Based on recommendations from this site, about five years ago I installed a Toto Drake to replace a Kohler 1.6gpf toilet that clogged regularly. The Toto has been great, and almost never clogs.
I have, however, had some problems with the G-MAX fill valve. After about 3.5 years of use, the fill valve started to stutter on closure. I replaced the fill valve cap, as suggested here, and that fixed the problem. (The rubber seal was badly misshapen. We have high chlorine content in our water.)
After another 1.5 years, the fill valve has developed a different problem. This time, it started to hiss after the tank reached shutoff level. The leak was very slow, and I could barely hear it with the tank lid in place. But eventually, the tank would fill enough for water to start going into the overflow tube.
I replaced the fill valve cap again, but this time it did not fix the problem. In fact, the leak became worse. If I tapped the blue top cover on the fill valve, occasionally the leak would stop, but more often it would get much worse. So I removed the fill valve, disassembled it, and thoroughly rinsed all parts. There were some particles of grit in various places. After putting the fill valve back together (careful to set the height to where it had been) and reinstalling it, there was no change in behavior. Water leaks from the fill valve into the tank after shutoff and eventually runs into the overflow tube.
I compared the replacement fill valve cap (Korky R528) with the previous one. Besides the obvious difference in the condition of the rubber seal, I noticed that the ears that the arms from the float snap onto were shorter on the new one. This makes it harder for the float to sit in the correct position, and much easier for it to slip off on one side. It looks like the blue top cover is designed in part to keep the float properly centered, but there is enough slop for the float to wander and fall off one of the ears. I happen to have purchased five of the R528s, and confirmed that they were all made the same way. In each case, the ears are shorter, and the space between the ears is about a millimeter larger than on the older cap.
In my final attempt to fix the leak, I removed the rubber seal from a new cap, and substituted it for the degraded seal on the old cap. Then I reinstalled the old cap. It seals much more reliably than one of the new caps, and tapping on the blue top cover no longer causes problems, but it still doesn't quite fully shut off. The leak is definitely coming directly from the fill valve into the tank. No water flows into the bowl refill tube after shutoff height is reached.
Other than replacing the entire fill valve, I am at a loss for what to do now. Any suggestions? Has anyone else noticed a change in the design of the Korky R528 caps, or experienced any problems with them?
Thanks very much.
I have, however, had some problems with the G-MAX fill valve. After about 3.5 years of use, the fill valve started to stutter on closure. I replaced the fill valve cap, as suggested here, and that fixed the problem. (The rubber seal was badly misshapen. We have high chlorine content in our water.)
After another 1.5 years, the fill valve has developed a different problem. This time, it started to hiss after the tank reached shutoff level. The leak was very slow, and I could barely hear it with the tank lid in place. But eventually, the tank would fill enough for water to start going into the overflow tube.
I replaced the fill valve cap again, but this time it did not fix the problem. In fact, the leak became worse. If I tapped the blue top cover on the fill valve, occasionally the leak would stop, but more often it would get much worse. So I removed the fill valve, disassembled it, and thoroughly rinsed all parts. There were some particles of grit in various places. After putting the fill valve back together (careful to set the height to where it had been) and reinstalling it, there was no change in behavior. Water leaks from the fill valve into the tank after shutoff and eventually runs into the overflow tube.
I compared the replacement fill valve cap (Korky R528) with the previous one. Besides the obvious difference in the condition of the rubber seal, I noticed that the ears that the arms from the float snap onto were shorter on the new one. This makes it harder for the float to sit in the correct position, and much easier for it to slip off on one side. It looks like the blue top cover is designed in part to keep the float properly centered, but there is enough slop for the float to wander and fall off one of the ears. I happen to have purchased five of the R528s, and confirmed that they were all made the same way. In each case, the ears are shorter, and the space between the ears is about a millimeter larger than on the older cap.
In my final attempt to fix the leak, I removed the rubber seal from a new cap, and substituted it for the degraded seal on the old cap. Then I reinstalled the old cap. It seals much more reliably than one of the new caps, and tapping on the blue top cover no longer causes problems, but it still doesn't quite fully shut off. The leak is definitely coming directly from the fill valve into the tank. No water flows into the bowl refill tube after shutoff height is reached.
Other than replacing the entire fill valve, I am at a loss for what to do now. Any suggestions? Has anyone else noticed a change in the design of the Korky R528 caps, or experienced any problems with them?
Thanks very much.
