07Repair kits · Faucets and toilets
Bring the old cartridge and we match the spline, not the faucet brand.
Faucet cartridge replacement for Austin kitchens and bathrooms, plus toilet fill valve repair kits sized to the opening in your tank. Cartridges run $18 to $65, toilet kits $14 to $42. Both are indicative, and the counter confirms the number once the fit is checked.
Repair kits · matched against the old part
The rule
Pull the cartridge before you call. Put it in a bag, scale and all, and bring it to the counter.
A faucet that has been on the market for fifteen years has usually been through two or three cartridge changes, and the outside of the faucet never told anyone. The handle looks the same. The escutcheon looks the same. Inside, one revision has a 20-point broach on the stem and the next has 16, or the stem got 4 mm longer when the maker switched to ceramic discs. Order by the brand printed on the spout and the odds are about even.
So the rule here is plain: no faucet cartridge goes out without the old one in hand or a sharp photo of it beside a ruler. We count the splines, measure the stem from the top of the body, check the hot/cold stop tabs and compare the base seal. If two revisions both fit your body, we say so and you pick.
The failure we see most is a cartridge bought online that went in, turned on, and gave hot water on the cold side. Same body, wrong stop orientation. It goes back into a bag and a second weekend gets spent on it.
Spline count · stem length · stop tabs
RK-01 · Faucet cartridge
Faucet cartridge replacement, counted by the spline
Single-handle cartridges are brass or engineering plastic bodies with a pair of ceramic discs inside, sometimes a pressure-balancing spool on shower valves. Two-handle stems are simpler: a threaded brass stem, a rubber seat washer or a quarter-turn ceramic disc. We stock the common bodies and order the rest against the measurement.
It suits a dripping spout. It also suits a shower that swings hot every time someone flushes the toilet down the hall. It does not suit a faucet with a cracked body or a corroded valve seat. A new cartridge seals against that seat, and pitting there leaks through any cartridge you buy.
| Point | How it is measured | Typical values |
|---|---|---|
| Spline count | Counted on the broach, under a loupe if worn | 16 / 20 / 24 pt |
| Stem length | Caliper from body shoulder to stem tip | ±0.5 mm |
| Body diameter | Across the base, above the seal | 25–40 mm |
| Stop tabs | Position of the hot limit and rotation stop | Compared side by side |
| Seal type | O-ring, lip seal or flat gasket at the base | Swapped with the cartridge |
$18–$65 per cartridge · indicative, confirmed on reply
RK-02 · Toilet fill and flush valve kit
Toilet fill valve repair kit, sized to the opening first
A toilet that runs every twenty minutes is nearly always one of two parts. The flapper has gone soft and lets water seep past the flush valve seat, or the fill valve seal has hardened and will not shut off. A kit replaces both, along with the refill tube and the tank-to-bowl gasket if you are pulling the tank anyway.
The question that decides the kit is the size of the flush valve opening. Most tanks before the mid-2000s use a 2 inch opening. Many newer high-efficiency tanks use 3 inch. A 2 inch flapper on a 3 inch seat drops straight through. Measure the drain hole under the flapper, or send a photo looking straight down into the tank with a tape across it.
Fill valves are height-adjustable within a range, typically 9 to 14 inches. Shallow tanks under 9 inches need a short-body valve, and we ask for the tank depth before quoting.
| Component | Sizing | Checked by |
|---|---|---|
| Flush valve opening | 2″ or 3″ | Tape across the drain hole |
| Flapper | Matched to opening and chain or strap type | Photo of the old flapper |
| Fill valve | 9–14″ adjustable | Tank depth, floor to rim |
| Shank thread | 7/8″ ballcock | Standard on residential tanks |
| Tank-to-bowl gasket | Sponge or wedge profile | Two-piece toilets only |
$14–$42 per kit · indicative, confirmed on reply
→From bag to counter
What happens after you pull the old part
Shut the stop valve first. For a single-handle faucet that is usually both stops under the sink, then a hex key on the handle set screw.
- Pull it and bag it
Remove the cartridge or flapper. Leave the scale on. Scale shows us where the old seal sat.
You · before the visit - Measure at the counter
Splines counted, stem measured with a caliper, base seal compared. For toilets, the opening size and the tank depth.
Counter · while you wait - Name the match and the number
If it is on the shelf you leave with it. If it has to be ordered, you get the confirmed price before anything is ordered.
Counter · on reply - How it goes in
We show the orientation of the stop tabs and which way the hot limit faces. That is the step most people get wrong.
Counter · at handover
?Before you drive over
Questions people ask at the faucet shelf
Can I buy a cartridge by the faucet brand alone?
No. One faucet line can use three or four cartridges over its production run. Bring the old cartridge, or a clear photo of the stem end beside a ruler, and the matching takes a few minutes.
Is a compatible cartridge as good as the original?
When the splines, stem length and stop tabs all match, a compatible cartridge works the same. When one of those is off by a millimetre, it does not, and we will not call it compatible. Ask for both and we quote both.
How do I tell a 2 inch flush valve from a 3 inch one?
Measure the drain hole at the bottom of the tank under the flapper. A 2 inch opening takes a flapper about 2.6 inches across. A 3 inch opening takes one about 3.5 inches across. If in doubt, send the photo.
Who is this not for?
Anyone who wants the job done for them. Beavreno sells the part and explains how it goes in; it does not send a plumber. It is also not the place for a faucet body that is cracked or a valve seat that is pitted. A new cartridge will not fix either.
↔Next to repair kits
Parts that usually travel with a cartridge
Ask about this part
Old cartridge in a bag, or a photo of the stem end beside a ruler. No measurement, no quote. That is how a second trip gets avoided.