Please make recommendations for Disaster Toilet


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Old 06-07-16, 03:23 PM
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Please make recommendations for Disaster Toilet

Here's a picture:
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And a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyWPJID16s4 A few things I'm worried about:

1. The sound and pulsing makes me think the fill valve just needs to be replaced.
2. The bolts on the bottom seem rusted, pieces broke off when I touched them.
3. There seems to be abnormally discolored water and stained flapper/white thing its attached to

Any recommendations? Thanks!
 
  #2  
Old 06-07-16, 04:33 PM
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Is the toilet ADA compliant in height? How old is it? Sometimes it is better to invest in newer technology than to throw money at parts, seals, nuts and bolts.
 
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Old 06-07-16, 04:35 PM
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Well the house is from '94 so it is no older than that. How can I tell if it is ADA compliant?
 
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Old 06-07-16, 04:42 PM
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The stains are from iron in the water, nothing to do with the toilet it's self.
You would need a water softener to deal with that.
There are no bolts on a fill valve.
It's about a $10.00 part and takes just a few min. to change.
 
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Old 06-07-16, 05:28 PM
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The bolts I am talking about are not on the fill valve, they are to the left and right of the flapper. Or if they are not bolts what are those? They looks like bolts that hold the back tank to the bottom/seat part of the toilet.
 
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Old 06-07-16, 05:32 PM
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The tank bolts and flush valve/flapper can be addressed later.
The important thing is checking the water pressure to the fill valve.
Valves usually chatter only when they are not receiving enough water pressure.
Remove the supply line to the toilet from under the tank, it's only hand tight. Run water into a bucket and see if you are getting full flow from the wall or floor angle stop valve.
 
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Old 06-07-16, 06:00 PM
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Sometimes that style of fill valve gets crud stuck in the valve. Turn off the water and unsnap the blue cap. Hold a bowl or cup upside down over the top of the fill valve and slowly turn the water on a small amount. Water will shoot up out of the top (which is why you hold a cup or bowl to deflect it) and flush out the valve. Turn the water back off and snap the cap back on.

The bolts that hold the tank to the bowl can easily be replaced, but unless there is a leak around them I'd just leave them be.
 
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Old 06-08-16, 04:58 PM
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I tried this suggestion and noticed something odd. While it didn't seem to clear any blockage, I found that the chatter went away when the valve is only halfway open. Could it be possible the water pressure was too high? That's sort of contrary to what you suggested but it makes some sense to me.

In any case, that's not the only problem. I've also noticed that the fill valve seems to leak a slight amount just after filling up. If I manually lift the part that floats, the leak will stop, but start again when I let go. I've tried adjusting the height of it with the screw but I don't think that is having any affect, it's only changing the amount of water that fills up.
 
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Old 06-08-16, 06:02 PM
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Not sure what you mean by leak....does it continue to let water flow into the tank or is it leaking out on to the floor?

In any case, flush valves do wear out. Often you can get replacement seals for them but most folks just replace it since they are not expensive. Flushing it is easy and free, but since it didn't help, replacement is probably in order. I can believe that partially closing the valve changes the way it acts....
 
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Old 06-09-16, 06:22 AM
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The toilet itself is not a problem. But internal parts wear out and it's not worth replacing piecemeal. Replace the whole inside and be done with it.
 
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Old 06-09-16, 06:59 AM
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The leak is not out onto the floor, just from the fill valve into the tank. And what I've realized now is that eventually that leak will raise the water level enough to close the valve completely and the leak stops. Maybe leak is not a good word to describe this, rather, it is like the fill valve has a long period at the end of filling the tank that is very slow and quiet, but does eventually finish the job.

I guess my question at this point is whether keeping the valve at the water source opened only half way to adjust the pressure is bad or not. Any reason this could be a problem?
 
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Old 06-09-16, 07:19 AM
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IMHO you should have tried the bucket test outlined in post #6. Suppose that it is your supply that is pulsating when the stop valve is fully open.
 
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Old 06-09-16, 07:32 AM
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You could try adjusting the supply valve at various levels of open until you can achieve a smooth fill. But, really Zoesdad is correct, you need to check the valve as outlined by Handyone or just buy a whole new insert.
 
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Old 06-11-16, 04:35 AM
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Ok I will try Handyone's suggestion today. How can I tell if water pressure from the wall is a full flow or not?
 
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Old 06-11-16, 10:37 AM
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Video of the fill line pressure test

I did the bucket test...it seems like the water pressure is quite high. I was surprised. When the valve is all the way open it's as strong as a garden hose. Does this seem strong enough? It also does not appear to be pulsing to me.


https://youtu.be/dzpU2LQzgRs
 
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Old 06-13-16, 03:05 PM
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Bump! Does anyone have an opinion about this? Does it seem right to leave the valve half open if that fixes my problem?
 
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Old 06-13-16, 03:26 PM
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If it were me and it fixed the problem, then so be it! What's to be concerned about? Full flow is only the flow necessary to operate or drive the needed water for the appliance to work.
 

Last edited by Norm201; 06-13-16 at 04:18 PM.
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Old 06-13-16, 03:41 PM
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I would change out the fill valve. The valve should shut off completely once the tank is full, no hissing.
Only after changing the valve would I decide if the water pressure needs reducing. Your water pressure is high or very good, but any valve should be able to handle the pressure.

Ensure the new valve is installed at the correct height. There's a critical mark on the valve that needs to be above the top of the flush valve/overflow height.
 
 

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