Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

[jsfinn]

It seems like all the hardware store sells now for toilet repair parts is Fluidmaster.

I've never been real happy with Fluidmaster products but now it's my only choice and they are worse than ever!

About a month ago, I replaced the fill valve in two toilets because they were the original ones and wouldn't shut the water off completely any more so they would very quietly run forever. I tried to buy repair parts but of course, none were available, so I had to replace the entire valve.

Well, they sell this new Fluid Master Leak Sentry fill valve - it's supposed to be quieter and somehow prevent overflows .... I figure for an extra buck, I'll give it a shot.

Well, it is quiet - because it takes almost 5 minutes to fill the tank... uugghh.

And this Leak Sentry thing? What a piece of garbage that is. It sits on the bottom of the float and jams half the time so the tank never fills at all. I have no idea how it's supposed to prevent anything from overflowing other than not allowing the tank to ever fill up with anything - at all - ever.

Fortunately, this leak Sentry junk just snaps on so after a month of trying to "adjust it" - tonight it just got ripped off and thrown in the trash where it belongs.

I know I'll be replacing the fill valve again in a year or so because something will stop functioning properly with this one and even though it has a great warranty, I won't have time to wait for Fluidmaster to send me parts while my toilet isn't working.

AARRGGHH .... fixing toilets isn't my favorite job to do around the house - I wish they could just make decent parts that lasted!

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

Have you tried an independent hardware store?

I had the same experience with Fluidmasters. Although back in the day, they seemed to be real good, lately they just seem to be trash.

I went to a neighborhood hardware store and went back to the old ballcock style. It works like a dream.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

how depot has the old style, and any plumbing supply will have them.

 

[cdnfthree2]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

Doesn't the sentry have an adjustable fill time like alot of others?

 

[zach103]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

yah i agree with td.. Every supply house with have one.. my dad visits the supply houses for work and thats where he gets every plumbing part he needs. i havn't seen him get a plumbing peice from a hardware store in 10 years

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

how depot has the old style, and any plumbing supply will have them.

I bought these at Home Depot because that's all they had. Lowes has the same selection.

I agree a plumbing supply store would have different/better valves but they tend to be closed on the weekend which is when I tend to do my repair work.

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

Doesn't the sentry have an adjustable fill time like alot of others?

There is an adjustable fill level but not time.

The valve doesn't allow the water to fill as fast making it quieter - and also take forever between flushes.

 

[cdnfthree2]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

What a pain in the back side!

 

[zach103]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

could you stop on the way home from work during the week?. ours is usually open on saturdays.

 

[CatTwentyTwo]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

jsfinn, I am 57 and just may be getting old and cranky, but I think that you are absolutely right. It seems that whatever you buy today is not as well built or reliable as what you are replacing.

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

could you stop on the way home from work during the week?. ours is usually open on saturdays.

Yep. I could. I was being cranky - hence, the rant!


Thanks for letting me whine a little.

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

jsfinn, I am 57 and just may be getting old and cranky, but I think that you are absolutely right. It seems that whatever you buy today is not as well built or reliable as what you are replacing.

And I have just a couple years on you and really feel like the manufacturers cheapen up on their products just knowing we had good luck in the past. I had always used true temper shovels, and my last one broke where the shovel is pinned to the handle. My newer 48" deck mower used plastic pulleys! Thank god they broke within the first year and were covered by warranty. The tech said the metal ones fit and that's all he carried. Didn't want to hear the grief from us all....
Thanks for the heads up. I had changed my rentals over to fluidmaster years ago and trusted them, but now...I will take your good word and look for something else. Thanks!

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

:Shrug: the first toilet I had in this house lasted for 18 years and never needed a thing.

The one I have now is one of the newer "required by law" low water usage units. I had heard bad things about them but, in the 2 years I've had it I haven't had any real problems. I think maybe once or twice it did not flush completely. I found that if you need to you can hold the flush handle down for a second longer and get a little more water out of the tank for those times when you have a lot of **** to flush.

I do agree that any of the stuff you buy now is built real cheap. The newer it is the worse it's built.

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

Yep, same experience here. I've resigned myself to swapping out fill valves every year. The wife was using those chlorine pucks and they were wreaking havoc on the parts even though they claim to be "resistant" to chlorine. Yeah, right. I must have to replace a flapper every 6 months due to them failing to seal. Even though we stopped using the pucks, they still seem to have a very limited lifespan.

 

[modernrocketry]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

I knew a guy who worked for Fluidmaster in Orange County California. He was laid off about 7 years ago when they started moving production to Mexico.
Their quality has never been the same.

I try to avoid Home Depot and Lowes because I think they are purely focused on price and not interested in seliing quality.

Usually there are "stores" that the professionals buy from, plumming supply stores, electrical supply stores, etc -- I try to find them and buy from them.

 

[ThumbPkr]

Re: Rant - Fluidmaster Toilet Repair Aggravation

I am running the old brass hadware in my tanks and have given up on chasing for parts.I find them online now and they bring them to my door.LOL.Ron G