Just Call Me Joe the Plumber

We have had quite some issues with plumbing the last few months… including a cracked shattered tank that required the replacement of the entire toilet twice - not pleased. I couldn’t bring myself to call another plumber to come out and fix our loud toilet (different than the one that was replaced). Every few minutes it would fill the bowl with more water even though it had enough – it was very confused. It was just annoying to me that I would hear water running every few minutes so I took matters into my own hands. After doing some research online I decided the best course of action was to replace the fill valve which is the thing in your tank that rises as water comes into the tank. I’m not a plumber …but I’m not afraid of fixing toilets either. So I picked up this Korky’s replacement fill valve at the local hardware store for $10 and kept it in case HB’s dad (the master of DIY) stopped by.



When I couldn’t take it anymore I asked HB’s dad if he thought I could fix it myself – his exact words “you have a master’s degree in accounting – if you can read the instructions and look at the pictures I think you will be fine.” That was just the encouragement I needed. It took me about 30 minutes to disassemble the old valve and install the new one and a week later it is still working fine; the best part is that there are no more random bouts of running water. Talk about empowerment – I’m still doing the happy dance!

I am putting this out there for anyone who is afraid of repairing toilets – the simple stuff of course. If you can read and understand the pictures then you can tackle projects like this. I promise the scariest part is putting your hands in the water for the first time – well at least it was for me and when I realized that my hands didn’t fall off I kept going (N.B. I definitely got a manicure after). I do however recommend the Korky's brand of plumbing supplies not because I work for them or anything but because their supplies are made in the USA - gotta love that.
See ya old fill valve....