Aftermarket "Will Fit" Toilet Fill Valves

Q. "When I flush my toilet the fill valve does not start refilling until most of the water has drained from the tank. Why does this happen?"
A. With a Korky toilet valve, standard on Toto toilets, you'll eventually have a situation where you flush the toilet, and it takes a few seconds, sometimes ten or more, before the valve will begin refilling the tank. The most common cause is the chamber that contains the float has become clogged from residue and open completely, giving a slow response in refilling the tank. This chamber has a small ball valve at its bottom, and this must empty the float chamber in order for the float to drop and open the fill valve.
To clean the ball, turn off the water to the toilet and flush the tank. Then remove the float chamber cover and then the float by gently squeezing its arms at the top of the fill valve. Using a semi-stiff paint brush and a few glasses of water, clean the ball and seat at the bottom of the float chamber. Replace the float and cover, turn the water on and you're ready to go.

Q. "What are the most commonly replaced toilet parts?"
A. This depends on several factors; each time you use your toilet the trip lever, flapper, and fill valve are operated. You will find, however, that the flapper and fill valve are the parts most exposed to water and will be the first ones to wear out in most cases.

Q. "What does 'will fit' mean?"
A. "Will Fit" is a term used to define an item that may or may not be made by the original manufacturer (OEM), but will function just like the original part.

Q. "What is the difference between "OEM" and "will-fit" parts? And what does OEM mean anyway?"
A. "OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer". This means anything from the original manufacturer that is sold to a second company to use in production of that second company's product. In other words, many toilet manufacturers outsource for the internal working parts of the toilet, such as the fill valves, flush valves, or flappers. When this happens, they have the opportunity to use an existing part, or to spec something for the specific toilet. When the toilet manufacturer chooses to use an existing part, the manufacturer of the part can still sell that piece under their own name. If the toilet manufacturer chooses to spec something for the specific toilet, the part manufacturer can then only provide that part to the toilet manufacturer. What this means for you is that you can sometimes get the *exact same part* (by the original manufacturer of the OEM part), but under another name and at a better cost! So when your toilet's internal working parts need to be replaced, you may have the option to use either the "OEM" part number or use the "will-fit" part number to order what you need. Please note that only some "will-fit" items are manufactured by the OEM manufacturer. If this is essential to your repair, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to check for you.