Toilet fill valves leaking

[jwwing]

My home was built in 2006 and has 2.5 bathrooms. When I first moved in, there was some trouble with the levels of the toilet tanks. I adjusted them and they worked ok (all three of them use float-type valves). sometime after that happened I noticed that the pressure of the water was bulging my garden hoses so I checked the pressure and found it to be 100 psi. I talked to the municipal water supplier and they installed a regulator to reduce the pressure to about 75 psi I think. I checked it at 65 psi then. Lately, one of the float systems on the toilet tanks began to overflow the standpipe. I tried adjusting it, but was not successful. So thinking that all of these floats were probably wearing out, I purchased new units - the low profile, fast filling, quiet pilot valve type. I installed them and they were perfect, but an hour later they were overflowing the standpipes on all three toilets. I tried adjusting the levels to much lower than it should be (2 inches below the top of the standpipe) but in a little over an hour they are overflowing. I contacted the seller who wrote back that it sounded like the pressure was too high. I measured the pressure at 70 psi. That is pretty high, but the float-type of valve seems to shut it off ok (FYI, I have another toilet in my shop on the same system that has no trouble with that pressure. The house toilets are all older by about a year and the shop one gets only a small portion of the use as the house toilets.) Are these pilot valves faulty? Or what should I do?

 

[majakdragon]

Weird problem. I would suggest replacing one of the fill-valves with a Fluidmaster 400A valve. Less than $10 and comes with easy to read installation instructions. See if that solves the problem, and if so, you can replace the other units valves.

 

[jwwing]

I have since been credited with the costs of the first three and have received and installed three float-type valves to replace them (MJSI HC660). Now, the one that was overflowing originally is leaking badly. If I shut the new valve off, it dumps the water in a couple of hours. I replaced the flapper with one I had around for 20 years, but seemed to be ok, but it still leaks.

So I took the tank off and replaced the seals on the tank. Still leaks. So I took a piece of RV roof sealer tape and taped over the flapper valve hole. The leak stopped. So from this I know it is leaking between the flapper and the flapper valve hole. I tried some silicone grease on the flapper - no effect. I tried holding the flapper physically in place - no help. I checked the smoothness and flatness of the flap's valve hole - I can see nothing unusual or out of flat, no nicks, etc. Yet when the RV tape was on it, the leak stopped. When removed the tape did not have any unusual impression. So - I think I am going to buy a flapper for it and try that, but I doubt it will fix it. But what else could it be - should I remove the entire standpipe and flapper with a new one?

BTW the leakage means that the leak probably wore out the original fill valve and that the new pilot valves I bought were leaking so much that they overcame this horrendous leakage and still overflowed the standpipe! That is a lot of water each day!

 

[havasu]

I've replaced some flappers that had worn out. I would replace them and make sure you have plenty of slack in the chain. The water pressure should be enough to seal the hole and if it doesn't, it is possible you will have to replace the entire standpipe.

 

[jwwing]

I have temporarily resolved the problem by swapping the flapper from another toilet and putting the "new" one on that toilet. This appears to have "fixed" the problem at least both have not leaked over night. Thanks for your help with this.