No water coming from main water line in bathroom

sassylaroo

Okay so here's the deal. My main bathroom toilet stopped working a few weeks ago. The tank of the toilet just wouldn't fill up. There was no water running like it wanted to fill up, it just stopped all together. So I replaced the fill valve and it's working now. However, a few days later the bathroom in my bedroom did the same thing. So again, I replaced the fill valve thinking it would do the trick. Well, I go to turn the water back on and I get absolutely nothing. I even turned the knob as far as it would go and still nothing. Not even a little drip of water. The shower in that bathroom and the sink are all working. Even the ones in the main bathroom are working. Just not the line to the toilet. What could possibly cause this to happen and is it something that I can fix on my own? I don't want to have to pay someone to come out.

Thanks for any help,
Amy

NateHanson

I'll bet you've got a corroded pipe flaking off rusty scale that is blocking up various parts of your plumbing. Do you have some iron plumbing in your basement? (black, not orangey-brown like copper).

sassylaroo

Nope, no basement here. Honestly I'm not really sure how the plumbing works in this house. It was built in the 70's. The previous owner passed away and her children came in and replaced a lot of stuff. The two bathrooms are right next to each other. Everything looks pretty new so I don't know if it's possible for things to be rusting yet. However, I could be wrong. Ugh...very frustrating. I've had issues with the plumbing before. The toilets were always backing up and I had to buy a snake to fix that problem. Now this is happening. Is there a way to check if the line is blocked?

scrapiron

What type of pipe is coming out of the wall for your supply? If its galvanized best guess is flaking rust stopped up the line or the valve. You might turn off the main and try to remove the valve to see what you got but be prepared for problems. If the pipe is rusty it may break at the threads and you may end up opening the walls to chase it until you find something you can work with. Of course if it's stopped up it's gotta be replaced anyway. Old plumbing is like an iceburg, its the part you can't see that gives you the headaches.

timthetoolman

My guess would prob be to start simple. Maybe junk and corrosion did get into the fill valve in the second toilet. Prob just turning of the shut-off to the toilet broke some junk free as it does. I bet u'd only need to change the shut-off as it could break or get clogged. But hey what do i know, i'm not a licensed plumber, but people need to start asking some more carpentry questions Try it!!!

Mike Swearingen

Amy,
Your hot water side has gotten pipe or water heater debris in it. Turn your main house water valve OFF. Flush the toilet with the problem and sponge all of the the water left in the tank into the toilet bowl. Open a hydrant or tub faucet (no aerator) lower than the toilet shut-off valve to drain the pressure and residual water out.
Put a towel or pan under the toilet shut-off valve and unscrew the cap around the handle stem and remove the valve. Use a flashlight to look inside the valve. Stick an icepick or thin screwdriver into the pipe back to the 90 in the wall and wiggle it around to break up anything that might be hung in it. Put the cap and valve stem back in on (tightly).
Then disconnect the supply pipe/flex hose from the bottom of the tank.
Point it into the toilet bowl if it will reach or aim it into a bucket or large pot. Have someone turn on the main water valve on and off quickly 2-3 times to blow out the line.
While the supply line in still disconnected from the tank, turn OFF the shut-off valve and also remove the tank fill valve. If it's a float-cup type, you can twist and remove the top that is connected to the cup. That will expose most debris that gets into it. Clean it out too. If you can't get all of the debris out of the little plastic fill valve ports, try picking them out with the tip of an icepick. If you can't get the fill valve cleaned out completely, replace it.
Good luck!
Mike

sassylaroo

Okay, I'll try that. Thanks for the advice.