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Our powder room toilet was making a funny sound (almost like a whistling sound) about a year or so ago. I closed the stop valve and the noise went away (and of course we haven't been able to use the toilet since). So my question is, can I safely turn the valve back on and see if the noise comes back? It's been awhile since the toilet was "turned on" that I'm not sure if it is wise to turn the knob. Oh, the toilet has no water in it.
Yeah I know, probably a dumb question but I'm not a plumber. Maybe someone here knows and could help? I'd really appreciate it!!
the whistling most likely is from the washer in your toilet stop or a diaphragm in your fill valve. it doesnt take much sediment for the diaphragm to "sing" . sometimes it works itself out. so , to answer your question, as long as the stop turns smoothly enough there shouldnt be a problem. if it drips you may have to tighten the packing nut.
you also should always keep water in the toilet, at least in the bowl. otherwise you have no trap seal to your septic/sewer line.
you also should always keep water in the toilet, at least in the bowl. otherwise you have no trap seal to your septic/sewer line.
Good point.
Yes, you should be able to turn it on just fine. If it will make you feel like you tried to fix the problem, you can easily buy a new toilet kit to replace the innards of your tank. That might help, especially if the toilet is on the older side. You can safely turn the water back on without feeling like an episode of a wacky sitcom!
I had a customer call me for the same problem a couple of years ago. Turned out the stop valve wasn't turned all the way on, and that's what was causing the whistle. In other words, there may be no problem at all, if the valve wasn't turned all the way on...
And for the curious, no, I did not charge the customer for that call. lol
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimRom
I had a customer call me for the same problem a couple of years ago. Turned out the stop valve wasn't turned all the way on, and that's what was causing the whistle. In other words, there may be no problem at all, if the valve wasn't turned all the way on...
And for the curious, no, I did not charge the customer for that call. lol
That's basically what I was thinking. Sometimes a compression valve will "sing" a little if it is just barely open.
So I tried turning it on but there was water spraying out of the stop valve. It was enough water for me to immediately turn it off (I only turned it open a tiny bit).. Any suggestions? If I were to replace such part as a DIY project, I guess I'd have to turn off the main water switch in the house? I really don't want to call a plumber, this seems like such a simple thing to do. We're renting but feel bad for our landlord, he's had to replace so many things in the house already in the past year. So we don't mind doing this ourselves.
You need a new stop valve. Go get one of the new shark bite type stop valves from Home depot. The new connectors are amazing. Also buy a tube cutter and some plumbers tape if you do not already have these.
Unscrew the supply hose that goes to your toilet. Put some plumbing tape on the threads for the new stop valve (wrap around the threads about 5 times), and screw the toilet supply line onto the new valve (tighten it as much as you can with your hand). Turn off the water for your entire house (lever in the basement). Use a tube cutter to cut off the old stop valve (leave enough pipe for the new valve). Slide the new stop valve onto the pipe stub. Turn the water back on. Open the new stop valve.
You are done.
With those new shark bite type connectors, you can do this in about 8 minutes.
Be sure to get the new quarter turn stop valves. The old style do not hold up very well. It is very common fo rthem to leak when turned back on. It happens so often, that I usually have a new stop valve handy whenever I have to turn an old one off and back on.
If you get any leaking, it will almost certainly be because the toilet supply line is not screwed on tightly enough to the new stop valve. Turn the valve off, tighten the toilet supply line (you can use pliers if you must, just to not push too hard with pliers or you will break something).
You need a new stop valve. Go get one of the new shark bite type stop valves from Home depot. The new connectors are amazing. Also buy a tube cutter and some plumbers tape if you do not already have these.
Unscrew the supply hose that goes to your toilet. Put some plumbing tape on the threads for the new stop valve (wrap around the threads about 5 times), and screw the toilet supply line onto the new valve (tighten it as much as you can with your hand). Turn off the water for your entire house (lever in the basement). Use a tube cutter to cut off the old stop valve (leave enough pipe for the new valve). Slide the new stop valve onto the pipe stub. Turn the water back on. Open the new stop valve.
You are done.
With those new shark bite type connectors, you can do this in about 8 minutes.
Be sure to get the new quarter turn stop valves. The old style do not hold up very well. It is very common fo rthem to leak when turned back on. It happens so often, that I usually have a new stop valve handy whenever I have to turn an old one off and back on.
If you get any leaking, it will almost certainly be because the toilet supply line is not screwed on tightly enough to the new stop valve. Turn the valve off, tighten the toilet supply line (you can use pliers if you must, just to not push too hard with pliers or you will break something).
You dont necessarily have to replace the stop. Quite often the stop will leak until it is opened all the way and it usually seals itself, maybe needing a small tweak on the packing nut. Obviously this is something you get a feel for after doing it 100's of times so if you are not sure , you can try shutting the main house shut off, opening said toilet stop 100%, along with closest tub spout to help clear out any sediment, when you re-open the main, have someone watching the stop and yell to you if there is still leakage.
Just trying to make the point that you may not have to spend any $. good luck
Coldjensens and frank, thank you so much!! I'll try it tomorrow. Gotta love this forum, you guys are awesome!
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