How to Adjust a Korky Toilet

Korky doesn't actually manufacture toilets, but it is well-known for manufacturing replacement parts for toilets of other brands, including Kohler, American Standard and many more. Replacement parts include fill valves, flappers, flapper-style flush valves and seals for canister-style flush valves that are common of Kohler toilets. Adjustment of these Korky toilet parts becomes necessary when the toilet runs, fails to flush completely or experiences any of the problems to which conventional gravity-flush toilets are subject.

Korky fill valves are similar to Fluidmaster valves in that they use a cut-style float, but unlike Fluidmaster valves, some Korky models, such as the Korky QuietFILL, feature a direct connection between the float and the valve rather than being connected by an adjustable rod. If the toilet is running constantly, the float may be set too high, and if the toilet doesn't flush completely, it may be set too low.

Whereas you adjust the connection rod on standard cup-style fill valves to set the water level in the tank, on a Korky QuietFill, you have to adjust the height of the valve itself. To raise the water level, rotate the top of the valve counterclockwise a quarter turn and lift it until the water level mark on the valve aligns with the water line on the tank or is about 1/2 inch below the top of the overflow tube. To lower the water level, turn off the water, flush the tank and then rotate the top of the valve counterclockwise, lower it to where you want it and rotate the top clockwise to lock it in place.

Korky makes flappers for all kinds of toilets, and it also markets a universal flapper that usually works when you can't find the exact one you need. Once the flapper fits, the only adjustment you need to make is the length of the chain connecting it to the flush handle. If the chain is too long, the flapper won't lift all the way, and the flush will be incomplete, and if the chain is too short, the flapper won't seat all the way, and the toilet will leak.

If the flapper leaks slowly, the toilet will cycle on all by itself, sometimes in the middle of the night, giving you the impression that someone flushed the toilet. Plumbers call this condition "phantom flushing,"and it's common to think something is wrong with the fill valve when the flapper is actually responsible. If phantom flushing occurs after you install a new flapper, the chain is too short.

To adjust the chain length, unhook the chain from the clamp that connects to the flush handle and reconnect the chain a few links closer to the end. You usually don't have to increase the chain length by much to correct phantom flushing.

Korky manufactures replacement seals for canister-style flush valves, and it makes a universal seal that fits most toilets. If your toilet has one, you'll see a canister about the size of a soup or coffee can in the middle of the toilet connected to the flush handle by a chain. You can adjust the length of the chain the same way you do for a flapper, but if the toilet leaks no matter what length you make the chain, the canister seals need to be replaced.

To remove the canister, turn off the water, flush to empty the tank and then disconnect the chain from the canister. Grasp the canister and turn it counterclockwise to release it. Lift it out, pull off the old rubber seal on the bottom edge and install the new one. When you're done, replace the canister, hook up the chain and turn on the water.