Two themes for today's posting:

1. Ace Hardware is a good place to shop
2. You can actually get replacement parts for toilet fill valves

Customer has a low-flush toilet that was running. Problem turned out to
be the fill valve, which was very flaky. Called a couple places: the
"real" plumbing supply place said "Sure, we have replacements for those
Toto fill valves"; more than $30 and, oddly, not adjustable. The nearby
Ace said they had a replacement "quiet fill" valve that *might* work,
but they weren't sure.

So I trucked on over to Ace with the old valve, and sure 'nuf, the
replacements they had looked exactly like mine. I grabbed the package
and headed out, then bumped into the guy I'd spoken to over the phone to
show him they were identical. He told me I could also get just the fill
valve (the plastic package I had also had a replacement flapper, which I
didn't need). Then he tells me for next time, you can get just the
replacement valve body, which was completely news to me.

He ended up taking my fill valve to his little work counter where we
took it apart to see if the valve would fit; it did. So instead of
paying $30+ for a new fill valve, instead of $12 for a new fill valve,
it was less than 3 bucks for just the part that had gone bad. (It worked
fine after taking it back and replacing it.)

My hat is off to that manufacturer who actually makes a replacement part
for a plastic item that I've gotten used to just tossing out. How quaint
and early-20th-century is that? And to Ace for having knowledgeable and
resourceful people working there.


--
Personally, I like Vista, but I probably won't use it. I like it
because it generates considerable business for me in consulting and
upgrades. As long as there is hardware and software out there that
doesn't work, I stay in business. Incidentally, my company motto is
"If this stuff worked, you wouldn't need me".

- lifted from sci.electronics.repair