Novice...need some advice...loud screeching toilet

[kissiffer4]

Hi,

Got a bit of a problem with our old Kohler toilet. Not sure how old it is (photo attached), but whenever we flush, it starts to make a loud screeching noise just as it is finishing filling up. I have read that it might be a valve problem, but after looking up the part number (kohler 51329), which is no longer available, the replacement part is $349!

Is there anything I can do to fix it without having to replace the whole float valve kit? Anything I can pour over those old corroded parts?

Also, due to the somewhat odd/low size of the toilet, what sort of toilet would I have to buy if I did want to replace the whole thing? Might be cheaper than splashing out $349 on the valve kit.

Thanks v. much!

 

[Reach4]

You want a new fill valve to replace that vintage ballcock fill valve.

See if http://m.korky.com/landing.php points you to a replacement fill valve. Changing fill valves is usually one of the easier DIY projects. However I don't know your toilet, so maybe there is something unusual.

You probably want to replace the inlet line and the shut-off valve that is at the wall too. A quarter-turn ball valve is better than the classic multi-turn valves.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

Those do require the expensive repair kits. Often more than the cost of a new toilet. And since the parts are now after market, doomed to fail sooner.

Make sure the shutoff at the wall is open all the way.
We open all the way, and then back off just a bit.

 

[WJcandee]

EDIT: So I looked at that part. Yikes. Talk about a specialized part. Combo fill and flush valve. This is a long-time problem with Kohler; they for no rational reason design parts just for them, then rape you years later when you need to replace the part. Your part is now number 30668, which is just as expensive as what you quoted. Most toilets today use standardized parts, except for Kohler, and in my opinion the specialized parts do very little to make their products excel in performance. One option might be that all you need is to repair the plunger mechanism in that fill valve. Let me see if there is a kit for this valve.

Okay, looks like the new whole 30668 mechanism, authentic Kohler, which will work, can be had for $261 from -- wait for it -- Home Depot online. Sadly, although some Kohlers using this valve can be converted to a 1B1x setup for less than $100, your Pompton can't be, it appears.

There are still some parts available for the top of the old version of the valve you have in there, and it might be worth trying them. I would get Part Number 9 (Plunger Service Kit) from these guys at this page and try installing it. For the $5-$10 involved, it might be worth a try. https://www.plumbingsupply.com/kohlertoiletparts-pompton.html

Failing that, if it were I, I would put the $261 you would spend on a new whole valve towards a nice Toto and be happy going forward with a toilet that doesn't use much water but flushes great. You might miss draining the swimming pool in that old bowl every flush, though, and watching it swirl slowly and inexorably around and around the bowl before finally draining.

So... one alternative is to pull that Pompton out and install something like this:

It's a Toto Supreme II, which is still a low toilet but performs very well. Also available for a lot less money in Cotton White, Bone, Sedona Beige and Colonial White. (Black, or "Ebony" in Toto color parlance, is always very expensive.) And you can also look at the Toto Ultramax II, the Toto Drake II, and the Toto Soiree, among others. Just google them. (And be careful because the Original Supreme (without the II) looks different and has different features.)

You can check Terry's prices above to see what a fair street price is, which you should be able to negotiate at your nearest plumbing supply place. Few people pay more than 70 percent of list price unless they have hired a designer. Look in the yellow pages; they will be able to get Toto even if they don't advertise it. I would call several with the model number and color and get a quote from each. Prices and attitude vary widely in these places, but you can usually find a great one if you call five.

 

[Reach4]

It sure would be nice if that white plastic thing in the second photo came out the bottom of the tank and a "universal" float valve would fit that same hole. I guess things are not as easy as I was hoping.

 

[WJcandee]

It sure would be nice if that white plastic thing in the second photo came out the bottom of the tank and a "universal" float valve would fit that same hole. I guess things are not as easy as I was hoping.

Yeah. Me too. Take a look at the valve in this thing -- it's a combo fill valve/flush valve.

In a couple of toilets that use it, some of the suppliers will sell you a separate 1B1X and a Kohler flush valve to stick in the holes, but they don't say they can do that with this toilet, so I wasn't going to recommend it.

What they DO sell is a plunger service kit for like $6. That would be my first try. The only issue is how hard it will be to get those parts to come apart.