Two toilets in house not filling all the way- main line problem?

mickapoo

Yesterday one of our toilets stopped filling up all the way. It flushes just fine, but then the water doesn't fill back up to where it should. I took the lid off the tank, and and when I flushed the toilet, water spurted out everywhere from the round plastic piece at the top of the inlet valve (I think that's what it's called). So, I'm thinking that's defective. But then this morning our other toilet, at the opposite end of the house, started doing the exact same thing-- it seems to flush ok, but then the water doesn't come back up in the bowl very high. I took the lid off of that one but there isn't any water spurting from any of the parts when I flush it like the other one.

So I wonder... what is the likelihood of both of these toilets having the same problem at the same exact time? Does that throw up a red flag that maybe it is a symptom of a bigger problem, maybe with the main line? Thank you for your help, we really can't afford to call a plumber right now!

AllanJ

There should be a tube that looks somewhat like a fat soda straw reaching from the inlet valve to the overflow drain hole in the toilet tank. This may have come loose or in some cases can become clogged with sediment. During the fill cycle, water is poured down the overflow drain to add to what is in the bowl.

Depending on how the tube came loose, water may spurt from the inlet valve assembly during the fill cycle.

Do not force anything inside the toilet tank. The inlet valve could break leading to water all over the place.

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mickapoo

Thank you for the response.

I checked the tube & it seems to be ok. I guess it's called the fill valve or the cap on the fill valve (see link below), but it's the round piece at the top- there are little slotted holes around it and this is where the water is spurting out of. http://www.toiletseatstyle.com/toilet-parts-diagram.jpg

But again, that's only my one toilet- the other one has no water spurting out anywhere & the tube you mentioned seems ok on that one too. But they both aren't filling up all the way. Could there be a larger problem, maybe one with the main line? I just wonder how likely it is that they both would develop the same problem at the same time!

ccarlisle

Your fill valve seems normal, at least in one toilet, if water is spewing out from around it. That's how it fills up the tank.

It should spew water aiming downwards, so that if you take the tank lid off while it is flushing, there isn't water squirting into your face! LOL

But at the same time, water should be flowing along those tubes just mentioned - they fill the bowl.

But another reason why your bowl isn't filling up is that the flapper (the 3" usually black rubber cover) at the bottom of your tank isn't seated right or has come loose. There's probably more liklihood of that piece going on you at the same time as the other than the fill valve.

mickapoo

Thank you for the response. When I do take the lid off the tank and flush the toilet, water does spurt out of the tank from the holes around the fill valve (or whatever that round plastic piece is called that has the slotted holes around it) and lands on the floor. So to help the issue of the water not filling up the bowl completely you would recommend I first try changing the flapper and if that does not work try changing the fill valve?

I realized that on my second toilet the water is extremely low when you first flush the toilet- it barely puts any water in the bowl. But then if you go back in there an hour or so later, the water level in the bowl is back where it should be. Any ideas about this? Same problem?

Thanks again!

AllanJ

There is definitely something wrong with the fill valve if it sprays water up and onto the floor when yhou take the tank lid off.

Coulfd be as simple as a part that snaps in place having come loose, but then the studs it snaps onto could be broken.

The slow toilet, there could be foreign matter blocking the fill pipe somewhere, possibly in the shutoff valve down below, possibly getting up into the fill valve.

__________________
The disadvantages of crab apple trees. In summer, the apples are too sour to pick and eat. In winter the birds come and leave dropping all over the place.

plummen

ditto,can you post a picture of what style fill valves you have?