Had to choose between a $15 fix and a $400 part for my toilet. I picked wrong.

Last Saturday my toilet started running nonstop. I looked online and it was either replacing the flapper for $15 or swapping the whole fill valve for $400 with a plumber. I went cheap and bought the flapper at Ace Hardware. Three hours later after trying to jam it on, it still leaked and I cracked the tank lid out of frustration. Had to call a plumber anyway and he told me the old fill valve was the problem the whole time. Has anyone else wasted money trying to save a few bucks on a simple repair?

2 comments

2 Comments

miabennett9d ago

Went through this exact thing with my dryer, the cheap fix just made the expensive fix worse.

laurar389d ago

Sometimes paying up front saves you way more in the long run. Trying to patch a problem with tape and good intentions just kicks the can down the road until you're stuck with a bigger bill and a broken machine anyway. I'd rather drop the cash once and know it's done right than get stuck doing the job twice. Spending a little more now beats wasting time and money on a fix that's just gonna flake out on you later. Nobody got time for that.