My toilet is constantly running causing ripples in the bowl. What’s wrong?
Either the float on the fill valve is stuck or it is set too high, causing water to overflow from the tank into the bowl through the overflow tube.... More »
If you have an older toilet, a faulty fill valve can cause it to leak, wasting water and money. Generally, your best bet is to replace it. It won’t take much time, and in this video, we’ll show you how to do it yourself. You may be interested in our How to Replace a Toilet video.
If you have an older toilet, a faulty fill valve can cause it to leak, wasting water and money. Generally, your best bet is to replace it. It won’t take you much time, and the replacement part isn’t expensive.
In the next few minutes, I’ll show you how to put a new fill valve on your toilet. If your toilet is having other problems, watch our video “Diagnosing a Leaky Toilet” to figure out which component inside the tank might be leaking.
The fill valve lets water into the tank and a float keeps the water in the tank from getting too high. The valve assembly includes the float and a shut-off mechanism to stop the flow of water.
Before you visit your local independent home improvement retailer to pick up your new fill valve, here’s something you should know. The best fill valves offer anti-siphon protection. In fact, your local building codes may require this type of valve. Anti-siphon protection prevents toilet tank water from getting siphoned back into your home’s water supply. Regardless of your building codes, installing an anti-siphon valve is a good idea.
Start by turning off the water supply to the toilet.
Remove the lid to the tank. Inside the toilet, you’ll want to remove the refill tube attached to the overflow pipe on the flush valve.
Flush the toilet by holding down the tank lever to get as much water as possible out of the tank. You can use a sponge or a towel to get the rest of the water out.
Next, disconnect the water supply line from the tank. You may need to use an adjustable wrench or a pair of channel locking pliers to loosen the connection.
Then remove the old fill valve by removing the lock nut beneath the tank.
The new fill valve goes on the way the old one came off. Place the shank washer over the threads of the shank on the new valve, flat side up. Then insert the fill valve into the hole in the bottom of the tank.
While holding it in place, use a tape measure to see if the valve is set at the proper height in relation to the overflow pipe. If you need to adjust the height of the valve, press up on the lock ring to disengage it and turn the shank to adjust the fill valve to the proper height. Once it’s set to the correct height, pull the lock ring back down to lock the shank in place.
Don’t forget to attach the refill tube to the top of the overflow pipe.
Finally, reattach the water supply connection beneath the tank and turn on the water. Finally flush the toilet to make sure that if it fills back up properly, and check for any leaks beneath the toilet. If the valve is leaking under the tank, tighten the connections.
If you have questions about this or any other home improvement project, be sure to read our list of Frequently Asked Questions for this video. And be sure to print out our Project Instructions, which includes a Tools and Materials checklist, before visiting your local independent home improvement retailer. That’s where you’ll find all the products and helpful advice to complete your project. If you’re not sure where to find your local store, check out our Store Locator.
Good luck with your project and thanks for watching.
Remove lid from tank.
Shut off water by turning the shut-off valve clockwise.
Drain as much water out of tank as possible by holding flush lever down until toilet is completely flushed.
Sponge or towel out any remaining water in the tank. A shop vac also works well.
Disconnect the water supply tube or hose that connects the water supply valve to the fill valve.
Beneath the tank, loosen the lock nut that holds the fill valve to the tank.
Remove the old fill valve.
The new fill valve will go on similar to how the old one came off.
Reattach new fill valve and adjust float to correct height according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Attach new refill tube to overflow pipe.
Reattach water supply tube or hose to tank.
Turn on water, test new fill valve and check for leaks.
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