How to tighten flush valve nut


  #1  
Old 06-06-17, 10:00 AM
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How to tighten flush valve nut

Hi folks,

So my two-piece Kohler toilet (#4512) was starting to leak out of the bottom of the tank near the bolts. I took the tank off, and the tank-to-bowl gasket was falling apart. Went to Home Depot (first mistake) and bought a FluidMaster (FM) kit that had the new fill valve, flush valve, bolts/washers, and gasket. Installed everything, tested it, and still leaking out of the back.

Went to the plumbing supply store, and he gave me a different gasket (not the kind that came with the FM one and not that triangle-type that you see being sold for Kohler.

This gasket is different than the FM one. With the FM one, you put the nut on the flush valve first, and THEN put on the tank-to-bowl gasket. With this other gasket from the plumbing supply, you put the gasket over the flush valve, then you seat the little friction gasket inside the gasket, then you tighten the nut over all of it. My problem is that the gasket is blocking me from getting a good grip on the nut with my channel lock pliers. It's "in the way" so to speak.

Any tips? See picture attached. Do I need a different tool or a different procedure?

Thanks!

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  #2  
Old 06-06-17, 10:12 AM
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Updated picture.....

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Old 06-06-17, 01:19 PM
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I have never seen a gasket like that. It appears to be too larger diameter to fit the hole in the bowl. All that I have seen use a rubber, squishy gasket that slips over the big nut.

 
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Old 06-06-17, 01:43 PM
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Thanks for the reply. The one you pictured below is what I originally bought, but leaked when I was done with the installation. I had always heard that Kohlers can be tricky.
 
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Old 06-07-17, 08:29 AM
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Any other thoughts on this? I can't be the only one that has run into this problem LOL. Is there another tool that exists to do this? Maybe at 2 1/2 inch socket :-)
 
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Old 06-07-17, 08:54 AM
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WHAT TOILET IS IT?

kOHLER?

Why wouldnt you use the factory kohler gasket and parts?
 
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Old 06-07-17, 09:00 AM
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That gasket you have dont go there and is either for inside the tank or for another product...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaWV4spmqs4
 
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Old 06-07-17, 09:01 AM
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Old 06-07-17, 04:20 PM
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Thanks for the videos. I actually stumbled on those two and watched them earlier. What's interesting about the video is (1) he also doesn't use the triangular Kohler gasket; (2) he doesn't show you whether or not he uses a friction gasket, which is the red gasket in my picture; (3) when he initially attached the bolts to he tank first, he doesn't use the rubber washers under the bowl. I thought that was a big no-no to have the metal washer touching the actual bowl.

When I went to the plumbing supply store, he took out the Kohler triangular gasket, and the circular gasket too. He said you don't want the Kohler one, and to use the stiffened circular gasket.

One more thing too - even if I did have the triangular kohler gasket, I would still have the same problem where the large white nut for the flush valve sits below the rubber gasket and it's not easily accessible with the wrench to tighten it.
 
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Old 06-07-17, 06:17 PM
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This is just wrong...

What kit did that come from?


[ATTACH=CONFIG]81712[/ATTACH]
 
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Last edited by lawrosa; 06-07-17 at 06:45 PM.
  #11  
Old 06-08-17, 06:46 AM
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The flush valve is a fluid master from Home Depot. Initially I used the tank to bowl gasket from that kit, but that leaked. So the black gasket that you see is from the plumbing supply store. I tightened it best I could last night, and it's not leaking anymore on the floor, but now it's doing that thing where it is mysteriously and slowly losing water into the bowl I think, because then the fill valve makes a quick noise like it's trying to catch up and then stops.
 
 

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