Prevent toilet fill tube from popping off - brittag/maintenance GitHub Wiki
| Aspect | Info |
|---|---|
| Context | Residence |
| Date started | 2024-11 |
| Date finished | 2024-11 |
| Status | Complete |
| Summary of outcome | Success |
Background
Eljer brand toilet, 1.6 gpf
Problem
The toilet fill tube started popping off of the overflow pipe occasionally. This was an unpleasant surprise because it made water spray out between the tank and the tank lid.
I saw that the fill tube was tucked into a little hole on the overflow pipe but didn't have a clip to hold it. A long flush lever was bumping slightly into the fill tube, but that seemed like only part of the problem. I wanted a fill tube clip but couldn't find anyone selling one by itself. I bent a paper clip into a fill tube clip as a temporary measure, which helped.
Then the toilet started to squeak when flushing. Eventually the toilet started to run by itself occasionally, even though the flapper was fine, which told me that I really needed to deal with whatever was wrong.
Approach
My friend recognized the squeak as the sound of a worn-out fill valve. The solution was to replace the fill valve. This also solved the water spray problem, because it came with a new fill tube and fill tube clip!
Steps included:
- With the tank lid off, take photos of all moving parts, including the flush handle, to help with reassembly
- Pick up a Fluidmaster "Pro" fill valve from the local Home Depot ($15), since it was similar to the old fill valve
- Follow the instructions for removing and replacing the fill valve assembly
- Take off the long flush lever (a metal one in this case), trim it with a hacksaw, sand the rough edge smooth
- Reassemble everything
The hardest part was putting it back together, because I got myself confused about how the flush handle was positioned.
Outcome
Worked! No more surprise waterfalls, screeches, ghost flushes, or rusty paperclips.
Next steps
None