Hard time finding angle valve for toilet

Repairtag

I'm having a difficult time finding an replacement angle valve for a toilet replacement job. The original angle valve had to be cut off and the replacement valve seems to be elusive. The pipe size for the valve is bigger than 5/8 OD but smaller than 3/4OD. The fact is I'm not sure that its less than 3/4 OD but I'm sure that the pipe is larger than 5/8OD. Any ideas?

oh'mike

Post a picture--it sounds like you cut off a threaded pipe---in which case you would need to unscrew the nipple from the wall---

What is the pipe made of? How old is the house? Are you prepared to open the wall if the old nipple breaks off inside the wall?

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paul100

It could also be one of those valves that have a chrome extension that slides over the copper. If it is that type then you need to unsweat the chrome part to get to the copper.

ben's plumbing

yes mike and paul covered both areas of this which seems to be one or the other...ben post a pitcure...

Repairtag

I didn't want to get into the whole story behind this issue but if you see the picture, you might be wondering WTF.

My parents recent purchased a new toilet/bidet and they installed it. If you see the picture you really can't say installed it properly. Anyway, installing the new toilet required a new angle valve/stop. The person who installed it struggled to find the right part and "jimmied" the fix.

Let me describe the scenario if the picture is not clear enough. The angle valve is connected to a copper pipe which is connected to a clear plastic hose secured by hose clamp. The other end of the plastic hose is connected to the inlet pipe (not sure the right term) secured by hose clamp.

So I need to fix this. The problem is I can't find the right angle valve that fits the "inlet pipe". Does this make sense?

TheEplumber

I still think it's 5/8 O.D. Some times a tubing cutter will flare the end of the pipe as it cuts- making it slightly larger. This makes it next to impossible to slip on a fitting or ferrule. Try taking a file to the "ridge" or cut it back about a 1/2" with a high quality tubing cutter

Repairtag

I've tried with 5/8" OD and definitely doesn't fit. I haven't filed it down but that seems wrong. Or is that a common practice?

iamrfixit

What did the original valve look like?

I have seen many old houses that were plumbed with soft copper, though most often they used 1/2". Very possible they used 3/4" here.

While rigid copper is sold in sizes such as 1/2" or 3/4" that is the inside diameter, with soft copper it's also sold as 1/2" or 3/4" but that is the outside diameter.

Repairtag

That's pretty interesting. Sorry. I don't have the original.

oh'mike

That tile tells me that that house id old---is the house plumbed in threaded steel pipe?

The picture does not show the original pipe---I put my money on this---You have a threaded nipple.

Someone cut off the threaded stop valve---

If I'm right---the answer is to unscrew the nipple (which might just break off inside the wall) and add a new threaded nipple.

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paul100

Soft and hard copper is the same exact size outside dimension. I believe that air conditioning copper is the one that has different outside sizes.

Repairtag

The house, I think, was built in the 60s. Mike, I believe the pipe sticking out of the wall is the original pipe. How do I test that it was plumbed with a threaded nipple? Do I try to untwist the thread? What if its not threaded? Is it possible to break it off inside the wall?

paul100

Take off the tubing and valve that are there now and take a picture of the pipe sticking out of the wall. Take a picture from above and also looking into the end of the pipe.

joecaption

Threaded pipe would be at least 4 times thicker then just plain copper pipe. It also would be silver, gray or brass colored not a copper color.
If it is copper and this pipe froze at some point it would have expanded enough that a new fitting will not fit.

oh'mike

Look at any exposed original piping in the house----copper was less common in the 1960s than threaded pipe---I can not think of another reason that the pipe is not the typical size of copper .

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