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I bought a bidet online. Don't really do handy work, but it looked simple enough. Get everything set up, but the final step, connecting the cold water t adapter, was a bit tough. I was struggling and it kept coming off. Finally got it on and I think I stripped part of the pipe somehow. When I turned the water back on, it was leaking from the underside of the coupler (the "nut" on top of the T adapter). It does look a bit lopsided, but that's the only way it screws on. That's also the farthest it will go.

I figured there might be a problem with the T adapter, so I removed it and tried screwing on the original connector. Same leak. I think I damaged the plastic pipe by doing this.

What do I do?

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Mutilated Rhythm
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It looks like you have "cross threaded" the plastic pipe. (The term comes from the new set of threads you have accidentally cut into the pipe, which cross the original threads at several points.)

The only repair that will work here is to force the metal nut straight onto the end of the pipe, forcing it to re-cut the original, correct threads. This will take some patience, some fussing, and some force, because the nut will want to follow the new threads, and you must keep it straight.

If this was my problem, I'd remove both the fill valve and the T adapter, and use a sharp knife to adjust the threads in the plastic fill valve. Then I would clamp the adapter metal nut in my vise and assemble the two pieces while working in a more comfortable position than under a toilet. Once the nut is screwed straight onto the plastic, it will be much easier to assemble correctly next time.

Then take it apart and carefully re-install everything.

If you can get the fitting assembled straight it should not leak as the seal is provided by the ends of the T adapter and the plastic pipe -- the threads serve only to lock everything together and do not hold back any water.

The plastic threaded part that you've damaged is an integral part of the fill valve assembly. If you can't patch the leak in place, you will have to replace the entire fill valve.

A. I. Breveleri
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    A new fill valve is less then $20.00. U.S. – Alaska Man Mar 09 '20 at 22:11
  • @Alaska Man: Correct. But you have to go to the home supply store, stand in front of a bewildering array of every kind of fill valve, realize you forgot to measure the diameter of the hole in the ceramic, go home, measure, return to the store, find out the diameter of the hole is standardized, try to guess if the $34 kit is really better than the $19 kit, waste 1 hr 15 min finding out that the store staff knows even less than you do, give up and make a best guess, go home, find out you neglected to measure the height of the tank and you can't replace the tank lid with the new valve in ... – A. I. Breveleri Mar 09 '20 at 22:23
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    WOW!!!!! Somebody sure hates shopping.. lol+ – JACK Mar 09 '20 at 22:30
  • ...place, decide to remove the old fill valve and take it to the store to compare with aforesaid bewildering array, stand in line at the exchange desk, buy the replacement, go home, and install your new purchase. Now you are so exhausted and bewildered that you promptly cross-thread the new valve. – A. I. Breveleri Mar 09 '20 at 22:30
  • @A.I.Breveleri You mentioned replacing it, i was just adding the cost involved to do that. Even If you are that severely challenged in shopping for a toilet fill valve it is probably still easier than fixing crossed threads for the OP who said "Don't really do handy work" I was not criticizing your answer. – Alaska Man Mar 09 '20 at 22:43
  • @A.I.Breveleri Five bucks says you don't continue to make those mistakes; if you do then the problem doesn't rest with the bewildering array of choices (first world problem) – MonkeyZeus Mar 10 '20 at 13:11
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    I ended up buying a new fill valve for $20 via Amazon. Live in NY, so coronavirus fears had me prefer online shopping. I installed it and it all works perfectly now. Thank you so much! – Mutilated Rhythm Mar 11 '20 at 21:03