like that?

I would consider replacing at least the



toilet supply valve and the main valve. Some time in the future you
will probably need to shut the water off for some reason and you won't
be able to.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Your right. I meant to say male pipe thread.

Eric9822 wrote:
On Jul 19, 11:26 pm, jJim McLaughlin
wrote:

Eric9822 wrote:

On Jul 19, 7:41 pm, Joe wrote:

I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.
Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to. It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up. Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.

You could get a toilet supply line that has the correct size fitting
for the supply valve on one end and a female pipe thread on the
other. Install a plug on the female pipe thread end and connect the
hose to the leaking valve.

Uhhh.....female pipe thread and male hose thread will not connect.

Not sure what you mean by a "plug". To me a "plug" is solid.

There are PVC pieces with pipe thread on one end and hose thread on the
other.
Usually they come in diameters way up near 1 inch.

Never seen one with a 3/8 FPT x 3/4MHT or 7/8 MHT.

Are you thinking of something like that?

I would consider replacing at least the




toilet supply valve and the main valve. Some time in the future you
will probably need to shut the water off for some reason and you won't
be able to.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Your right. I meant to say male pipe thread.


Unless the toilet is in the basement, if you shut off the main and then
open the faucet in your deep sink, that should keep the water from
coming up to the toilet. then you can replace the shutoff valve too.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Jul 19, 10:41 pm, Joe wrote:
I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.
Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to. It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up. Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.

One quick piece of advice - Unless the toilet is the ONLY piece of
plumbing in your house - get the main fixed. It's kind of a "pay me
now or pay me later." And if you have any tubes running to the
plumbing fixtures always replace them with flexible tubing if at all
possible. I started doing that about 20 years ago and it sure has
payed off.

On Jul 22, 12:09 am, wrote:
On Jul 19, 10:41 pm, Joe wrote:



I noticed that water was leaking underneath my flapper gasket a couple
of days ago. I reached down to feel it and the rubber started to
disintegrate so it looks like it may have been compromised. I went to
go turn off the water underneath the toilet and suprise - that doesn't
shut the water off totally. So I'm going to have to turn off the main
to take care of this - that gives me another problem - the last time I
shut off my main a constant trickle still came out of the pipe.
Everywhere I look online seems to only give instructions on replacing
the flapper - not the valve it connects to. It seems like I'll have to
take the tank off the toilet to take the part off so that means I have
to find some way to drain the trickle coming from the pipe. It's a
little too much for just a bucket - especially since I need to take
the pieces to the store to match them up. Is it possible to connect
some kind of hose to the disconnected pipe to drain the water into the
tub or toilet while I fix the valve? My brother-in-law seem to think
the valve leading the the tank might fit a garden hose.

One quick piece of advice - Unless the toilet is the ONLY piece of
plumbing in your house - get the main fixed. It's kind of a "pay me
now or pay me later." And if you have any tubes running to the
plumbing fixtures always replace them with flexible tubing if at all
possible. I started doing that about 20 years ago and it sure has
payed off.

Yes you are correct. I've been stupid to put it off and lucky that all
of the leaks I have encountered since owning the house have been in
places where the water can drain. If a pipe bursts in the middle of
the night I'm going to be bailing water in buckets until the plumber
comes. I guess the reason I've been putting it off is because I keep
finding more and more valves that are broken and I don't know which
ones absolutely need to be fixed. Also I couldn't find a shutoff valve
for my boiler! How is that possible?

An update on the toilet: I bought a Fluidmaster flush valve
replacement kit and installed it without incident - well except I
almost cut the refill tube too short - it just makes it above the
water level. Overall a pretty simple job. I'll save fixing the water
valve for after I get the main fixed.