Help a computer geek fix his toilet

[salvorhardin]

So a few days ago my toilet started running continously. I took the cover off the tank and the floaty ball was... floating all by itself in the middle of the tank. Where the floaty ball screws onto the floaty ball rod the floaty ball was cracked. At first I resorted to the old standby -- duck tape. However this only worked for about two flushes as eventually the floaty ball cracked even further, beyond the meager hopes of duck tape.

So... I turned off the water and... ignored it for a few days. Isn't that what buckets of water kept next to your toilet are for anyway?

Today I went to the hardware store and the nice man there in deference to my obvious ignorance on all things plumbed gave me a shiny new black plastic floaty ball for only $2.19 + tax. I drove home and bounded up the two very steep flights of stairs to my apartment in my excitement to have my shiny new black plastic floaty ball make intimate friends with Mr. Rod. Mind you, this is not something you see a fat man doing everyday. In fact, you would not have seen it today either, but believe me -- in my mind I bounded.

Breathlessly arriving at my apartment door (literally) I turned the key and flung the door wide in eager anticipation of a toilet that flushed, filled and stopped as is the natural way of toilets everywhere. I screwed tight the new floaty ball and then turned on the water. Perfect so far.

My joy soon turned to sorrow however when the floaty ball floated in exactly the same way that bricks don't (Douglas Adams is dead so I feel no need to not abuse his best lines). Dejectedly staring into the tank I saw that the little rubber stopper was suspended about a quarter of an inch above the very hole it was intended to stop thus preventing the fill part of the flush and fill cycle.

Fiddling around for a bit I tried to make the stopper actually stop when all of a sudden the overflow pipe that it once so playfully rode up and down upon broke off. Knowing when I'm beat I replaced the tank lid and the bucket of water resumed its' rightful place next to the toilet.

So there's my dilemma. Are toilet tank overflow pipes replaceable? Can I get a slightly smaller overflow pipe (perhaps plastic) that can be inserted into the stump of the old overflow pipe? Is it really an overflow pipe? It doesn't seem to come out of the underside of the tank. Should I just give up and call a plumber? Help!

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[salvorhardin]

3. Where's the fun in that?

Besides, then she'd call a plumber and I'd be flush impaired for several weeks.

[Metatron]

Here are a couple of web sites

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/Detailed/10110.shtml

http://www.toiletology.com/index.shtml

[The Sushi Bandit]

2. 2 words... Cherry Bomb

It always worked in High School!

[tridim]

4. Everything is replaceable on a toilet

Go to Home Depot and get a "toilet repair kit". You'll get a new valve, a stopper, some chain, a drain pipe and various other washers. It's not really all that hard to fix on the relative scale of home repair. Just read the directions. :)

[VOX]

6. Try anywhere but a Home Depot if possible...BIG BushCo supporter.

And they're obnoxiously up-front about it.

[salvorhardin]

7. I'd do the local ACE hardware anyway

since they're locally owned and only 13 miles away whereas Home Depot is 60 miles away. I don't even hold it against them (local ACE) that they're owned by one of the crappiest history teachers (retired) that my school ever saw.

[VOX]

5. Everything inside that toilet tank is replaceable...

But, hell yeah, tell your apt. manager -- a plumber or handyman who has all the correct tank-parts can pull that crapper together in less time than it takes you to use it!

Keep flushing -- :toast: :)

[many a good man]

8. Go for the kit, dude

You need a whole new assembly now. The new kit will kick ass. The only hard part (sometimes) is making the flapper make a nice seal in its new seat.

Turn off the water to the toilet (turn the little handle by the line that goes into the wall behind the throne -- DON'T break it!!!). Flush it dry so you can work. You may need to bail out what's left in the tank.

Unscrew the big long thingy and replace it. You don't have to read the directions, just glance at the pictures if you get lost. Put in the new flapper seat and line up the flapper so it falls down straight. Hopefully it'll make a good seal once the water presses down on it. Stick the thin little tube down the escape hatch.

Turn the water back on and flush away. Your self-satisfaction and $100 saved will require an elaborate celebration. Don't hold yourself back!

[salvorhardin]

9. Thanks!

Now that's my kind of answer! Why bother with all the hassle of picking up the phone and calling the landlady when I can totally mess up something I've never done before!

The only thing that's got me worried though, is the thing that's labelled an overflow pipe on every flusher diagram in the world broke off. It appears to be a clean break (no jagged edges) but... To me it seems like it's not actually an overflow pipe but just something that the stopper rides up and down on all day long.

[many a good man]

10. Yer welcome. I used to do technical writing!

But I was too good (people could actually understand me).

You'll get a new overflow pipe in the kit. As long as you can unscrew the old one you'll be in good shape. It will now be the thing that tells the water when to shut off. Much more effective than the old floater.

Floaters and flappers! I love bathroom talk! Unfortunately the new kits no longer contain ballcocks.

[miss_kitty]

11. that overflow thing breaking-i was going to warn you about that

i had to call a friend and ask him to do a crappy solder/braizing thing-i wanted it to be bad cause i hated my landlord and was moving. he obliged...and i am talking about the 3/4" (?) pipe that gets water shot into it by a teeny pipe AND overflow in the tank goes into...makes that 'running' sound...

[salvorhardin]

12. Now you tell me. :-)

Yeah, morbid curiosity over took me and I just looked again. It looks like it broke off at the third or fourth thread on the screwy part of the pipe. *sigh* I'm thinking I'm not getting out of this one easy. Oh well.

[Steven_S]

13. I'm probably DU's only plumber....

If you broke off the overflow tube (O-tube) you must make sure the threaded piece is extracted from the flush valve.

With a very small screwdriver try to push down on the broken off piece to separate it from the rest. Wire brush it when you're done to get all the crap out of the threads. Try not to damage the threads or you will need to replace the whole flush valve.

Get a replacement o-tube that is the same size; bring the old one with you - there are two sizes in use today.

Put thread compound or teflon tape on the male threads or it might leak.

Get a new float valve and supply tube - the flexible kind. If they have FluidMaster 400A get it; it's a nice replacement.

Get a good quality replacement on the tank ball. If you have lift rods replace them. If you have the flapper style with the ring that goes around the o-tube then use that.

If I have to come out there tonight and fix it it's going to cost you a bundle. :)

Good luck.

[short bus president]

14. don't forget your anti-static wristband

it's a proven fact that static electricity in the human hand causes sphincter hairs to stand erect, thus increasing the odds of an unpleasant dingleberry accumulation with wiping.