Running Toilet

pepp77 · 7 Dec 2016 at 11:48

So looks like my fill valve on my toilet isn't closing properly so when the cistern fills up it continues to slowly fill up when it reaches the top and so is constantly overflowing into the overflow pipe.

I have had the lid off the cistern and taken the fill valve out and no amount of playing seems to make a difference.

This is a picture of it

Anyone know if this - http://www.screwfix.com/p/fluidmaster-pro-side-entry-fill-valve/21704 - would be a suitable replacement?

Felix · 7 Dec 2016 at 12:04

It will be the small rubber valve that has perished or gone out of shape. You can get those for a £1 from Screwfix.

pepp77 · 7 Dec 2016 at 12:06

I have had the fill valve completely out and cannot see anything obviously in a bad state.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 7 Dec 2016 at 12:24

Flush the loo.
Manually hold the float valve right up to its maximum and see if the water coming in stops or not. If not its definately the seal gone.
If it does stop the seal could just be contaminated

Beerbaron · 7 Dec 2016 at 12:28

My toilet did this. There was a slight hole in the rubber seal.

pepp77 · 7 Dec 2016 at 12:32

Yep done that, the water doesn't stop filling up the cistern but does stop coming out the normal hole at the very left of it.

The only seal I can see is the one on the inlet pipe on the inside of the cistern and not the fill valve itself.

Cosmic182 · 7 Dec 2016 at 12:44

Have you checked/replaced the diaphragm washer? That's usually the culprit.

pepp77 · 7 Dec 2016 at 12:52

If that is the bit I think it is (sits inside the opening of the fill valve where it connects to the inlet) then yes I have checked it and it appears to be just plastic - no rubber on it at all.

Couple more pics

The bit in the centre of the first picture that is in the end of the left hand part of the second picture.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 7 Dec 2016 at 13:10

Would normally be a washer where you say just a plastic bit I am sure
That would be where the diaphram is normally I think

Edit
No sorry inside that bit i think, its hard to tell exactly but i think thats your diaphram

Best bet is to try to find manufacturer and google spare parts for them you will find diagrams that way

pepp77 · 7 Dec 2016 at 13:49

This is my current one - http://www.diytrade.com/china/pd/12853238/Toilet_Side_entry_Fill_Valve_NJ313.html

Gammawolf · 7 Dec 2016 at 14:23

Edit: Was wrong

JohnnyG · 7 Dec 2016 at 16:07

pepp77 said:
Anyone know if this - http://www.screwfix.com/p/fluidmaster-pro-side-entry-fill-valve/21704 - would be a suitable replacement?

Yes it is & that's probably the easiest thing to do now

Superficial · 7 Dec 2016 at 20:53

JohnnyG said:
Yes it is & that's probably the easiest thing to do now

Amen.

Forget trying to fix it - it's just not worth the hassle and a new one is always better especially with a brass fitting.

Not sure why that is so cheap - I had the same issue and replaced it with a Fluidmaster pro series 1/2" with brass shank and it was twice as much. hey ho.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 8 Dec 2016 at 08:39

Yeah i would agree with the others, that screwfix one is a steal.
Being side fill its a far easier fix than a bottom fill so just replace.

pepp77 · 14 Dec 2016 at 11:53

Well that turned out a little more expensive than I had originally thought, but there is a good reason.

I got an exact replacement for my fill valve off ebay for £9.99 replaced that and the constant filling stopped, but then so did all the cold water in my bathroom. Looks like I had managed to put an airlock in the pipe somehow. Went to google and its all about putting a pipe on one tap (hot was working as that was directly off the mains) and connecting it to the other tap then turning the working one on and it should sort it, except I have only mixer taps so couldnt do that. I managed to get some water going (enough to fill the toilet cistern in about 10 minutes

) by sticking my hand on the tap and quickly turning the hot on and off, then turning the cold on, but it was so slow I couldn't live with it. Went into the loft and had a look, the cold water tank (yes I still had one of those as the council didn't bother removing it when we went from airing cupboard hot water tank to combi boiler) was filling fine, but then the water wasn't getting to the bathroom.

Called a plumber and asked him to come in and bypass the cold water tank and stick the bathroom directly on the mains. He's just been and I am £120 lighter for it, but the cistern now fills in about 10 seconds and I have had to restrict the water coming out of the tank as it was just way too powerful to stay in the sink

So whilst yes it was £120 more than I wanted to spend it was something I should have done previously anyway, and actually not so bad when a call out even to just clear the airblock would have been £80 odd.