toilet flush valves. Korky or Fluidmaster ?

[CarLuver]

i am the handy man guy when it comes to family. when they have a plumbling issue i get called. aunts uncles cousins. LOL. I have always used the fluidmaster brand toilet fill valve. i find though that they go bad in 5-7 years . i have installed the korky brand a couple of times , but they are only a couple of years old so no call back yet.


i know we have a very handy group here. what is your experience with the 2 toilet fill brands. do you find one last longer then the other?

 

[vwmaniaman]

I use a Korky flapper and a fluid master fill valve. Mine are all over 10 yr old.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I've found no difference in my house.

 

[Hall]

I've used both (just depends on what store I go to and what they sell) and can't say one is better than the other. I don't know why they fail but I always blame our extremely hard water.

 

[Dave9]

I've got ~25 year old Fluidmasters. Every dozen years they need a new valve gasket, and every 6 or so, a new flapper. The flappers on the rigid plastic frames seem to seal longer than those with the frame arms made of the same rubber as the flapper bulb.

 

[BHopkins]

I also used to be a Fluid Master user. But recently, I have become a true Korky convert.

Recently, I have had a couple bad experiences with Fluid Master fill valves, particularly where they have not fully shut off when the float reaches the top. They will continue to run for a long time, allowing a small stream of water. And when they have been running on, they are noisy. One of the bad Fluid Master valves was brand new, right out of the package. The other one was only a couple years old.

After having these recent bad experiences with Fluid Master, I decided to try Korky. What a huge difference! They shut off very precise. They are quieter. Korky is all that I will use now.

I don't know what changed with Fluid Master, or if my expectations changed. But the short answer is, buy Korky. Skip Fluid Master.

 

[CatCam2]

fluidmaster......i have not had luck with korky.

 

[JohnnyG]

I use a Korky flapper and a fluid master fill valve. Mine are all over 10 yr old.

I do too. The newer ones have an improved level control that can be adjusted with you fingers AFTER the valve is installed. I've found the small repairs to be very easy as well. Such as when a piece of lime scale gets stuck under the rubber diaphragm.
Flappers can be short lived if those chlorine tabs are used in the tank. I avoid them.

 

[MParr]

In my experience, Korky is a better product.

 

[DuckRyder]

Ive used both, its basically a toss up on the new ones... neither one of them is worth a flip... I even bought a TOTO branded Korkey and 2 years was it...

 

[FordMan59]

I've always used Fluidmaster fill valves. I suspect the ones I'm using in both bathrooms are 10+ years old. Last time I had to replace one I bought a contraactor 3 pack and when I was going through the cabinet in the bathroom the other day I noticed there were still 2 in it. I also used a Fluidmaster rubber ring instead of a wax ring when I removed the toilet to repair the floor that was damaged by a water heater leak in 2017. A couple weeks ago I pulled the old commode up and replaced it with a new one because of a leaking tank. The rubber ring was still in good condition and very flexible so I reused it and no leaks.

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

I rebuilt everything inside the tank this past summer using the kit below. Until recently it’s been fine but I’m noticing it “running” every so often and will have to look into it, maybe something is sticking. Usually I’ve had good luck with Fluid Master though.

 

[facility1]

fluidmaster is very good,proper install and adjustment is important,,,,korkys are also decent and last long time,and quieter on fill

 

[FordMan59]

Until recently it’s been fine but I’m noticing it “running” every so often and will have to look into it, maybe something is sticking.

In my case 9 times out of 10 intermittently running has been a leaking flapper. Either the flapper is bad or there will be some type of build up where it should be sealing off in the tank. There have been times I've just taken and wiped the sealing surface clean and it took of the problem.

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

In my case 9 times out of 10 intermittently running has been a leaking flapper. Either the flapper is bad or there will be some type of build up where it should be sealing off in the tank. There have been times I've just taken and wiped the sealing surface clean and it took of the problem.

Thanks, I’ll check that and clean it. Hopefully that’s all it is. The reason I replaced everything in the first place was because that tube the flapper is attached to had a small crack and it would run on and off every few minutes.

 

[4WD]

Switched when FM went to made in China … No regrets …

 

[PW01]

I rebuilt everything inside the tank this past summer using the kit below. Until recently it’s been fine but I’m noticing it “running” every so often and will have to look into it, maybe something is sticking. Usually I’ve had good luck with Fluid Master though.

View attachment 127276

I installed that exact kit in both of our toilets. They are noisy as hell when they’re filling the tank and they each have mold on the top where they leak. I’ve replaced the valve in both, no change.

 

[hrv]

I have used both and they are both good products....Wont go wrong using either....

 

[JMJNet]

I have compared both of them and choose Korky Fill Valve.
The Korky does not have any moving part which to me is a plus.
The FM have the moving part to adjust the water level.

I have replaced a couple of FM come with the house with Korky in the past year after about 1 year owning the house.

This is the Fill valve, not the flapper.