problem with toilet ballvalve

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In both our toilets the ballvalves had given up the ghost (we live in a very hard water area where everything gets really scaled up) and we were getting a constant drip out of both overflows. Rather than bothering re-washering them etc. I just bought a couple of new valves and fitted them yesterday. Thing is, they both seem to drip for a long time after filling - not sure if they stop at all, or just slow down. I can't see any leaks into the pan, nor does it seem to overflow. So I can't work our why the ball valves think the cisterns need more water - although in one of the cisterns there is not much room at all for the float so I wonder if there's a bit of resistance there? Have looked for a mini-float but no luck (does such a thing exist? The slimline float I tried was even worse.) Both do shut off if you hold the arms down or pour in a glass of water, so it seems the arm shut-off mechanisms are basically OK.

My preference was to fit Fluidmasters but the awkward location of the flush valves has meant going with the tradional bottom-entry ballvalve with arm and float (and even that was quite a squeeze). I'm really not sure what to try with this to get a quick shut-off and it's made for a really frustrating weekend. So any advice much appreciated.

Also, and on the same topic - I noticed on one of the toilets that the plastic backnut for the ballvalve that fits directly underneath the cistern was leaking a bit so tightened it with a wrench. Looking at the underside of the toilet, it looks like the last person to work on it also put a bit of sealant around the backnut. Is this worth doing? I'm finding it quite hard to tell if this is leaking at all or not - the backnut is pretty tight and there is also a washer underneath it, but sometimes it does feel slightly damp. Condensation etc on the tank can make it quite hard to tell, although I suppose it anything is seeping through at all it must be so little as to barely worth worrying about.

OK, that's it! Thanks a lot in advance for any tips.

Dazza.
 
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Ok, just making sure you had the correct high pressure white seats fitted.

These valves are a very old design but work. As long as they don't overflow and stop when they should do, eventually.

Did you fit new fibre washer when you replaced the float valves? If not this could be the cause of the leak under the cistern. A lot of plumbers use silicone when replacing float valves, dry everything off with toilet paper and check 20mins later.


Andy
 
OK, thanks for much for your replies Andy. I did put washers on along with the backnuts, but as you suggest I will test again tomorrow for leaks and might just run a bit of silicon around for good measure. It's a bit hard to tell if it leaks or not because the cold where the feed comes in combined with the condensation on the outside of the cistern (not to mention the remnants of the old sealant, which makes it feel different to the normal ceramics) can feel slightly wet even when it may not be. But I will do the toilet paper test and with any luck if it remains dry for 20 mins or so then the seal is fine.

Thanks again.

Dazza.
 

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