weird toilet problem

Aug 01, 2006 4 Replies

Old type gravity flush toilet. Pull handle, tank empties, all is well. However, then the water fills the tank *very very* slowly. Almost not at all. BUT if I turn on the water in the adjacent bathtub, the water starts flowing into the toilet tank at a fast, normal rate!! (of course there is water flowing into the tub too. :) Could this be some type of pressure lock on the water pipe. If so, is that easy to fix? Getting a plumber down here in New Orleans is almost impossible. Any ideas?? thanks



More than likely the ballcock (fill v alve) in the tank is shot. A few designs were very sensitive to pressure changes like you have.

Depending on the mfr, you may be able to put in a repair kit and not have to change out the whole valve. See what's up there.

Jim

If reduced water pressure solves your problem, you should be able to get a temporary fix by shutting down toilet supply valve. Flush the toilet and start shutting off supply to toilet until the water starts flowing better. But, I agree a new valve is likely the fix.

I know this is non-responsive, but I closed that valve way down so that it takes 5 or 10 minutes or more to fill the tank, but I don't hear any noise anymore, so it's worth it.

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