Hello, I found this forum thru google while doing an image search for a float ball tank. I work in a 1970's high rise condo that still has a lot of the original American Standard toilets in the units and we still use these. I agree with a post I read on Roma float ball tanks (see quote below) but feel it serves an additional purpose. I find that the tank allows for positive shut off by allowing more pressure to be put on the ballcock plunger. We have been installing them in toilets to solve continuous running issues for some time now. These toilets take forever to fill and I am convinced that when the water slows down to a trickle, what little bit of water is flowing goes to the bowl rather than the tank (tank water level ceases to rise and it never shuts off). Am I mistaken? Might there be another reason we have this issue? Are the tanks available anywhere? Thanks, Kevin

Here is a quote from a previous post on the issue:
Author: hj
when the toilet is flushed, the rubber flap opens and the tank drains. Then the rubber flap is supposed to close and seal the opening. The fill valve runs a full flow to fill the tank until the water level overflows into the tank filling it rapidly. This action turns off the fill valve quickly. The tank does two things.
1. It eliminates the slow final filling as the tank ball closes the valve in normal tanks.
2. And it maintains the proper water level regardless of how the tank float is adjusted.
3. I install the tank in lowboy toilets without it, even Case/Briggs one piece sometimes.
4. The toilet does not "NEED" it but it makes the toilet work better with it installed, even if it did not have one originally.
5. Since the rubber flap will deteriorate and "warp", I slip an blank plastic "credit" card, (from a store but without activation), between the stainless steel clamp and the rubber gasket to help it close and keep it closed.

quote; I find that the tank allows for positive shut off by allowing more pressure to be put on the ballcock plunger.

The "pressure" depends on how you bend the float rod, But if you bend it too much the ball rests on the bottom of the "tank" and fill slowly. Other than that, the valve will run "wide open" until the water in the toilet's tank reaches the top of the ball's tank, at which time it overflows into the tank and causes the float to rise rapidly and shut off quickly and completely. IF the flap on the side of the ball's tank is not sealing properly, i.e., the water level in the ball's tank rises at the same rate as the water in the toilet's tank, NONE of this works properly.



Edited 1 times.

What I need to know is how does the water control distribute the water, specifically just before the float satisfies.

Please correct me if I am wrong, the control sends water to two places, the bowl for rinse and the tank to fill.

Without a float ball tank; What it seems I am expieriencing is that just before the float satisfies, the control is sending that trickle of water to the bowl and not the tank. At that point, the float stops rising and that trickle of water continues to the bowl. Bending the float lowers the water level in the tank but still does not provide for complete shut off.

With a float ball tank, I am basically able to put more pressure on the ballcock plunger and shut it off completely. So along with fast fill, is another function of the float ball tank to provide for positive shut off?

My plumbing supplier just recently advised me that the float ball tanks were discontinued. It appears that he is correct as I can not find them anywhere. We work on many toilets to correct continuous run issues and I am looking for confirmation of my theory so I can advise the users accordingly.



Edited 1 times.

The "postive shut off" is a function of how low the ball sits in the tank. Since the tank is controlling the water level, it makes no difference at what point in the "ball's tank" the shut off occurs. They were probably discontinued because the Roma was the only one that used it and they have been out of production for a long time.



Edited 1 times.