Toto Drake Gmax Fill Valve Issues - stutters as toilet tank finishes filling

**cspackler** · 11-25-2012, 01:28 PM

Any help would be greatly appreciated. The water in my Toot Drake tank would not stop running; I repalced the flapper and that didnt solve the problem. I then replaced the seal inside the fill valve (with a Korky 528 replacement cap) after cleaning the other parts. That stops the constant filling but has led to a new problem. As the tank finishes filling the pipes in the whole house rattle and stutter for several seconds until the fill is complete. I can minimize the nuisance by closing the water supply to almost shut but this is obviously less than ideal as it takes forever to refill the tank.

Any thoughts on what is happening? Could I have missed something when I replaced the inside cap on the fill valve? Thanks in advance

www.terrylove.com/korky

**wjcandee** · 11-25-2012, 02:00 PM

Could be a lot of things, but let's go through it.

When the toilet would not stop running, did the water overflow into the overflow riser? It may be that you did need to replace that flapper and now you are dealing with a second issue.

My knee-jerk reaction is that if the Korky is kind of sticking when it's turning off, then perhaps the float isn't reinstalled correctly and is binding a bit as it shuts off. I would just do the process again. Turn off the water at the toilet. Flush. Pull off the refill tube (which, presumably, is daylighted above the lip of the overflow riser; otherwise that could cause the toilet to continue to run). Pull off the blue cap on the 528. Pinch the float arms like tweezers. Remove the float. Twist off the cap. Pull out the interior tube. Pull the strainer out of the bottom of the tube. Rinse everything. You can even wipe a bit and make sure everything is all clean. Then, reassemble: white strainer back in tube. Tube back in valve. Cap back on. Reinstall float. Make sure that you hook it in so it moves freely. Test that it's freely-moving. Blue cap back on. Refill tube reattached. Turn water back on and see what happens. You might make sure that the water valve at the wall is all the way open, as well.

Have you seen the video from Korky on how to service the valve? It's helpful to watch someone else do it:

**Terry** · 11-25-2012, 05:05 PM

Before you do anything, make sure the fill tube from the fill valve is directed into the overflow tube. If it's pointed into the tank, the waves it makes will rock the water level and cause a stuttering shutoff.

If this is okay, then you may have a bad shutoff valve. Most of the time, those are better left fully open, but that doesn't work, I would replace with a new 1/4 turn.

**Towers Plumbing** · 11-28-2012, 01:51 PM

Would also recommend checking water pressure and changing the Korky out to a Fluidmaster.

**Terry** · 11-28-2012, 01:58 PM

The Fluidmaster overfills the bowl, and they are very noisy.
A bad choice.

The fill valve made for the TOTO would be the Korky MaxPerformance. This one fills the bowl without wasting water.

**GeorgeCT** · 11-29-2012, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by Terry

The Fluidmaster overfills the bowl, and they are very noisy.
A bad choice.

The fill valve made for the TOTO would be the Korky MaxPerformance. This one fills the bowl without wasting water.

Have to agree, the Korky MaxPerformace is the best replacement fill valve.
I replaced my original TOTO fill valve with the Korky MaxPerformace and find it works better and quieter.

**wptski** · 11-29-2012, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Terry

The Fluidmaster overfills the bowl, and they are very noisy.
A bad choice.

The fill valve made for the TOTO would be the Korky MaxPerformance. This one fills the bowl without wasting water.

The Fluidmaster overfills "all" bowls or just this Toto?

**Terry** · 11-29-2012, 12:19 PM

From my experiences, The Fluidmaster 400 series overfills "all" bowls.
I shot video of one American Standard toilet that overfilled the bowl by two gallons.
The toilet was on a stand and draining into a fish tank that was marked.

At the price of water now, they would wind up costing the homeowner a lot of money every year.

**wptski** · 11-29-2012, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Terry

From my experiences, The Fluidmaster 400 series overfills "all" bowls.
I shot video of one American Standard toilet that overfilled the bowl by two gallons.
The toilet was on a stand and draining into a fish tank that was marked.

At the price of water now, they would wind up costing the homeowner a lot of money every year.

The Fluidmaster 400 in my new AS Cadet 3 1.6gpf under fills the bowl. I measured it and it's using exactly 1.6 gal.

**Terry** · 11-29-2012, 01:19 PM

It's not the Fluidmaster sold for replacement.

I've done these repairs hundreds of times.
And you actually bought a Cadet 3?
Wow!

**wptski** · 11-29-2012, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by Terry

It's not the Fluidmaster sold for replacement.

I've done these repairs hundreds of times.
And you actually bought a Cadet 3?
Wow!

Not following you. The Fluidmaster in a Toto isn't what you'd buy anywhere? The AS Cadet 3 parts list calls it a Fluidmaster 400A and from what I've read, they switched to Fluidmaster but sure when. I bought the AS before even finding this Toto loving, breathing crowd here.

**Terry** · 11-29-2012, 04:35 PM

Typically the Fluidmaster is not installed with a TOTO. I've seen plumbers that install them, they are easy to adjust for water height. The basic 400A has no adjustment for bowl fill.
With a 1.6, since the tank loses little water, it's not so bad, but in the old five gallon toilets, by the time the tank fills, the bowl has filled several times.

TOTO...........what's not to love?

Less then 1% returns and I get lots of repeat sales out of them, their friends and their coworkers.
When I switch it up, I'm not so lucky. Nobody "likes" going back............for free..................Nobody.
It's about time.............there is only so much of that..............and short conversations with the customers. If they like what we sold them, I'm happy too.

Years ago, I used to sell a few $99 toilets. I had one customer that bought one of those, got the $80 rebate from the city...........and her home was so poor looking that I threw in for free a flange repair and a new shutoff..............something that I normally would have added $100 for on the bill.
She turned me in to the BBB and Attorney general because she didn't like her $99 toilet. She got $180 worth of free stuff, and she complained. (They thought she was a little nutty too.)
After that, I quit selling anything in that price range. Why go through all the hassle of "hoping" some down on their luck cheapskate isn't trying to get what I'm selling for nothing?
When I drop those customers, and sell quality to let's say "middle class" customers...........I get to sell them something "they" love.
They're happy, and I'm happy.

And I am a bit grumpy today. I've had bots on the site since last night trying to spam it all up. I've deleted about fifty of the little buggers in the last 24 hours. They want something for nothing too.

**suceress** · 12-11-2012, 07:49 PM

Hi! I purchased a Toto Drake Elongated ADA height with Sanagloss back in 2008. We never got the water softener installed so the iron has done a number on the inside of the tank, which probably doesn't help the mechanisms inside.

Awhile back we started having a problem where the external lever would just stick once it was pushed down and we had to physically tap it or pull it back up. Then it just broke and can't come back up. I figured we just needed a new lever. Then we started having a problem where the tank would start to fill and it would just keep running but the water level in the tank would never reach the proper height. I shut off the water and cleaned the flap and the surrounding area, but it didn't do any good. The flap itself appears to be fine and if I pour water into the tank via a bucket the water seems to stay in the tank.

I'm guessing it is the fill valve that came with the toilet that has gone bad. Does that sound right?

I was reading the recommendations on which fill valve to get and I wasn't exactly sure. I was looking at amazon and trying to pick the right one.

Is it this one: Korky Korky 528T Replacement TOTO Fill Valve?

Or this one: Korky Korky QuietFill Max Performance Fill Valve 528MPK?

www.terrylove.com/korky

If I get either of those, and get a new flapper, which one should I get? Amazon had a red one called Korky 2021BP G-Max Flapper For TOTO Toilet Repairs

or a blue one called Korky 2022BP Power Gravity Flapper For TOTO Toilet Repairs

Also, since I need to get a new lever, does it have to be the TOTO THU068-CP Trip Lever For St743S or can I pull off the lever part and replace it with something else? Will that thing come apart? What other levers (if any) will fit? My mother wants to have a fancier lever for some reason.

Am I understanding correctly that the Korky version is better than the default Toto fill valve that came with the toilet?

Currently we are having to forcefully pour buckets of water into the bowl to make it flush since it seems to take more water to fill the tank than to use that method. It is a total P.I.T.A.. Once I know what we need I will order the parts.

Thank you in advance for any replies.

PS. I found the video helpful. I hope that the original Toto valve will be that easy to remove.

**Terry** · 12-11-2012, 07:53 PM

Lowes Hardware carries the 528MPK valve, which is like the 528T except it will work with more toilets.

If you have a Drake, it's the Red Flapper, also sold at Lowes.

**Gary Swart** · 12-11-2012, 08:02 PM

This is a bit behind the OP, but I'll toss it in FWIW. The problem may not be too much pressure, but every homeowner should know what the pressure is in the home. Too much is damaging to not only the toilet, but dishwasher and clothes washer that have valves that are constantly under pressure. They are not designed to last under high pressure. Your other faucets may withstand the added pressure OK, but pressure over 60 psi is really unnecessary and over 80 psi is really excessive. Pressure gauges are available at almost any hardware store for just a few dollars. If the pressure is over 80 psi, you are really pushing the envelope and a pressure regulator and thermal expansion tank should be added and the pressure adjust to a safe level. Toilet supply valves should always be full on. Shutting a valve partly does not reduce pressure, only flow.