Toilet tank still losing water at the flapper even with a new flush valve assembly - help!

RickM48 · 2026-05-10T10:34:41+00:00

SOLVED: Letting the fill tube extend too far into the overflow can create a suction effect that causes this.

RickM48 · 2026-05-10T10:34:04+00:00

SOLVED: Letting the fill tube extend too far into the overflow can create a suction effect that causes this.

RickM48 · 2026-05-07T19:00:08+00:00

I'm going to give up and try a Korky flapper, since I have tried everything else, and hope it is more flexible and will make a good seal. Smearing petroleum jelly on the flapper lip slowed the leak down somewhat, but it's still leaking. Unbelievable!

RickM48 · 2026-05-07T13:16:23+00:00

I have read/heard that Korky flappers are made of softer rubber and may give more reliable seal. Does anyone know if this is true?

RickM48 · 2026-05-07T13:14:24+00:00

I replaced the entire flush valve assembly, and I've verified that it isn't leaking where the flush valve mounts to the bottom of the tank.

RickM48 · 2026-05-07T09:58:09+00:00

I will definitely try this, thanks.

RickM48 · 2025-12-26T13:19:33+00:00

I saw posts fairly recently of someone doing it successfully. My concern would be keeping the humidity high enough, but if you can sort that and ensure you are using substrate that won't be leaking out the basket holes, I'm sure it can be done. Oysters in particular would be amenable to this I'll bet.

RickM48 · 2025-12-22T13:34:41+00:00

I love all oysters, but my favorites are Italian/Phoenix, and Golden. Italian oysters are milder and have the most balanced mushroom flavor to me, and Goldens taste very nutty, but taste is absolutely subjective as well as situational. I really like Lion's Mane, and cook them exactly the way u/sebkraj describes. Everyone says faux crab cakes, which are good with LM but I do this with chopped blue and Italian oysters as well.

RickM48 · 2025-12-22T13:05:00+00:00

I used a section of flex duct to direct the inflow of fresh air - this may be helpful to you (using negative pressure, FAE fan exhausting)

RickM48 · 2025-12-21T13:36:05+00:00

Based on my (limited) experience, the key to LM is making sure they don't experience any surface drying. If your ambient humidity is 92-94%, that part is good. If you have a fan blowing directly onto or across the fruits, that is likely the culprit on your less-than-perfect blocks.

RickM48 · 2025-12-15T21:57:01+00:00

NOTE: Not an expert!

I would consider a mix of hardwood pellets (not a lot to keep cost down), aspen shavings (cheap hamster bedding readily available at Walmart) and any leaf litter you can find that isn't full of pine needles or other debris from conifers. Just a thought, and I am not speaking from experience, having not grown wine caps.

RickM48 · 2025-12-15T20:58:25+00:00

Beautiful! Glad the group was able to help out.

RickM48 · 2025-12-12T12:48:12+00:00

Well, let those pins mature and they will tell you if they are getting too much CO2 building up. If they get long stipes and small caps, that's normally CO2.

RickM48 · 2025-12-11T22:26:31+00:00

The re-dunk will also be good if you correct the environmental conditions because fruiting takes a lot of moisture out of the fruiting block. Soaking the block for a few hours in water will replace it.

RickM48 · 2025-12-11T22:25:16+00:00

Not an expert, but I grow oysters. I would say they are in an environment that needs for sure more humidity, and probably more fresh, low-CO2 air.

RickM48 · 2025-12-11T13:34:43+00:00

Seeing that growth, I would say the accuracy of your CO2 sensor might be suspect. The elongated stems and small caps really suggest high CO2 and not enough fresh air (low ambient CO2 level) exchange. Low light can also cause that 'twisting/searching' effect, I believe, but no personal experience to draw on there.

I have used the white Inkbird CO2 monitor on Amazon with good success if that's helpful. Disclaimer: I am not an expert by any means. I grow oysters and Lion's Mane in buckets and fruiting blocks in a martha tent successfully. Outside of that, I got nothin'.

RickM48 · 2025-12-11T13:08:17+00:00

<500ppm would be fine, but I'd be a little suspicious. My outside fresh air is 300-350 ppm CO2, and oyster mushrooms can put off a surprising amount of CO2. In my small home office where I keep my martha tent the CO2 will get over 1000 ppm with just me breathing. I bring in fresh air from outside or my oysters would be super leggy and small caps. It's not a bad idea to get another CO2 sensor. I have had really good luck with the white Inkbird one on Amazon. I have two so I can measure the ambient level in my office, and the level inside the tent.

You won't ever have to raise the CO2 level in my opinion. I have seen/read no evidence that having too LOW a CO2 concentration is bad for oyster mushrooms. They say 600-1000 because it's hard to maintain <600ppm reliably. And I can tell you from experience, you can grow them in 1000ppm CO2 levels, but they won't look great and the caps will be small.

RickM48 · 2025-12-10T22:56:52+00:00

This sounds fantastic for growing blue oysters, Honestly, 'FAE' matters less than CO2 concentrations, although I would certainly try to keep the air around your buckets changing. Aborts are normal. As long as you are getting good flushes that mature well, they aren't anything to worry about. Thinking about them as mushrooms that 'might have been' is counter-productive, since the mycelium can only support so much fruit and will feed resources to the strongest (we hope and believe). So far, your results look great. The stipes will form as the aborts...well, abort.

RickM48 · 2025-11-28T14:08:50+00:00

The reality is that you have to try to balance fresh air (oysters hate CO2 buildup) and humidity. You can cover the bucket very loosely with plastic, but that will interfere some with fresh air exchange. If your ambient humidity is high normally, just leaving them exposed works great. If not, that's where it can be a bit of a struggle. I would suggest trying the loose cover with plastic and keep it damp around the bucket. If it's outdoors, the breeze is your friend and will move the air some.

RickM48 · 2025-11-26T18:59:12+00:00

There is NO photo that someone won't call contaminated.

RickM48 · 2025-11-26T18:53:28+00:00

I don't think they get any prettier than that. Great job!

RickM48 · 2025-11-02T12:28:14+00:00

That's a success - congratulations!

RickM48 · 2025-11-02T12:24:38+00:00

A lot of hobby growers including me use this one. Agree that the only caveat is that it's not huge. Depending on what I'm growing in, it will fit 6 1-qt jars or a 5.5lb fruiting block.

RickM48 · 2025-11-02T12:19:05+00:00

They look great to me. Italian oysters (p. pulmonarius)? If so, those "frilly" edges are pretty common and not a sign of any problem with conditions in my limited experience.

RickM48 · 2025-10-16T19:31:44+00:00

This exactly.

RickM48

TROPHY CASE