I’ve had to replace the flappers in all of my toilets in the 2 years I’ve been in my house. I thought that installing the higher quality flapper would be the last toilet fixes I’d be doing…I was wrong.

First, here’s what the inside of most toilet tanks look like:

Last night the toilet in the master bath started sounding like somebody was filling the tank with a high pressure water hose. Checking the tank revealed that water was shooting out of the top of the fill valve instead of going through the fill tube. I happened upon an article on Reader’s Digest’s website that broke down the different parts of the toilet tank and led me to believe that most likely my fill valve could use some cleaning. It also noted that fill valves are cheap and easy to replace. Sounded great to me!

You should always do your research before making a purchase (especially ones that could cause property damage…like plumbing items). Lowes has integrated customer reviews into their website - and perusing the fill valve items I found their highest rated (and almost least expensive) Korky QuietFill Fill Valve. I’ve used the Korky flappers and liked them, so this was a fine choice.

Went to Lowes and also found something I’d never seen before - an in-tank toilet bowl cleaning system that advertises that it only treats the bowl and won’t affect the tank parts. I suspect that I’ve had to replace previous flappers because I like to use the little chlorine circles that you put in the tank to keep the bowl fresh. I figured I’d already be in the tank, so I’d try this too. I got the “Flush ’n Sprarkle” made by Fluidmaster. Their website is terrible or I’d provide a link…

Combining these two was a breeze. Make sure to follow the directions on the fill valve or you’ll have a very wet bathroom. Overall - this was an easy home fixit job that anybody can do.