Toilet really slow to fill up!

[bricksmasher]

Hi guys

Recently bought a house and now have a lovely old fashioned toilet and bathroom suite (nice).

It takes agea.for the cistern to fill up once it's been flushed, and wondered if there's a simple way to get it to fill up quicker at all?

I can't help but think there's an easy fix but not too sure what I'm looking at, have attached some photos.

Thanks
Mark

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Try a Fluidmaster side entry fill valve. Should fill a lot quieter as well as quicker.

May be old fashioned (my parents are in their 80s and have a suite the same style/colour), but a good old 9 litre is the only thing to properly flush away the cling-ons in one go.

Ye olde lead pipe too. Be careful what you do, that bog may be listed.

 

[terryplumb]

Check the supply pipe ( top right of cistern) that comes thru the wall .Trace where it goes / comes from ,looking for an isolation valve that may be partially closed down.
If this is in order the float valve may be partially blocked ,so you can service the valve or fit new replacement as advised above by ReganAndCarter.

 

[bricksmasher]

Thanks very much for both replies. Have ha a quick look at the Fluid master, looks like it gets some very good reviews, would you consider the plastic version or the brass version, not really sure on the difference.

Regarding where the valve goes, I'd not a clue where to look, but like am wondering if would likely be in the loft where the water storage tank is?

Also, another daft question. I have an old back boiler in this house, there is a tap next to that, I always wondered what its for (im assuming now that turns the water supply off?)

I will get decent at DIY one day

Thanks for all your help

Mark

 

[oldbuffer]

1. Turn off water to cistern.
2. Unscrew big brass nut. The one on the inlet valve nearest the float arm and furthest from the side wall of the cistern where the valve enters.
3. Take out diaphragm washer, take to plumber's merchants and get replacement.
4. Fit replacement, do up big brass nut again, turn water to cistern back on.
5. You may have to re-adjust the water level by moving the float up / down after undoing the bolt at the ball end of the float arm.

Total cost should be under £1.

 

[JimCrow]

Also, another daft question. I have an old back boiler in this house, there is a tap next to that, I always wondered what its for (im assuming now that turns the water supply off?)

I will get decent at DIY one day

Thanks for all your help

Mark

Does the tap look like this ?.

 

[flameport]

would you consider the plastic version or the brass version, not really sure on the difference.

Brass every time.

The difference is in the threaded part which goes through the hole in the cistern, and the brass nut on the pipe screws onto.
The plastic versions are exceptionally easy to destroy if the nut isn't perfectly aligned, and even if properly fitted, you still have a brass nut on a plastic thread which is all that is preventing a massive flood if that plastic part should fail.

 

[lostinthelight]

I fitted one to a temorary toilet this week, it fills really quietly. the thread is quite short if the cistern sides slope too much from vertical or are really thick.
Yours like mine, the siphon is in the way so has to be turned 180° to make room for the fill valve

 

[bricksmasher]

Thanks very much for all the helpful replies, much appreciated.

I'll try the option above of replacing the washer and see if that works, if not I will look at replacing the the brass valve as mentioned above.

Regardsing the tap above, I cant quite tell as it seems its been boxed in at some point. Its a tap ive not touched located on the right hand side near my back boiler/firefront. I have no idea what it could be for.

Not too sure how to turn water off to my cistern as I didnt see any vales/taps visible, but it looks like it may have been boxed in at some point too, so ill have a look around and see if i can locate turning the water off everywhere before i ive anything a go

 

[lostinthelight]

Is the cistern filled from the mains or a tank in the loft?

 

[bricksmasher]

Is the cistern filled from the mains or a tank in the loft?

I know it sounds daft, but i don't know or even know how i'd even check this.

 

[lostinthelight]

I only asked because here some toilets are mains and some were from the tank..Im guessing it was done that way because the area is notorious for mains leaks so everyone in the area loses their water, sometimes for days .
So if yours is from a tank and there was no isolation valve for the toilet you would needto drain the tank if there was not one near the tank outlet.
Mains fill ive found is much noisier but you could test by turning off the stop tap?

 

[bricksmasher]

I only asked because here some toilets are mains and some were from the tank..Im guessing it was done that way because the area is notorious for mains leaks so everyone in the area loses their water, sometimes for days .
So if yours is from a tank and there was no isolation valve for the toilet you would needto drain the tank if there was not one near the tank outlet.
Mains fill ive found is much noisier but you could test by turning off the stop tap?

Ok thanks, I didn't realise that

This one is noisy when it fills, but i didnt know if its because its slow in filling up. ill try and get some photo and look around when I am next at the house to see, as im not sure.

It it helps in anyway I believe my back boiler is gravity fed, if that makes any difference to my toilet lol

Cheers

 

[lostinthelight]

It makes no difference as to the source of supply to the toilet that you have a back boiler., the topup water for that comes from a separate fill and expansion tank

 

[bricksmasher]

It makes no difference as to the source of supply to the toilet that you have a back boiler., the topup water for that comes from a separate fill and expansion tank

Ok thanks, thats sums up my knowledge then.