Broken Toilet Cistern Help

[RyanM]

Hi,
All of a sudden, my toilet seemed to take literally an hour to fill up. It seems, and I'm not sure why, but instead of coming through the normal filling hole, it was coming through the ball valve seal bit....

Then today when cleaning my teeth, all of a sudden a lot of water started to flow in the cistern. Which I thought was a good thing, as I presumed it was filling properly.

But water was totally p*ssing from the ball valve area again. I've stripped it down, but can't see any reason for the problem.

I can't seem to find any spares unfortunately. I was thinking of buying a new ball valve bit, and inside where you unscrew the blue bit, there is a diaphragm thing, I was going to get a new one of them as well. So could someone please help me?

 

[dal5band]

What you have is a Torbeck valve so you need a Torbeck diaphram - the rubber thing you mentioned. It's not just plane washer but has a little hole in it that fits over a little needle sticking out of the valve.

Turn off the water. When you have it apart, there may be a filter washer behind it that needs cleaning. Make a note carefully when you take it apart - it won't work if you put it back wrong.

A lot of people seem to have trouble with Torbeck valves - too complicated, nobody knows exactly how it works either, including me.

 

[RyanM]

Thanks for the reply.

I know the diaphragm you mean in the centre of it, it has a white pin, then off centre, it has a tiny tiny hole....not sure why.

Do you think it's a case of a broken diaphragm then?



Thanks a lot

 

[dal5band]

I changed one at my mum's and it did the trick. The old diaphram looked ok but I think it's to do with the pin hole to one side. The hole goes over a needle sticking out of the main body and I think that's where you get the problem. You can't tell the difference between old and new just by looking.
This hole and needle is something to do with pressure equalisation so is designed to let some water through before sealing completely and if it dosn't you get problems.

 

[RyanM]

I don't have a little pin in mine! So that may be the problem!!

Think I'll have to buy a full setup

 

[RyanM]

Found the little metal pin now! I dismantled the cistern in the toilet, and it was there!

Should the pin just sit back in? As it has gone in, and seems ok........

The toilet still isn't filling right though, so 100% need the washer....just not sure weather to buy the whole thing now I found the pin?

 

[dal5band]

That's the limit of my experience i'm afraid - never taken one apart. Sounds as though you probably need a complete new valve, if you can do the plumbing. Have a look at this :
http://www.letsfixit.co.uk/html/cistern_hints.html

 

[John506]

If you can't just buy a washer, don't buy a whole new valve and fit it, buy a new valve and just fit the new washer!