Plumbers construct, maintain, repair, and upgrade our sewage and water systems for our homes, stores, manufacturing facilities, restaurants, airliners, ships, etc. Our sewage and water systems are essential features of any modern kitchen and bathroom. Imagine the smelly and infectious mayhem that would break out if our toilets stopped working. The major cities would be hit the hardest due to high population density. A good plumber is a real-life super-man. I’m not being sexist. Nearly all plumbers are men.
My bathroom toilet finally wore down, thus, it created a very small leak. A very small leak over the long term adds up into a big and wasteful leak, which is really bad for southern California’s drought problems. Without any formal plumbing training, I decided to fix the leak. Thankfully, I had the power of the Internet to informally educate me. I checked out various websites and YouTube videos on how to fix toilet leaks. I also got some advice from helpful workers with professional plumbing experience at local stores such as the Home Depot. Fortunately for me, fixing a toilet leak is conceptually simple. However, the manual work is very repetitive, which leads to mental frustration and physical fatigue. In addition, the toilet is obviously a dirty place, thus, I had to clean the toilet and the surrounding floor before and during disassembly of the toilet.
I required more or less 7 days to learn the basics of toilet repair, to gather the necessary tools and toilet components, to replace the worn-out toilet components with new components, to test for leaks, to take breaks from the tedious manual labor, and to deal with other interests and hobbies. I think I am completely all done, but I will still watch for leaks over the next few days. I made lots of frustrating mistakes during my very amateurishly beginner repair, but the important thing is that I learned from my mistakes or was able to completely fix my mistakes.
The toilet has 2 main sections, the toilet seat and the toilet tank. The toilet seat connects to the floor and to the rest of your sewage system. The toilet seat also holds your butt while you urinate and/or defecate. The toilet tank connects to the upper and rear area of the toilet seat. The toilet tank takes in and holds the fresh water from the pipe that sticks out of the wall. When you flush the toilet or push down on the water-release handle, the toilet tank releases its fresh water into the toilet seat’s toilet bowl. The fresh water and gravity pushes your urine and/or feces down the toilet bowl and into the sewage system.
My toilet’s very small leak was due to the worn down internal pieces inside the toilet tank. The toilet tank’s internal pieces consist of 2 main pieces: the fill valve and the flush valve. The toilet tank has a few other interior and/or exterior pieces: the flush handle (which is both outside and inside the toilet tank), the 2 to 3 bolts (or large screws) connect the toilet tank with the toilet seat (which are both inside and outside the toilet tank), the shutoff water line (which is outside of the toilet tank), and the shutoff valve (which is outside of the toilet tank). If you look at the front side of the toilet tank (the side with the flush handle), then the fill valve is on the left side of the interior of the toilet tank and the flush valve is located at the center of the interior of the toilet tank.
The fill valve takes in fresh water from the pipe that is connected to the wall, and the fill valve distributes the fresh water to the rest of the toilet tank. Some of the fresh water replenishes the small amount of water at the bottom of the toilet seat’s toilet bowl, and this prevents stinky sewage gas from rising into your bathroom. Most of the fresh water is saved in the toilet tank for the next flush.
The fill valve has a part called the float ball or the float cup. The float ball is the older and inferior design, and the float ball is the new and better design. My toilet had the float ball, which looks like a plastic ball connected to a think metal bar that is connected to the topside of the fill valve. The float cup is an enclosed and empty container that wraps around the fill valve. Either float device moves downward when the toilet tank empties its water. The float device moves upward when the toilet tank fills with water. When the float device reaches a certain height, it creates a mechanical sequence that turns off the intake of water inside the fill valve. When the fill valve stops its water intake, the rest of the toilet tank stops filling up with water.
The flush valve has an upper part called the overflow tube and a lower part consisting of the flapper, drainage hole, locking nut, and rubber/foam gasket. The overflow tube sends excess water in the toilet tank into the toilet bowl. The overflow tube is only needed when your toilet tank’s fill valve malfunctions and sends too much water into the toilet tank. The flapper is lifted up by the flush handle in order to send water from the toilet tank down the toilet bowl. The flush handle is the lever your push downward to flush away your urine and/or feces.
In other words, the flapper covers the central hole that is located at the bottom and center area of the toilet tank. This central hole is the pathway for water to travel from the toilet tank to the upper and rear section of the toilet seat. This upper and rear section has internal waterways that travel downward to the uppermost part of the toilet bowl. This uppermost part sends water down the toilet bowl. When the toilet bowl accumulates enough water, the abundant water is forcefully pulled down by gravity. The abundant water takes your urine and/or feces downward into the public sewage system.
When you release the flush handle, the flapper falls down and covers the central hole of the toilet tank. This allows the fill valve to fill the toilet tank with water for a future flush.
The toilet tank’s central hole is surrounded by 2 to 3 holes. The central hole is much bigger than the 2 to 3 holes, because the 2 to 3 holes are designed to be penetrated by 2 to 3 bolts or large screws. The bolts connect the bottom of the toilet tank to the upper and rear portion of the toilet seat. To prevent water leaks down the bolts, each bolt uses 2 metal washers, 2 rubber washers, and 1 nut. The bolt has 2 parts: the head and the threaded body. The head is the flatter part with the minus- or plus-shaped indentation that fits with the screwdriver, and the threaded body is the long cylinder with the spiraling grooves. The head or top side of the bolt is located inside the toilet tank. Below the bolt’s head is a metal washer that has a wider diameter than the bolt’s head. Below the metal washer is the rubber washer. The rubber washer’s diameter is wider than the metal washer’s diameter.
Most of the threaded body is located outside of the toilet tank. This exterior threaded body also has a rubber washer that presses up against bottom exterior of the toilet tank. Below the rubber washer is the metal washer. Below the metal washer is the nut. You screw the nut upward from the bottom of the bolt to the upper part of the bolt.
The cross-section of each bolt setup is as follows from top to bottom: The bolt’s head, the metal washer, the rubber washer, the bottom of the toilet tank, the rubber washer, the metal washer, the nut, and most of the bolt’s threaded body. Notice how the 2 rubbers directly touch the interior and exterior of the bottom of the toilet tank. When your screw the nut upward, the nut and the bolt’s head compress the 2 metal washers. In return the 2 metal washers compress the 2 rubber washers against the toilet tank. This compression creates a water-proof seal that is gentle on the toilet tank.
Most toilet tanks and toilet seats are made of porcelain. Porcelain is strong and very hard and stiff; is resistant to stains, corrosion, and many other chemical reactions; is water-proof; could handle a wide temperature range; is shiny and beautiful; and was first invented in ancient China. Porcelain could be easily cracked and/or chipped by metal, thus, you need a rubber cushion between porcelain and metal. The rubber could be replaced by foam, plastic, or any soft material.
To prevent water-based corrosion, the bolts are brass plated and the metal washers are made of stainless steel. Brass is metal alloy based on copper and zinc. Brass is closely related to bronze, which is a metal alloy based on copper and zinc. Any metal alloy could have other elements due to intentional design and/or imperfect refinement.
Most of the bolt’s threaded body extends downward and outside of the toilet tank’s bottom. This is because the bolt’s threaded body will pass through a hole on the upper and rear portion of the toilet seat. Then you use a plastic washer and a nut to hold the bolt to the toilet seat. The plastic washer touches an overhanging rear portion of the toilet seat, and the nut pushes the plastic washer against the overhanging rear portion of the toilet seat. This is how the toilet tank is connected to the toilet seat.
Going back to the flushing design, the flush valve’s bottom portion connects to the large central hole that is at the bottom and center of the toilet tank. The flush valve has a short and tubular part that goes down and through the toilet tank’s central and large hole. The flush valve has a rubber portion that presses up against the interior of the toilet tank’s central and large hole. The rubber portion acts as a water-proof seal on the inside of the toilet tank. The flush valve’s short and tubular part extends beyond and outside of the toilet tank’s large and central hole.
The flush valve’s short and tubular part is then connected to a locking nut, which is a large and plastic nut that screws onto the exterior part of the flush valve’s short and tubular part. The locking nut firmly holds the flush valve’s bottom portion to the bottom of the toilet tank. The locking nut is then surrounded by a rubber or foam gasket. This gasket creates a water-proof seal and a cushion between the bottom of the toilet tank and the upper, rear portion of the toilet seat.
The flush valve’s short and tubular part directs water from the toilet tank down into the upper, rear portion of the toilet seat. From there, the water travels down into the toilet bowl.
I do NOT know the exact cause of my toilet’s very small leak. I am guessing the fill valve’s internal components became loose due to years of wear-and-tear. There is the possibility of mineral buildup that prevented proper mechanical motions. Anyhow, I think the fill valve was unable to fully close the water flow, thus, it caused a very small leak. The fill valve kept supplying a tiny amount of water into the toilet tank, which led to excess water accumulation inside the toilet tank. The excess water was drained by the flush valve’s overflow tube, which led to a very small leak into the toilet bowl. I tried adjusting the fill valve’s components, but the adjustments failed.
Most of the fill valve and flush valve are made of plastic, which is very durable in water. However, some components are made of rubber. Over the years, the rubber is slowly dissolved by the water, which creates structural and mechanical failures. The dissolved rubber looks like black powder that partially mixes with water. I poured out most of this crap down the bathroom sink. Then I took a few minutes to clean out the rest of the crap with wet sheets of paper towel.
During the leak repair, I repeatedly ran into certain problems. One of the earlier and recurring problems was the instruction manual for my fill valve and flush valve. The instruction manual had lots of nice pictures, but the descriptions were incomplete or poorly written. I also needed Internet sources and trial-and-error to figure out the installation. I got a dual flush system from Home Depot, and the product allows me to create a full flush for feces and a partial flush for urine or lesser waste. It should be more efficient over the long term. I usually do not flush for urine, because I’m saving water, especially for southern California’s water shortage. I urinate a couple of times for each flush to minimize the urine smell and urine stains. I clean the toilet once every 2 to 4 weeks. Anyhow, the product was called, “Next by Danco Total Repair Dual Flush Valve Water Saving Fill Valve.”
These 2 YouTube videos are generally more informative than the product’s instruction manual:
* “How To Install a Flapper-less Dual Flush System By: Everything Home TV” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe_OyOOlNG4)
* “HydroRight Product Installation” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku6stgoQv6U)
The second problem was the aforementioned product was intentionally incomplete. The product’s box does not mention this, but the instruction manual does. Fortunately, the Home Deport worker allowed me to examine the product before buying it. Otherwise, I would have bought the product, driven home, tried to install the product, figured out I needed another piece, driven back to Home Depot, bought the necessary piece, driven home again, and made a second installation attempt. The product should have come with a custom-designed flush valve. The dual-flush product has 2 main parts: (1) a fill valve and (2) basically one-half of the flush valve. The included and incomplete flush valve is a unique design that attaches and sits on top of a standard flush valve. Because I am a complete rookie for toilet repairs, I had to repeatedly drive back to the store to buy the replacement parts and tools that I needed.
To make things worse, the connection between the uniquely designed flush valve and the standard flush valve is not firm. The connection is held together with a zip tie and a thick rubber band. Thus, adjusting the unique design could easily loosen its connection with the standard flush valve, which results in a barely noticeable leak. A tiny leak adds up into a big leak over the long run.
Internet sources and a Home Depot worker advised me to use food dye to test for leaks that traveled from the toilet tank to the toilet bowl. I was suppose to completely install the new parts for the toilet tank, attach the toilet tank the toilet seat, fill the toilet tank with water, add 5 to 10 drops of food dye into the toilet tank’s water, and patiently wait. If the colored water from the toilet tank enters the toilet bowl, then I have a leak.
Due to the fact that the toilet tank could leak outside of the toilet tank (by means of the shutoff water line, the brass-coated bolts, and/or the flush hole), and the food dye could create a colorful mess on the bathroom floor, I had to test for external leaks with plain water (no dye added) before testing for dyed leaks into the toilet bowl. The Internet sources and product’s instruction manual told me (a) to NOT “over-tighten” the nuts and lock nut, or (b) to “hand-tighten” the nuts and lock nut, and then use the adjustable wrench on the nuts and the adjustable lock-nut wrench (or tongue-and-groove plier) on the lock nut to tighten some more by one-half of a complete turn.
The problem is that option (a) is vague, and option (b) is also subjective. The definitions of “over-tighten” and “hand-tighten” vary from person to person. Obviously, you are not suppose to tighten so much that you compress and break porcelain toilet tank and/or porcelain toilet seat. However, if you do not tighten enough, then you will allow a leak to occur. During my very first installation attempt, I suffered a very small leak on each of the 3 bolts that are attached to the toilet tank’s bottom. Thus, I emptied the water inside the toilet tank, removed the toilet tank from the toilet bowl, tightened each nut by one complete rotation, re-attached the toilet tank to the toilet seat, manually added water into the toilet tank, and then waited for leaks. Due to my rookie touch, I had to do this entire process again and again. Then I finally stopped the leaks from the 3 bolts.
Then I checked for leaks from the toilet tank into the toilet bowl. I manually added water into the toilet tank, and then I added in some food dye. Five to ten droplets of food dye should be enough to make the toilet tank water clearly reflect a green, blue, red, black, or whatever color you bought. I got the green food dye. After I added the food dye to the toilet tank water, I completely left the toilet alone and waited for over 8 hours. By then, the water in the toilet bowl was slightly green. This meant a tiny amount of water was leaking from the toilet tank to the toilet bowl.
The only source of this leak is the central and large hole of the toilet tank and/or its related parts such as the lock nut, the lock nut’s gasket, and/or the flush valve’s rubber gasket. I went through the tedious process of flushing the water from the toilet tank, removing the toilet tank from the toilet seat, dumping the remaining water in the toilet tank into the bathroom sink, and then tightening the probably guilty parts. Then I re-installed the toilet tank to the toilet seat, and tested for leaks. Again I used food dye and over 8 hours of patience. Finally, all of the leaks were gone.
These leaks meant I had to detach the toilet tank from the toilet bowl and reattach the toilet tank to the toilet seat multiple times to methodically fix the leaks. See below for why I had to repeatedly remove/install the toilet tank from/onto the toilet seat.
A third problem was my bathroom was designed with a fixed shelf or an extension of the countertop that is located a few inches above the toilet tank. Thus, I have a tough time looking down into the toilet tank, and my forearms cannot squeeze between the shelf and toilet tank. This means I have to detach the toilet tank from the toilet seat every time I want to work inside in the toilet tank, which quickly becomes a tedious experience. The architect(s) who designed this bathroom made various design errors that unnecessarily obstruct and complicate maintenance and repairs. I expected professional architects to be smarter than this. Ideally, the shelf should be resting on fixed mounts with under hooks, thus, the shelf could be easily removed and firmly mounted.
I should have used two large buckets and the side of the bathroom counter (or some water-proof apparatus) to hold up the toilet tank while I tested for leaks. That setup would have made my job a lot easier, but I am a rookie plumber. Live and learn.
A fourth problem was my outdated shutoff valve and outdated shutoff line, which are the 2 components that attach to the wall’s copper pipe. The wall’s copper pipe is the source of fresh water for the toilet tank. The shutoff valve connects to the wall’s copper pipe, and the shutoff valve connects to the shutoff line. The shutoff line connects to the bottom of the toilet tank’s fill valve. Most of the fill valve is located in the toilet tank, but its bottom portion sticks outside of the toilet tank’s bottom. My shutoff valve and shutoff line were really old, thus, the shutoff line cracked open during my toilet repair. This mean I had to replace the shutoff valve and shutoff line.
The good news was that I learned and did the right thing at the very start of the toilet repair: I turned off the shutoff valve. Thus, water from the wall’s copper pipe did not rush through the the shutoff valve and out of the cracked shutoff line. Before you work on any plumbing system in the bathroom, kitchen, front yard, backyard, or elsewhere, you should turn off the source of the water. If you leave the water source turned on, then you could release lots of water when you disassemble and/or break the plumbing parts.
Turning off the shutoff valve stops the water from passing through the shutoff valve, but water pressure still exists inside the wall’s copper pipe. In other words, removing the shutoff valve from the copper pipe will release lots of water from the copper pipe. This meant I needed to (a) turn off the water supply to the house or (b) turn off the water supply for the entire property (house, front yard, and backyard). I selected option (b). The front yard has a lever that turns off the water for the entire property. A firm turn of the lever did the job.
I turned off the lever for the property’s water supply before removing the shutoff valve from the copper pipe. I turned off the shutoff valve before working on the toilet tank. This sequence is very simple and critically important to prevent floods.
After you stop the water flow, there will be residual water inside the plumbing parts. Turn on any cold water source (not the hot water source) inside the house to greatly decrease the cold water pressure. Once the cold water flow stops, there should be minimal cold water inside the rest of the house. Be ready to catch the residual cold water in a container during disassembly of the plumbing parts.
Anyhow, removing the shutoff valve from the wall’s copper pipe was a lot harder than I thought. My shutoff valve used a design called a compression fitting, which uses a ferrule ring (that is probably made of brass) to create a water-tight seal and a strong grip between the shutoff valve and the wall’s copper pipe. This seal and grip basically squeezes the ferrule ring onto the copper pipe. The ferrule ring is connected to the rest of the shutoff valve.
Removing the ferrule ring from the copper pipe was the difficult part, because the ferrule ring was tightly squeezed around the copper pipe. To remove the ferrule ring, I needed a tool to (a) cut off the ferrule ring while leaving the copper pipe completely undamaged, or (b) pull off the ferrule ring from the copper pipe. I chose option (b). The problem was that the local stores sold inferior tools. I bought a handle and sleeve puller kit, but it could not tightly grip the shutoff valve’s nut that was connected behind the ferrule ring. The tool I bought looks very similar to this tool: Wolverine PST168 Faucet Handle and Compression Sleeve Puller Kit (https://www.amazon.com/Wolverine-PST168-Faucet-Handle-Compression/dp/B001B00LT8/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1502119873&sr=1-1&keywords=Wolverine+PST168+Faucet+Handle+and+Compression+Sleeve+Puller+Kit).
I think this is the better tool: Superior Tool Company 03943 Compression Sleeve Puller and Sleeve Remover for 1/2-Inch Compression Fittings Only (https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Tool-Company-Compression-Fittings/dp/B000L89AZC/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1502119807&sr=1-1&keywords=sleeve+puller). It is a better tool, because it firmly screws into the shutoff valve’s nut, and then it uses a screw mechanism to gradually push off the wall’s copper pipe’s end. When the shutoff valve’s nut is gradually pulled off the copper pipe, the nut takes the ferrule ring with it.
I did not get the better tool, because I was too impatient to order it from an Internet store and then wait for the shipping and handling. The local Ferguson store (https://www.ferguson.com/) probably had the better tool, but the store closes at 5 pm. I was trying to yank off the ferrule ring starting at ~7 pm. Thus, I bought the inferior tool at Lowe’s Home Improvement store.
I tried using the inferior tool with a tongue-and-groove pliers to maintain a firm grip from the inferior tool’s clamp onto the shutoff valve’s nut, but the pliers was too small to bite down on the inferior tool’s clamp. I probably needed a wide lock-nut wrench, but I did not have that, and I was sick and tired of driving back and forth between the store and my home. I resorted to using one hand to firmly grip the inferior tool’s clamp and using other hand to turn the inferior tool. This technique slowly unscrewed or gradually pulled the shutoff valve’s nut off of the copper pipe, which lead to the slow removal of the ferrule ring, because the nut was connected to the ferrule ring.
The problem with this technique was that it was mechanically inefficient. I used direct muscle power to grip an angular and metal tool. It focused lots of stress on my gripping hand. Thus, I had to repeatedly change hands and rest my hands. Eventually I removed the ferrule ring. My hands were slightly sore for the next 2 days.
After that, I was able to easily install the new shutoff valve with a compression fitting and the new shutoff line. Then I attached the shutoff line to the bottom of the toilet tank’s fill valve. Then I turned on the water to the entire property, but the shutoff valve was still turned off. Then I opened a water faucet that did not have any type of water filter due to multiple reasons: (1) turning off and on the water supply could push mineral buildup through the water pipes and water lines, which could clog up the system, and (2) the restarted water pressure will send air pressure through the plumbing system, which will result in uneven water flow. After that, I turned on the shutoff valve.
I did not properly install the filter in the shutoff line, thus, water did not flow through the shutoff line, into the fill valve, and into the toilet tank. I know this, because I used a water container while I cautiously disconnected the shutoff line. Water did not shoot out of the shutoff line and into the water container. Then I turned off the shutoff valve. Then I used two water containers while I cautiously disconnected the shutoff line from the shutoff valve. One water container was below the shutoff valve, and the second water container was above the shutoff valve, which was where the water shoots out of the shutoff valve. Then I slowly turned on the shutoff valve, and water soon shot out of the shutoff valve’s topside and into the upper water container. Then I quickly turned off the shutoff valve.
I correctly seated the shutoff line’s 2 filters, and then reattached the shutoff line to the shutoff valve and the bottom of the toilet tank’s fill valve. Then I turned on the shutoff valve, and the water correctly flowed into my toilet tank. I was finally fixed the toilet leak.
The fifth problem with the toilet repair was the cramped spaces and the hard surfaces. I constantly worked behind the toilet, which was closely located next to the wall, bathtub, and bathroom counter. Thus, I struggled to fit my body into there. To make things worse, my knees repeatedly became sore from kneeling down onto the hard bathroom floor. Unfortunately, I did not have knee pads. I rested my sore knees by using the full squat position and resting my torso on the toilet seat, but this slowed down the blood flow to my legs, which eventually resulted in sore leg muscles. I also sat backwards on the toilet seat and rested my elbows on my knees, but this limited my reach to the lower parts and blocked my vision to the lower parts, which forced me to use inexperienced tactile feedback to figure out what was going on. Every technique had its pros and cons.
Anyhow, it is all done. The newly installed parts should last 5 to 10 years. Then it will be time for another repair job.
I’m guessing the greatest president of all time Donald Trump will fumble with his presidential leaks for at least a few more weeks. I would not be surprised if Trump suffered leaks throughout his entire presidency. A decadent inheritance and sales hype were his paths to success as a businessman, but the American presidency is one of the most public jobs out there. Sales hype is easily disproven with a lots of scrutiny from the mainstream media, alternative media, the general public, millions of government workers, and millions of private contractors. There is a chasm between being a business con-artist for some people, and being a political con-artist for everyone. The former is a lot easier to achieve than the latter. Lots of money is necessary to win nearly any election, but, after the election is won, the politician has to follow stricter rules on the separation of public and personal powers.
Managing a government department, agency, or branch is NOT the same thing as managing a private institution. The government handles the entire nation and America has a highly interventionist or imperial foreign policy. A private institution only deals with a fraction of society. Trump’s gigantic and fragile ego cannot handle this harsh reality, thus, he resorts to crazier outbursts. This easily persuades his workers, peers, and other associates to rebel against his exacerbated madness. In other words, people are purposely leaking out Trump’s incompetence and corruption in order to force Trump to learn from his mistakes or suffer the consequences. Trump is an awfully slow learner, thus, the leaks will probably continue for a long time.
President Trump has been hiring, firing, and releasing various people; trying various threats; and using other methods to stop the damaging leaks, but all of his solutions focus on symptoms and ignore the causes. In other words, Trump is inefficiently swimming against the current. For every hole he plugs, more holes break open. The more he ignores the buildup of frustration, the worse the breach. To make things worse, he uses counterfeit toilet paper in an attempt to plug the leaks, but this is only a temporary solution that will eventually fail in comedic fashion: “The White House Thinks ‘Not Inaccurate’ Equals ‘The Truth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Qzu2lbZlE).