Toilet Will Not Refill


  #1  
Old 09-29-09, 08:22 PM
J
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Toilet Will Not Refill

Hello all,
I have a toilet that will not refill after being flushed. The only way I can get it to refill is if I turn the shut off valve off then back on again. Its a brand new valve that was installed about a year ago by a professional plumber, so I don't think it's the problem. Today I discovered that if I take the lid off and apply pressure to the black plunger I can see the water start to trickle, but it still wont fill up unless I shut the valve on the floor off, then back on again.

Can someone help me here? I just hope it doesn't require a professional again. That service call was very expensive and he was only here for 20 minutes!

Thanks,
Jamie
 
  #2  
Old 09-29-09, 08:48 PM
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jamieshan,

Welcome to the forums.

It sounds like he put in a Fluidmaster 400. No problem with that -- it's a good fill valve. But it's got crud in it that has it clogged. You MAY be able to backflush it and clean it out, but I would suggest that you simply go to one of the big box stores and get a new Fluidmaster 400 and replace it. (They're only about $10 -- why fight it!!)

Once you have the old one out, turn the supply line into a small pail and turn on the valve to flush the line. THEN install the new fill valve.
 
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Old 09-29-09, 08:57 PM
J
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Lefty,
Thanks for the quick response. I'm not very handy, so I'd like to try to remedy it without any tools! How would I go about trying to "back flush" it? And we are talking about the valve on the floor, right?

Jamie
 
  #4  
Old 09-29-09, 09:27 PM
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No, I reread your post, and I don't think that the problem is the valve right at the floor. It's the fill valve inside the tank. You'll need a sponge and a pair of pliers to replace that. (Can you deal with THAT for tools??)

Get a Fluidmaster 400. Shut off the valve at the floor and then flush the toilet. Hold the handle down for several seconds to let the water drain out of the bottom of the tank. Use the sponge to remove the rest of the water from the bottom of the tank. Use the pliers to remove the supply line where it conncts to the bottom of the tank, and then to remove the nut holding the fill valve in the tank. Throw that contraption with the big black ball away. Follow the instructions and install the Fluidmaster.

Before you connect the water line to the bottom of the Fluidmaster, point the supply line into a bucket or pail and turn the valve at the floor on for a couple of seconds. That will flush the line. Now connect the supply line to the bottom of theFluidmaster. Turn the water back on and adjust the water level inside the tank. New Fluidmasters have a screw adjustment for setting the water level, but you can turn that with your fingers.

It's still a $10 part, and it'll take you about 15 minutes to do it the first time, but it sure beats a $100 service call for a plumber who can do it in about 5 minutes!!
 
  #5  
Old 09-30-09, 04:55 AM
J
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Lefty,
You're right. That does sound pretty easy! I will tackle it this weekend. Thanks for the instructions!

Jamie
 
 

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