Replacing a Flush Valve Cover

Replace a Flush Valve Cover

Replacing a flush valve cover is not that hard if you are prepared with all the instructions. A flush valve consists of a water inlet and a water outlet, which are joined together to complete the body. It is completed by an inner cover that mounts on the body. Following that, there\’s an outer cover that helps to properly close the inner cover and the rest of the parts of the flush valve cover. It is made from plastic, but it is still strong enough to transmit radiation from the sensor so that the sensor is able to detect the presence of the flush valve. Both the inner and outer cover comes with interfitting lugs, which help to restrict relative rotation. They are also the means to attach the covers to the flush valve body. That is made possible through the use of a ring, which is mainly applied to the inner cover.

Some of the problems of toilet leakage are related to the malfunctioning of its mechanism that controls the flushing and filling of the tank. One of the common places to check is the diaphragm flush valve and failure in this area can result to wasting thousands of gallons of water annually.

What you need:

  1. Locate the water supply valve.
  2. Turn it off when doing the task.
  3. Wrench

Method:

  1. First thing to do is to locate the water supply valve, turn it off and leave a notice or memo stating that work is in progress and no one is to turn it on during your repair work. This might sound a little too official, but it\’s best so as not to disturb the working process.
  2. Next thing to do is to locate the outer cover on the toilet valve. Once found, you can use a wrench to loosen up the cover and remove it. Remember to check the inside of the valve cover and remove any bits of grit or sand that have lodged in the valve assembly.
  3. Then, remove the inner cover located directly over the diaphragm seal itself. Each of the steps along the way could also be the cause. You also need to clean the space situated above the diaphragm valve, and then lift the valve out to enable you to do further inspection.
  4. You should run the valve under clean tap water in order to wash or remove any material that is stuck along the way into the strainer of the diaphragm valve.
  5. Next, to take off all parts of the diaphragm valve and replace them in the correct orientation.
  6. Finally, you need to replace the diaphragm valve, insert the inner cover before replacing its outer cover. Make sure that you screw it down tightly and then turn the water supply back again, plus also do some testing to see that it does not cause any problems to visitors.

Image Credit:

Flickr CC

Additional Reading:

The Plumber\’s Troubleshooting Guide