Toilet Tip
 

Last week, I had Mike Scott Plumbing replace the plastic push-pull valves on my 2 toilets with quarter turn metal valves. The total fixed cost was $213 ($69 for each valve plus a $75 trip charge). I know that some people have replaced every plastic valve in their house, and I also know there are cheaper ways to replace the valves. But, the toilets occasionally need to be repaired with a new gasket, or a new fill valve. Now, I know that I can turn off the water to the toilets and have more confidence that I will not encounter a leaking valve that would require the water to be shut down for the entire house. To me, the peace of mind was worth the cost.

Did you happen to see how the new valves were attached to the water lines? Did they use SharkBite (or similar) fittings or threaded fittings? (just curious in case I want to attempt it myself in the future)

How long did each valve take to replace? Village plumber wanted over $ 100 each and said it took a lot of time to replace each?

It looks like he glued the metal valve directly onto the plastic pipe. He also replaced the flexible plastic supply tube from the wall to the toilet tank with a braided metal flexible tube.

It took about 20 minutes per valve to install. But, some of the time was waiting for the glue to dry before he could turn the water back on.

Another great toilet modification : )

Just joking, replacing the cheap push pull toilet valves is an excellent idea.

Diy
 

I used these https://www.homedepot.com/p/BrassCra...X-C1/205214414 From Home Depot. They do not stock the 1/4 turn at the store they only stock full turn which cost less. You can order and have them delivered to the store. Or if your order is larger enough they will deliver to your home. They are not available at Lowes. Someone asked how long does it take to replace. Well what took me the longest time was draining the line. The toilet line is the lowest point in the piping. My suggestion is to shut the water off, open all faucets in the house, flush toilet and remove water from tank with sponge or vac, remove the toilet valves with a pan under each. Go somewhere and relax for awhile when the water stops dripping finish the job. My house had 14 valves and took 4 or 5 hrs to do. You also need supply lines $6 or $7 each. Another hint toilets and ice maker valves are easy. Before you even try to do a sink valve go under your sink and shut off one valve and disconnect a supply line, it is not as easy as it sounds. The older you get your body does not contort to the positions it may need to be in.

My house also has 14 valves. I commend you for replacing them yourself. I have never needed to touch any of the valves except the toilet valves. So, those are the ones I replaced. Every time I pulled a valve closed, I cringed because I expected it to leak. I can afford to hire a plumber, so I did. But, I highly recommend that homeowners at least replace the toilet shut off valves, whether you do it yourself or hire a plumber. I would not trust a handyman to do plumbing work in my house, unless I knew him well.

Mine were fine for17 yrs. then as plumbers show up they automatically change them. I have problems trying to open/ close the metal ones. Hope I don't need handyman to shutoff one of them. Hmmm, maybe that's why they change them.

If you can’t turn the valve with your hands then use a pair of pliers. Just be sure to be gentle so you don’t damage the valve.

We had one fail at the dishwasher connection and thought we had a pump failure on the dishwasher. That same week we had one fail at a toilet so we replaced all. Our house is almost 8 years old. I always felt they were hard to turn off and in anyway so I’m glad to be rid of them.

Have you checked your expansion tank on top of the water heater? These only last about 7 years, and, if they fill up with water, the water pressure in the house can greatly increase, which can cause the push-pull valves to close. Use a screw driver to tap the top and bottom halves of the expansion tank. You should hear a dull thud sound when you tap the bottom half, and a hollow sound when you tap the top half.

Good idea
 

How old is your home? It sounds like a good idea but my home is only 3 years old. Do you think a 3 year old home would have an issue?

My house is 8 years old, but I always cringed when closing the valves. Most of the valves will never be used, but you will definitely need to operate the toilet valves.

A couple of years ago, a major leak in a hot water pipe under the concrete in my master bathroom caused $14,000 in damage. Based on my experience, there is a better investment than replacing the two shut-off valves on the toilets. I replaced the main shut-off valve in the garage with a brass valve. I shut off the main valve if I need to work on a toilet or replace a sink faucet or a water heater. If I have another broken water pipe, shutting off the main valve is easy.