toilet fill flush valve question

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Why does the tube from flush valve go right into flush valve tube. It seems like it is dumping clean water down the drain Isnt this tube there so toilet doesnt overflow if valve malfinctions. What is the purpose
 
After the flush the flapper on the tank closes to refill. The clean water your talking about is bringing the water in the bowl back up to level after the flush.
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
After the flush the flapper on the tank closes to refill. The clean water your talking about is bringing the water in the bowl back up to level after the flush.



Wouldnt it fill faster if it didnt fill in the tube, but directly into the tank
 
Originally Posted By: raaizin
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
After the flush the flapper on the tank closes to refill. The clean water your talking about is bringing the water in the bowl back up to level after the flush.



Wouldnt it fill faster if it didnt fill in the tube, but directly into the tank


The fill valve is filling the tank directly, and at the same time some water is going through the little hose to fill the bowl because the flapper valve is closed.
 
You need a certain level of water in your bowl for everything to work right. There are two items filling here, your bowl and your tank.
 
Originally Posted By: raaizin
Why does the tube from flush valve go right into flush valve tube. It seems like it is dumping clean water down the drain Isnt this tube there so toilet doesnt overflow if valve malfinctions. What is the purpose


Funny you should raise this as I had this very problem a couple of months ago.

We had both of our toilets replaced about five years ago. They worked fine for most of that time but then water started to 'leak' from the cistern into the pan for both toilets. At first it was a tiny dribble but it progressed to a noticeable constant flow. Sometime you could stop it by reflushing but not always.

I called out the bathroom fitter who had installed both toilets and he played around with them but he couldn't cure the problem. He did say in advance that he wasn't a proper plumber.

So I hit Google & YouTube and gave myself a crash course in lavvy mechanics! Blimey! It's so much more complicated now than the days when it was simple valve, an arm and a ball float. Anyway, it seems today, you twist out the entire flush assembly, locate the 3" rubber seal on the bottom of the assembly, peel it off and replace with a new one. I have to confess I was somewhat shocked by the state of the two old seals I took off as they were absolutely caked in limescale. No wonder that the valves weren't sealing properly.

Once you know what you're doing, this is a two minute job which anyone should be able to tackle.
 
I have often heard that the Soviet Union plundered Berlin of toilets after World War II was over but couldn't make them work back home. Any truth to that?
 
I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the quality of the commode, but the refill tube/hose on the fill valves of 3 toilets in my home will do nothing other than waste more water during a flush.

The bowl will maintain the same level if the hose is directed down the overflow tube or directed into the tank. If the hose is set in the overflow tube it just dumps water down the drain until the float shuts off the fill valve.

I'm more concerned about waste water than water usage, given I'm on a ~45yr/old septic system.
 
If you have very hard water and the water jets/holes are clogged in your bowl, get a 7/32" 7018 welding rod and remove the flux. Bend it about 2/3's the way up from one end into an "L" shape and start probing the jets/holes. "I GARE-ROWN-TEE" it will make your bowl flow water like new again.
 
I know others have answered, but yeah it's to make sure that the level of the water in the bowl is at its maximum. Some people who think it's a waste of water just redirect it into the tank and find that the flush is rather poor as a result. It also reduces the chance of sewer gas coming into the bowl. The bowl fill tube has to be at a certain height or it won't shut off. Also - the big plastic tube is really the overflow tube. If the fill valve malfunctions (it can happen) then the overflow tube prevents it from just pouring out the top of the toilet tank and onto the floor.

There is a problem though. Most tubes aren't regulated and once it fills bowl at the height of the trap it's just dumping more water into the trap until the tank is filled, when it shuts off the water into the bowl. So in that case it is wasting water. However, there is a solution for it. Lavelle has an knob on some of their models - several of the OEM versions as well as their "Platinum" version. Fluidmaster uses a roller clamp on their tube to adjust the water flow. This roller clamp comes with the deluxe version of their fill valves but can be bought separately to use with their basic valve. I actually got one for the 400A that came with my American Standard toilet. The idea is to adjust the flow of water into the bowl such that it fills to the top of the bowl at about the same time as the tank is full.

The valve to control it is the little black thing on the top. The fill tube connects to the top.

528mp_in_0.jpg


The Fluidmaster part cost me maybe $3 at Home Depot. I wasn't going to spend $13 on a complete fill valve when the one that came with my toilet was still working perfectly except for overfilling the bowl. It just replaces the original fill tube, but with that roller clamp to adjust how wide the opening is. The roller basically pinches the tube to reduce the flow.

https://www.fluidmaster.com/products/toilet/fill-valves/215-water-saving-roller-clamp-refill-tube/

215_WaterSavingRefilTubeClip_Product_530x530.png


I can't find a good photo that shows the roller, but this video shows one of these being installed as part of a "pro" version of their fill valve:
 
When those Fluidmaster-types start to freeze-up after 10 years or-so and won't move up and down, shoot them liberally (both inside and out) with WD-40. Mine has gained another three years of life since I did that. When it acts-up again. I'll shoot it again with WD-40.

The oil from WD-40 will sit in that overflow thank for a few flushes, then it's gone. Wipe down the water-flush area of the toilet with any cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles. That will eliminate any leftover oil there.
 
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
When those Fluidmaster-types start to freeze-up after 10 years or-so and won't move up and down, shoot them liberally (both inside and out) with WD-40. Mine has gained another three years of life since I did that. When it acts-up again. I'll shoot it again with WD-40.

The oil from WD-40 will sit in that overflow thank for a few flushes, then it's gone. Wipe down the water-flush area of the toilet with any cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles. That will eliminate any leftover oil there.


For $10 I'd rather replace it and put in a new supply hose...
 
Originally Posted By: raaizin
Wouldnt it fill faster if it didnt fill in the tube, but directly into the tank

Some people do that, and it will fill up the tank slightly faster. However, the refill tube serves an important purpose for toilet performance, which has been explained.

However, a universal fill valve and refill tube isn't necessarily the perfect solution. It's a one size fits all solution that doesn't necessarily account for the size of the bowl, the intake flow rate, or the amount of the flush. The refill tubes tend to be oversized to ensure that they're providing enough water for the bowl even with a high efficiency toilet. With mine I could see that the bowl fill was already at the maximum in less than a half of the time it takes to fill the tank. Mine is 1.28 gallon per flush, so obviously the original refill tube is oversized. So I modified it with an adjustable refill tube (with a pinch mechanism) to time/slow the fill rate to the tank fill time.
 
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
When those Fluidmaster-types start to freeze-up after 10 years or-so and won't move up and down, shoot them liberally (both inside and out) with WD-40. Mine has gained another three years of life since I did that. When it acts-up again. I'll shoot it again with WD-40.

The oil from WD-40 will sit in that overflow thank for a few flushes, then it's gone. Wipe down the water-flush area of the toilet with any cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles. That will eliminate any leftover oil there.


For $10 I'd rather replace it and put in a new supply hose...

Why replace something that isn't broke. It's only gummed-up and stuck. Heck, I might get 10 more years out of it.
 
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Why replace something that isn't broke. It's only gummed-up and stuck. Heck, I might get 10 more years out of it.

Being proactive like an oil change. They can be subjected to all sorts of chemicals, and even chlorine or chloramine is bad enough. Worst case scenario is one that just cracks at the intake and then starts dripping water. Worn fill valves can also be really noisy. WD-40 isn't supposed to be very good for the plastic and especially not the rubber parts - especially the solvent in there.

Also the gaskets get hard. It's easy enough to replace the whole thing, especially when it comes with all those little parts that need to be replaced anyways.

It's less than $8 for a new Fluidmaster 400A at Home Depot. I understand there are replacement caps for the most common fill valves, as they're the parts that wear out the fastest. It does seem like it's not that much more to just replace the whole thing, especially if paying a plumber $100 to install it.

https://www.fluidmaster.com/products/toi...let-fill-valve/
https://www.korky.com/products/fill-valv...mbly-fill-valve
 
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
When those Fluidmaster-types start to freeze-up after 10 years or-so and won't move up and down, shoot them liberally (both inside and out) with WD-40. Mine has gained another three years of life since I did that. When it acts-up again. I'll shoot it again with WD-40.

The oil from WD-40 will sit in that overflow thank for a few flushes, then it's gone. Wipe down the water-flush area of the toilet with any cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles. That will eliminate any leftover oil there.


For $10 I'd rather replace it and put in a new supply hose...

Why replace something that isn't broke. It's only gummed-up and stuck. Heck, I might get 10 more years out of it.


I'd rather replace it and not be concerned whether its going to work for another 10 years or leak... regardless its recommended to change the supply hose as well.

For maybe $20 total investment and an 1 hr of time... I'm good for another 10-15 years.
 
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