When you flush your toilet, you expect the tank to fill up with water. But if this doesn’t happen, it’s time to fix or replace your toilet tank fill valve. In most cases, a faulty or broken tank fill valve is the reason why your toilet isn’t refilling after flushing.
Read on for information about why your toilet won’t fill and how to replace a broken or stuck tank fill valve to solve this annoying problem once and for all. The most common causes of a stuck toilet float valve are a dirty toilet tank, a broken toilet float or a problem with the rubber gasket inside the toilet float.
[ez-toc]
What is a Toilet Tank Fill Valve?
A toilet tank fill valve is a small component inside the toilet tank that controls the water level in the bowl. It’s connected to the toilet’s water supply line and is operated by the handle on the cistern. The job of the fill valve is to stop water from flowing into the bowl when the toilet tank is full.
Toilet tank fill valves come in many different designs, but their main function is to regulate water flow into the tank and bowl. If you have a broken or non-functioning fill valve, you won’t be able to fill the bowl with water. And you may experience other toilet problems due to poor water flow.
How to Fix a Broken or Stuck Toilet Fill Valve
If you have a broken or stuck toilet fill valve, you’ll want to get it fixed as soon as possible.
The most common solutions are:
1/ Cleaning your toilet tank. It is possible that dirt and grime make your fill valve get stuck. You can open up the tank by lifting the lid (for a standing toilet) or sliding it up (for a handing toilet). Once you have access to the toilet tank, you can use a brush to get everything cleaned. Once you are done, you can give the toilet valve a nudge to see if it works. Most people forget to clean their toilet tank and this can lead to a buildup of dirt.
2/ The toilet valve is not properly installed. You can bend the arm and give it a nudge to see if this works. Make sure that you don’t break this part though!
3/ The rubber piece in the toilet fill valve needs to be replaced. It is often possible to lift a piece of the toilet fill valve and replace the rubber. There are several designs so you will have to check if this works for your fill valve.
If these things didn’t help, we will have to install a new toilet fill valve. This is quite a lot of work though.
How to Install a New Toilet Tank Fill Valve
Installing a new toilet fill valve may seem like a complicated project, but it’s actually a do-it-yourself project for people that have some experience with this. First, you’ll want to shut off the water supply to the toilet by closing the nearby valve. Then, you’ll need to remove the water from the toilet tank by flushing.
Have some towels handy as water can splash out of the toilet. It is also a great idea to have a bucket nearby.
We are going to remove the water supply line. This is done by turning the nut. You might have to use a tool to do this.
Now we can remove the old fill valve and install the new one. Make sure to get the right replacement. This can be done by looking at the brand and model number (these are often found on the toilet tank). You can also take a picture and email it to the manufacturer or your local hardware store to get an idea of which one you need.
Remove the connection between the flapper and the fill valve. This is a simple chain that can be removed quite easily.
Now we are going to remove the toilet tank. This is done by removing the nuts and bolts that keep it in place. A lot of water might come out of this. You can use sponges to remove this water so that it doesn’t splash around.
A fill valve is usually held in place by a nut on the inside of the tank. We will use a channel lock to remove the big nut on the underside of the toilet tank.
Once the fill valve is out, you can install the new one. Don’t overthight it as toilets are quite fragile.
Now we can place the toilet tank back in place. It should be steady in place. Now we can install the flapper again and the different parts of the toilet fill valve. Test it out to see if everything works properly. You can do this by adding some water in the tank with a bucket. Make sure that the toilet tank doesn’t leak!
The final step is to hook up the water supply again. You can then test the installation. Once you have confirmed that everything works, you can use the toilet again!
Conclusion
Toilet fill valves allow water to flow from the tank into the bowl when you flush the toilet. They can break or get stuck, causing your toilet to not refill. If this happens, you’ll want to replace the fill valve to solve the problem. Toilet fill valves come in many different designs, but they all have the same basic function – to regulate water flow into the tank and bowl.
They are held in place by a nut on the inside of the tank and removed with a wrench or pliers. If your toilet isn’t refilled after flushing, it’s probably due to a faulty or broken tank fill valve. Luckily, this is an easy problem to solve. You can replace the old fill valve with a new one to get your toilet refilled properly again.
We have discussed what to do when the toilet keeps running in this article.
This is a project for advanced DIY’ers. Most people should just call a plumber to get it repaired properly.
