Fluidmaster 400A Anti-Siphon Toilet Tank Fill Valve

by Fluidmaster

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Quiet, corrosion-resistant replacement for outdated ballcock, float ball and rod arm. Fits most tanks. Provides fast, positive shut-off and puts an end to tank noise. Backflow preventer guards against toilet water contamination of fresh water supply. Meets all anti-siphon codes.

Product Description

FLUIDMASTER ADJUSTABLE BALLCOCK 9" to 14" Adjustable float saves water Plastic and non-corrosive Anti-siphon Boxed

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 15.7 x 15.5 x 12.9 inches ; 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B00002ND6R
• Item model number: 400A
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,333 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Plumber's Favorite, April 16, 2007

By 

Edward Scott "ewscott" (Utopia, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

My nephew, the plumber, gave me the story on this years ago and I've benefited ever since:

1. If you have a different kind of ballcock and it works ok, leave it there until you need to fix it, of course... then install this one. It's not the absolute cheapest but after you install it, you'll be glad you did. It works well, is simple to install and it is REPAIRABLE without having to go to the store to buy a new one, or without having to have a toilet problem for a week while you order another one.

2. If you already have one installed (lucky for you, somebody was thinking clearly and installed the right one last time), you can fix it if it's simply stopped up (water doesn't come out to fill the tank).

--First, turn the water off with the valve handle under the toilet tank.

--Reach down under the little float that moves up and down and you'll find a plastic collar ring. Slide that ring up so that you feel it release it's hold on the vertical shaft it's on. Pop the 1/4 inch tube off the unit and gently pull it out of the vertical shaft. The whole unit slides up and out. Let the water drain out of it before you take it away from the toilet tank.

--Hold the unit over the sink and pop the little cap off the top. You won't hurt it and it won't break unless you do something illogical. Inside there is a white portion that has been twisted past a detent. Raise the little tabs (one on each side) so you can turn it counterclockwise past the detents and it will come out. Voila! There is all kinds of sediment in there that is stopping up the system. Thump it out and rinse it under the sink faucet to remove the stuff.

--Carefully replace the white portion into the unit and twist it clockwise until it clicks past the detents again. Take it back to the toilet tank and slide it back in place on the vertical pipe and slide the collar ring back down to lock it in place.

--Slowly turn the water back on, making sure nothing flies apart or leaks. You're done! Two minutes this took!!!!

3. If you don't want to repair the unit as explained in option 2, buy another Fluidmaster 400 and install it as follows (you DON'T have to take the intake pipe apart and drain the toilet tank!):

--First, turn the water off with the valve handle under the toilet tank.

--Reach down under the little float that moves up and down and you'll find a plastic collar ring. Slide that ring up so that you feel it release it's hold on the vertical shaft it's on. Pop the 1/4 inch tube off the unit and gently pull it out of the vertical shaft. The whole unit slides up and out. Let the water drain out of it before you take it away from the toilet tank.

--Replace it with the same part in your new kit, then slide the collar ring back into place. Adjust the height of the unit so that the top is just below where the tank lid goes, so it's as high as possible without obstructing the tank lid replacement. You may have to readjust this so that the fill level in the tank is where you want it... you want as much water in the tank as possible without flowing over the overflow ... easy to see what I mean.

You're done!

My nephew explained that this is the favorite item for repairing ballcock problems because the plumber can replace it in a minute or two and charge for his full hour and for a new ballcock. No offense, but anybody can do this themselves... no need to pay somebody a hundred dollars to fix it.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best ballcock on the market, July 3, 2006

By 

Nevin Hawkins (Redondo Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I have been a self-employed plumber for over twenty five years and have installed hundreds, if not thousands of fluidmaster #400 A ballcocks. In all that time, I have never had one that was defective, and I buy them 25 to the case. They are ,in fact, the least expensive most reliable unit on the market today. No offense to the other reviewer, but you have installed the unit incorrectly or there is something else wrong with your toilet.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good design, November 29, 2007

By 

M. Gozum (Eastern USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fluidmaster 400A Anti-Siphon Toilet Tank Fill Valve (Misc.)

6+ years ago, the old float ball mechanism died after some years of quick repairs. I had 3 choices at the hardware store stocked to ceiling with: similar ball mechanisms, fluidmaster 400s or Smartvalve 2000s, in order of installation complexity. Its not rocket science, but some mechanisms have more to it than others, particularly if you do it rarely, as I, a non-plumber. Reading the installation instructions, I made the mistake of choosing the Smartvalve 2000, because years later I read that it was being dumped the year I bought it. I heard plumbers rave about Fluidmaster, and over years see it installed in most toilets I happened to see.

The Smartvalve was a snap to install and adjust compared to the 400, as it has less moving parts. However, 5 years later it began leaking water into the tub, and with few parts to adjust, I couldn't make it stop. American Standard still ships this valve it its toilets, so caveat emptor. You cannot find spare parts, gaskets, much less instructions beyond what is posted on chat groups or the installation instruction sheet. Many chat groups have one advice: dump it.

Installing the FM was a easy, but it has more caveats in terms of placement of height, hoses, and say, its leak protector. Its easy to do once you know how, but this first one took me a hour to install and adjust. The Smartvalve took all of 15 minutes.

Its been flawless. Plumbers rave about how much more reliable a valve the 400A is, and how easy it is to service, compared to the old float ball, or the Smartvalve.

In the end, all my choices were under $10, but the headache of fixing the water leak, noise, and inconvenience cost far more in terms of labor. So, its good to get it right the first time.