My toilet has decided to spring a leak from the metal line that sends water to the tank.
This house was built in 1968. The pipe comes out of the wall and has a valve on it, which won’t close all the way off, probably since it hasn’t been moved in 40 years. The valve has a male fitting facing upwards to the tank with a large male fitting. I thnk it is 1/2" size, like the threads on an outside hose faucet.
It had a solid metal tube running up into the tank that the valve assembly fastened to. It used a grey rubber compression fitting that I believe was originally wedge shaped on both sides. The upper connection is where it started leaking.
Of course, tightening didn’t help, so I cut the water off to the house and pulled it apart. Can’t find the grey rubber compression ring. Everything at the stores is made for smaller tubing, so I guess my old stuff (looks to be about 5/8" diameter) is too old.
Wanted to use a new steel braided flex hose to connect the two. Problem is, the hose I need has to have the same large fitting on both ends. The large (1/2"?) that screws onto the tank valve is the same size I need on the bottom to connect to my old wall valve, and I can’t find anyone that has these. All the ones I find are made for smaller fittings on the wall valve end.
Anybody know who makes the hose like I need with the large fitting on both ends?
Oh goody. Nowhere in home plumbing did manufacturers get more creative and loosey-goosey with sizes and types of seals or washers, flared or not flared than toilet supply lines. And from personal experience, I can affirm that homes built in the 1960s were just terrible for this. I used to know a plumber near Chicago who had a tackle box filled with nothing but all of the assorted types of washers and fittings he needed just for toilets.
Do yourself a favor and obliterate it all. Replace the angle stop (might as well, since you say it doesn’t shut off anyway) with a modern one. Then run a modern braided supply line to the toilet, which by now, I’ll hope has a modern fill valve so it all screws together with no drama.
You should also be able to buy the beveled washer from ace hardware store. You could also but a rubber hose over the line with 2 worm clamps from an auto store if you can’t get to a decent hardware store in the near future.
actually replacing the water intake valve in the tank is not a bad idea as well as replacing the shutoff valve with a modern ball valve. This will give you the modern connections you need and replaces stuff that needs replacing anyway.
The valve in the tank is only a few months old, so it is a modern piece. It is just the large threaded fitting on the wall valve that in non-standard and preventing an easy fix.
I was trying to avoid replacing the wall valve for a couple of reasons.
First, the water valve coming into the property doesn’t close all the way either. It is the original installed in 1965 when my dad laid the pipe and system. Replacing this would require a plumber and be more than I could afford right now. Because of this, I can’t completely shut off the water flow to the house. It would be difficult removing and changing the valve with water coming out all the time.
Also, I am somewhat afraid to twist of put any strain on the pipe from the valve into the wall. Last time I tried this, the pipe in the wall started leaking. With the water restricted but still flowing, this could get ugly fast.
If I just had a simple hose with the same fitting on both ends I could fix this thing in five minutes.
I looked all through Lowes and couldn’t find an adapter to fit between the available hoses and my valve threads and have a proper seal system. Lots of adapters to go smaller, not bigger. I am waiting to hear back from a nearby plumber who might be able to provide me with what I need. Still hoping to avoid a plumbers bill when all I need is the correct $12 hose.
Second, use a small pipe cutter to cut off the end of the pipe that has the toilet shut-off, this will prevent twisting. Then you can use a compression fitted one or sweat on a new fitting. Compression will be easier if you can’t get the flow of water to stop, because sweating a fitting with water in it is impossible.
Finally: If you can’t shut the water completely off, you should at least be able to prevent problems by turning on another faucet further upstream from the toilet. For instance, many houses have a laundry tub in the basement, so shut off the water and open the cold valve in the basement, this will cause water to flow away from the other outlets, since it’s usually the lowest.