A toilet that runs constantly is not only annoying, but it also wastes water and drives up your water bill. Toilets can run constantly for many reasons, but our toilet downstairs recently suffered from a malfunctioning fill valve.
We knew the fill valve was the problem because when we’d lift off the lid on the back of the toilet, the tank would be full, indicating that a leaky flapper seal wasn’t to blame. We could also push up on the fill valve’s float cup, moving it only a couple of centimeters, to stop it from running. This was a clear sign that the fill valve was to blame, but luckily swapping it out is a relatively easy task.
MATERIALS
*Pay attention to the ballcock, length, and comp specifications for your current water supply line. There should be a sticker on the line that has that information. See the photo below.
TIME COMMITMENT
| ACTIVE TIME: About 20 minutes |
| TOTAL TIME: About 20 minutes |
STEP BY STEP
STEP 1 – TURN OFF THE WATER
The first thing to do when replacing a toilet fill valve is to turn off the toilet’s water supply valve. This is the knob located somewhere on the wall near the bottom of the toilet. Turn the knob to turn off the water. Then flush the toilet to drain the tank.
STEP 2 – DISCONNECT THE WATER SUPPLY LINE
After the water valve has been shut off, the next step is to disconnect the water supply line. The water supply line is the metal tube that runs from the bottom of the toilet tank to the shut-off valve.
Make sure to place a towel on the floor underneath the tank and the valve before disconnecting the supply line as there will be water in the line. Once the towel is set, detach the supply line from both ends by twisting the metal nut or plastic connector. You may need a wrench to help disconnect the supply line if it does not twist off by hand.
NOTE: Never reuse a water supply line! This is how you end up with leaks.
STEP 3 – REMOVE THE OLD TOILET FILL VALVE
Now that the supply line is disconnected you can remove the fill valve mounting nut. The fill valve mounting nut is located underneath the tank, where the water supply line was connected. Before removal, place a bucket underneath as the remaining water in the tank will drain out once the nut is removed. Twist the nut off to remove it, you may need tongue-and-groove pliers (also known as water pump pliers or Channel Locks) to loosen it if you cannot twist it off by hand.
Then, reach into the tank and remove the refill tube. The refill tube is the black tube that connects the fill valve to the flush valve.
NOTE: There are two main parts inside the toilet tank. The fill valve will be on the left side of the tank, and the flush valve will be on the right. We have a piston flush valve. Many toilets use a flapper-style valve so don’t worry if yours looks different.
After the refill tube is removed, pull out the old fill valve.
As you can see in the picture below, I removed the refill tube from the fill valve, removed the old fill valve, and then removed the refill tube from the flush valve, but you can remove the refill tube from both the fill and flush valve before removing the fill valve as well. The order doesn’t matter for this part.
STEP 4 – INSTALL THE NEW TOILET FILL VALVE
Now it’s time to install that new toilet fill valve. Depending on what replacement valve you bought, the installation may be different from the instructions I’m about to give you. So when in doubt, refer to and use the instructions that came with the replacement part you bought.
The fill valve I bought was adjustable so I followed the included instructions in the packaging and did the following steps. First, unlock the new valve by twisting it counterclockwise and extending its length. Then place the valve in the tank and adjust its height up or down until its water level indicator line is about ½ inch below the top of the flush valve overflow level. Once it’s at the correct height remove the valve from the tank and twist it counterclockwise to lock it in place.
Then place the locked fill valve back into the tank, angled towards the flush valve. Also remember, your instructions may vary here if you didn’t purchase the same fill valve I did.
STEP 5 – INSTALL THE TOILET FILL VALVE MOUNTING NUT
Once the fill valve is positioned correctly inside the tank, return underneath the tank and install the new mounting nut. Twist the mounting nut onto the piece of the toilet fill valve sticking out below. HAND TIGHTEN ONLY.
STEP 6 – ATTACH REFILL TUBE
Return to the top of the tank, and attach the new refill tube from the toilet fill valve to the flush valve. Multiple types of flush valves exist, so pay attention to the directions for how the tube should be attached to the flush valve.
Since we have a tower flush valve, I pushed the tube onto the top, but other types of flush valves need to be mounted with a metal clip. Again, refer to the directions for your fill valve to see what your toilet needs.
If the refill tube kinks or is too long, adjust the tube length by trimming it before attaching.
STEP 7 – RECONNECT THE WATER SUPPLY LINE
Now that the toilet fill valve has been installed, it’s time to reconnect the water supply. Grab the new supply line and attach it below the mounting nut for the fill valve, underneath the toilet’s tank.
Then attach the other end to your water supply knob. HAND TIGHTEN ONLY when attaching the water supply line.
STEP 8 – TURN ON THE WATER
Now here comes the fun part! Turn the water supply knob and the water should start running.
If the supply line is attached correctly everything should stay nice and dry as the water begins to flow. I always twist the water supply knob slowly, just in case of a leak, to make sure I don’t end up with water everywhere.
If a leak does happen, shut the water back off, adjust the water supply line connections, and try again.
If there are no leaks, then congratulations! Wait for the tank to fill back up and then flush the toilet to make sure everything is working properly.
STEP 9 – FINE-TUNE THE WATER LEVEL (DEPENDS ON THE TOILET FILL VALVE)
The toilet fill valve I installed has a refill adjuster dial, so I followed the directions to help ensure that the toilet bowl and tank both finished filling up at the same time. If you purchased a different fill valve, refer to the directions to see if your valve has something similar.
Congratulations! Your toilet is fixed, and you were able to save money by doing it yourself!
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