The ABC's of Plumbing - Toilet Fill Valve

The toilet fill valve, a.k.a. "ballcocks," is the plumbing part that enables the toilet tank to drain and then refill after flushing. When it's time to replace the ballcock, you must first know what kind you have. Here are the five main types of fill valves: 

1. Plunger / Piston Fill Valve—Plunger or piston-style fill valves are one of the earliest designs. Made of cast brass, they use a bottom-fill water discharge tube. If you have this style of fill valve, you should replace it with a newer anti-siphon design that meets current plumbing codes. 

2. Plastic Diaphragm Fill Valve – Diaphragm fill valves have also been around for a long time, but have anti-siphon design and are usually plastic. 

3. Brass Diaphragm Fill Valve – Also has an anti-siphon design with brass construction. 

4. Float Cup Fill Valve – A more up-to-date style of anti-siphon fill valve introduced in the 1950s is the float cup fill valve. Made of plastic, it has a floating O-shaped cup that moves up and down around the fill valve shaft. The floating cup is attached using a metal spring clipped to a metal actuating rod. 

5. Floatless Type Fill Valve – Floatless fill valves are made of plastic and use a diaphragm pressure sensing design to adjust the water level in the toilet tank.

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Also check the following blog post: What Causes Pink Stains on Toilets and Bathtubs.