Damn it, water, stay where you belong!

[K Frame]

Over the weekend I shut off the toilet supply valve in my bathroom to give the bowl a good scouring.

When I turned it back on, I made a rookie mistake... I didn't check to make sure it wasn't leaking.

It was. And dripped for several days before I noticed it.

Fortunately the bathmat and a couple of magazines I had laying beside the toilet seem to have soaked up much of the water, so no real damage that I can determine.

But, now I have to replace the valve.

So, I'm thinking one of the Sharkbite valve and hose combos. Anyone ever use a sharkbite for a toilet valve?

I've used Sharkbites before, but in other applications, and so far they've done well.

[Ben]

I have no info on the sharkbites, but just had to give my two cents on how much I hate crappy toilet valves. I've probably had more toilet valves fail after shutting them off then turning them back on than any other kind of valve.

These days I'm lazy and just call a plumber for stuff, but when I did my own plumbing at home or at my rentals, I would more often than not shut the water off at the main when working on a toilet, just because I didn't want the toilet valve to fail and create extra work.

[ConstitutionCowboy]

They are wonderful. No threaded stems to get all corroded and froze. All the valves in my house are that type. I use ball valves whenever and wherever I can when I need a valve.

I exercise mine once or twice a year just because. All the valves on my air compressor are ball valves, even the drain for the tank - which I set up as a siphon with a tube running from the inside bottom of the tank to a ball valve at the top of the tank(where it is convenient) on down to a small container on the floor. It only takes a second or less for all the moisture in the bottom the tank to be siphoned out.

Woody

[K Frame]

OK, so they are ball valves. I thought they were, but I wasn't picking up on that in the descriptions.

I agree, ball valves are FAR better than the old-style globe and seal valves.

I really like the concept of being able to do this, literally, in 5 minutes as opposed to a half hour or so that it typically takes me to install a new compression valve.

[230RN]

I have been routinely putting a container under those valves for decades. JIC.  Of late, it's been a 2-pound coffee can. I keep a flashlight in the bathroom so I can peek back there to see if anything's been leaking.

On all valves (under sinks, baseboard heaters, etc,) I routinely turn them 1/4-1/2 turn toward close if they're supposed to be open.  This prevents at some time in the future trying to open an already fully-open valve or close an already fully-closed valve.  My advice, take it or leave it, but please don't argue with me about it.

 Nominations for my Nobel Prize for all this wisdom can be sent to <https://www.nobelprize.org/prices/about/the-norwegian-nobel-committee>

I thank OP on behalf of the other folks who've had problems with valves, and all the little people who made this possible.

Terry

[Boomhauer]

Household grade plumbing is the devil’s own work. Fragile, craptastic, try to do anything and you find ten other things gone wrong

[ConstitutionCowboy]

I have been routinely putting a container under those valves for decades. JIC.  Of late, it's been a 2-pound coffee can. I keep a flashlight in the bathroom so I can peek back there to see if anything's been leaking.

On all valves (under sinks, baseboard heaters, etc,) I routinely turn them 1/4-1/2 turn toward close if they're supposed to be open.  This prevents at some time in the future trying to open an already fully-open valve or close an already fully-closed valve.  My advice, take it or leave it, but please don't argue with me about it.

 Nominations for my Nobel Prize for all this wisdom can be sent to <https://www.nobelprize.org/prices/about/the-norwegian-nobel-committee>

I thank OP on behalf of the other folks who've had problems with valves, and all the little people who made this possible.

Terry

Ya got my vote!

Woody

[Andiron]

Household grade plumbing is the devil’s own work. Fragile, craptastic, try to do anything and you find ten other things gone wrong

What this man says.

And while I like sharkbites, I consider them cutting corners compared to plumbing an decent valve in.  JG fittings fail (my most recent worst made it not quiet 2000 gal before just.. crapping out?  leaked all over), a decent valve can still have it's packing nut adjusted.

[K Frame]

I've come to look at sharkbites as nothing more than a modernized version of the compression fitting type connection found on... most toilet supply valves.

[K Frame]

Well that was an enormous pain in the ass.

I got the old valve off, but I couldn't get the compression fitting off...

So I pulled out my faucet puller... Couldn't get the compression fitting off.

So, I pulled out the Dremel and cut the nut off, then started cutting the compression ring... Got it off, got the new Sharkbite fitting in and... it leaks. I nicked the face of the supply pipe.

So, back to Home Despot.

Picked up one of these bad boys because I was working in a really tight area behind the toilet...



Thing worked like a damned champ. Absolute great piece of kit. No wandering, no tightening of a thumb screw, just snap it on a turn it clockwise.

I also picked up a slip union and a stub of copper pipe in case I needed to solder in a stub, but I didn't.

All in all, about 3 hours to do what should have been a 15 to 20 minute job, but that's par for the course.

Oh, and as I was putting it on to do the Dremel cutting, my face shield fell apart. Sigh.

I'm cautiously optimistic that it's going to hold.

[Ben]

Well that was an enormous pain in the ass.

All in all, about 3 hours to do what should have been a 15 to 20 minute job, but that's par for the course.

Oh, and as I was putting it on to do the Dremel cutting, my face shield fell apart. Sigh.

I'm cautiously optimistic that it's going to hold.

Sorry for the troubles, but, yeah... Pretty much anytime I do plumbing, I just expect this as my best case scenario:   

https://youtu.be/wpIdOgxQSpg

[K Frame]

Oh yeah, and somehow, I sprained the living hell out of my wrist.

Sore as blazes.

[Doggy Daddy]

Oh yeah, and somehow, I sprained the living hell out of my wrist.

Sore as blazes.

You must have turned the cutter too fast.  Slowly it turns.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYP1OBZfFK0

[K Frame]

OK, so far so good. Water is staying where it should