Sometimes my toilet takes 3 minutes to fill the back bowl (urination). But after a dump it takes 12 minutes to fill before shutting off......My plumber says this is not normal, of course, they are booked up for the month of July......Any ideas??? He said it should be the same flush time for all flushed.
Question on fill time for a toilet
- Thread starter jjj70095
- Start date
So holding down the flush handle longer will make it fill slower? That could be the case, as I hold it down longer so all the materials leave the toiler.
I showed the plumber the picture of toilet back and he could not see anything obvious.
I dont know how long to hold down the handle, do a quick flush? Or hold it down 3-4 seconds so all the fill tank flows into toiler?
I showed the plumber the picture of toilet back and he could not see anything obvious.
I dont know how long to hold down the handle, do a quick flush? Or hold it down 3-4 seconds so all the fill tank flows into toiler?
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You let the the stopper flap unseat or flip over the water goes down the drain not into the reservoir. As I said simply take the top off and observe what’s going on as you flush and or hold the handle down. Sounds to me like it’s operator error flushing lol. Another non problem you think you have but don’t. 
12 minutes to fill sounds long. The rate of fill should remain the same. You are flushing more water so it will take more time to refill.
It depends on the toilet how much the reservoir holds. Lets make up a number that the toilet reservoir holds 2 gallons. Number 1 flush you only hold the lever down for a few seconds so lets say a 1/3 rd of a gallon goes down. Only takes a little time to refill. Number 2 flush empties the whole reservoir so it takes longer to refill. Just do like WD said and pull off the reservoir lid and see how the whole thing works.
It depends on the toilet how much the reservoir holds. Lets make up a number that the toilet reservoir holds 2 gallons. Number 1 flush you only hold the lever down for a few seconds so lets say a 1/3 rd of a gallon goes down. Only takes a little time to refill. Number 2 flush empties the whole reservoir so it takes longer to refill. Just do like WD said and pull off the reservoir lid and see how the whole thing works.
ddhanna
Active member
A properly functioning toilet should use the same water per flush regardless of pee or poop. The tank will empty with a press of the lever (don't hold down) and refill with around 1.28 gallons for newer and 2 gallons for old toilets. The time to refill will depend on many things but 12 minutes is really long.
mezz
Well-known member
Fully agree, refill time should not differ, a flush is a flush. Holding the lever down allows the water in the tank to completely expel, & with that, the flapper may not be seating correctly & allowing some water to escape until the level of the water in the tank gets high enough to allow the flapper to seat correctly. These "water saver" toilets are crap as they don't flush as strong as the older style due to the smaller capacity. If you need to flush twice, then flush twice, more water to carry away the waste.
Ok, here is the situation after testing it.
Regardless of what is in the bowl, a quick flush lowers the water tank by 1/3 and takes 3 minutes to fill.
If I hold down the flush handle for a longer time (say 4 seconds) the water in the tank goes down almost to the bottom to and takes 12 minutes to fill.
The time the flush handle is down, dictates how long it takes for the tank to fill.
I purchased the toilet from Home Depot around 20 years ago but installed it around 10 years ago. It is a Kohler 1.6 gallon tank.
Regardless of what is in the bowl, a quick flush lowers the water tank by 1/3 and takes 3 minutes to fill.
If I hold down the flush handle for a longer time (say 4 seconds) the water in the tank goes down almost to the bottom to and takes 12 minutes to fill.
The time the flush handle is down, dictates how long it takes for the tank to fill.
I purchased the toilet from Home Depot around 20 years ago but installed it around 10 years ago. It is a Kohler 1.6 gallon tank.
There should be a Service Valve below the tank. Is it open all the way? If it is, you've got a blockage or closed valve somewhere else.
mezz
Well-known member
3 minutes to fill after a "quick flush" is long especially for that amount of water recovery of which is only a little over a half gallon. It shouldn't take that long to fill. Something is up with the supply line or the valve. Try closing the shut off all the way after you flush, then reopen all the way, could be some hard water deposits in the valve. Could also be the flush valve itself.
mezz
Well-known member
Did you try a flush & turning the water supply valve off & then back on to see if that dislodged any possible hard water deposits in the shut off valve? Have you tried scrubbing the rim of the bowl with toilet brush while flushing to see if there are any blocked discharge holes around the bowl rim? How is the water flow into the tank when flushed? I can only assume that it has to be slow considering the time you say it takes to fill. My only other thought is a blocked flush valve. That in itself is an easy & inexpensive fix.
ddhanna
Active member
When you hit the flush handle momentarily, the entire 1.6 gallons from the tank should be released at once. The ability to do a "quick flush" or "long flush" is not right. It should be a 1.6 gallon flush with each press of the handle. Your fill times are varying because your flushes are erratic. I would go to any hardware store and buy a toilet repair kit that gets you everything needed. They are pretty universal. Follow the simple DIY directions. Then, if you think your fill times are too long, look at the water supply for possible restrictions. Have a crappy day!
The water flow into the tank when flushed seems fine and fast.
I have a toilet in the loft and I analyzed a quick flush. It is an old toilet over 20 years ols.
All water in tank came down instantly, and the tank filled in about 90 seconds with a steady stream of water, with the water stream flow into the fill tank the same rate as the toilet that has issues. So the water stream coming into the toilet is not the issue, it is something with the black valve that allows water into the toilet I think and/or getting the whole tank to dump with a quick flush.
I have a toilet in the loft and I analyzed a quick flush. It is an old toilet over 20 years ols.
All water in tank came down instantly, and the tank filled in about 90 seconds with a steady stream of water, with the water stream flow into the fill tank the same rate as the toilet that has issues. So the water stream coming into the toilet is not the issue, it is something with the black valve that allows water into the toilet I think and/or getting the whole tank to dump with a quick flush.
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Depends on where your ground water line is. I have a completely dry basement [I do have a sump pump that runs very rarely]. Two doors down the guy has to have a generator to his pump for when the power goes out. If not, his basement is flooded.