Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Leaking toilet quote

8 replies

Okay1 · 12/11/2021 17:08

Can anyone give me any advice on the cost of getting a leaking toilet repaired, just so I know what to expect. Photograph attached.
@pigletjohn could do with your knowledge.

Thank you

Leaking toilet quote
OP posts:
PigletJohn · 12/11/2021 17:46

looks to me like a badly made joint leaking.

depending on your area, £80 for the plumber to get out of his van, and 50p to undo and remake.

ask around for recommendations of a local plumber. Don't use an advertising website where they pay to be listed even if it masquerades as a recommendation site.

Okay1 · 12/11/2021 19:54

@PigletJohn
That's great thank you.

Were in the west midlands, had a guy quote £65 for parts and fitting, we've used him once before and did a good job but will still call around.

OP posts:
ForestDad · 12/11/2021 20:15

For the price of 2 spanners/pipe wrench/mole grips you could have a try?
Find out which thread is leaking and tighten, making sure you don't over tighten or loosen off any others (easier said than done). The smaller shiny nut in the middle should be held still while you tighten the leaking one.
Have someone ready on the stopcock in case you mess it up but you need it to remain pressurised while you do it otherwise you don't know if you've stopped the leak.
Disclaimer: I'm not a plumber, at your own risk!

PigletJohn · 12/11/2021 22:56

it's possible that one of the nuts is cross threaded, so if DIYing, turn off the water and undo them first, then check that you can screw them on by hand before the final spanner tighten.

If the shank of the float valve is plastic, it is very prone to going cross threaded. They are now made with a brass shank to reduce this risk. The plastic is easily damaged making it even harder to get the nut to go on straight when you try to fix it.

I think the PTFE tape is in the wrong place. On the lower one it goes on the olive, not the thread, and the upper one should have a rubber washer. The part is presumably a compression tap connector. The nut and screw thread are to hold the parts together, the thread is not a water seal.

PigletJohn · 12/11/2021 23:08
Once it has been tightened with a spanner the olive will be compressed onto the pipe and will no longer slide. So the pipe and olive must be pressed fully home before tightening. If it leaks you can undo it and put a couple of turns of PTFE onto the olive, spilling onto the pipe, and press it round tightly so it is not scraped off when you reassemble the joint. Some plumbers claim that their joints never leak so they never use tape.
PigletJohn · 12/11/2021 23:16

I have not been able to find a tap connector vid that I am happy with. It is not the same as a hosepipe connector or an American connector.

you use a tap connector because the stem or shank on a ballcock or float valve is the same as a stem on a basin tap. It is called half-inch BSP although it does not measure half an inch. This was the internal diameter of the pipe that it used to fit when originally made of iron.

hannahcolobus · 13/11/2021 10:47

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Okay1 · 13/11/2021 11:17

Thanks everyone for the advice

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread