Undoing bottom fill toilet inlet valve connector from metal flexible hose

[londonbluefish]

Hi,

I'm trying to replace an old toilet inlet valve but having trouble with the flexible metal connector tube.

It's a bottom fill system. The fixed mains water pipe comes up from the floor and terminates with an isolator valve (which I've switched off) - it is then joined to the plastic toilet inlet valve connector by about a foot of flexible metal piping.

This has a nut at each end but if I try to unscrew the top nut (nearest the toilet) it just bends and kinks the whole flexible pipe (there's not much else to hold on to with these pipes). Not much more luck at the bottom (where it meets the mains water pipe).

I thought these flexible tubes were supposed to have free turning nuts at each end which just tightened over whatever they were connected to, and so could be unscrewed without twisting the whole pipe. Is it simply likely that the notes are very tight (goodness knows how long they've been installed and being gunked up) ?

I've tried lubricating all the joints but so far no joy. Do I need to undo both ends? Any tips for this?

 

[Madrab]

Use a pair of grips and hold onto the compressed metal collar of the flexi just below the nut in the pic.

Once it's loose the nut should then twist freely.

 

[londonbluefish]

I'll give it a go. Trouble is I'm working in a really weird space, sitting in the bath and reaching over behind the toilet (it's a fairly small bathroom and whoever fitted it obviously wanted to cram in as much as possible), so not sure I can even get both arms down to grip. Will see.

 

[footprints]

Might be worth buying a new hose before you start as after straining it may well fail.

 

[londonbluefish]

Oh boy what a noob.

Yeah, well, go public on it.

Forgot I was looking top down onto the connection, so was initially inadvertently trying to tighten rather than loosen it. Fortunately I didn't twist it much before I realised what I was doing!

It's water tight for the moment, am going to keep an eye on it obviously.

 

[footprints]

I bet we have all done it sometime, I still have to think which way the adjustable spanner worm needs to turn to adjust the jaws when in a tight space!
Glad you are sorted.

 

[londonbluefish]

I'm a bit paranoid about water (in the wrong places), so getting the replacement hose fairly soon might be a good idea.

The last house (which we rented) the boiler went wrong numerous times, multiple leaks and floods, went on and on. So although this was only a toilet flush problem it started the nerves off again

Now we own, well of course have to sort it ourselves or pay out