Replacing leaking toilet inlet valve

[oldkettle]

Hi,

 

We've had a combi boiler installed with the system upgrade from vented to unvented. As a result a leaky cistern inlet valve has become too annoying and wasteful.

 

It's Ideal Standard Reef Arc back-to-wall pan and cistern installed against a false wall with seemingly no way to get to anything so I had to cut a hole in what turned out to be 2 layers of 9mm plasterboard to see what's behind. Found the beauty in the first pic: not sure whether connecting 2 flexies behind a wall deserves a special medal 😞

OK, I've closed the isolating valve to a minimum but the water is still running once the cistern fills. So

 

1) Am I supposed to try to reach and disconnect the flexible hose from the inlet valve (not much space either side of the toilet to get there 😞 or should I move the whole toilet forward instead and then deal with this?

2) Should I just get a plumber in to deal with this because leaving these 10+ year old hoses and connections there doesn't feel a particularly good idea? If so, what is the right way of doing this? The feed comes from the bathroom next door - will have to remove the bath panel to get there which is going to be fun as well.

3) Do I need a pressure reducing valve fitted even if I do replace the inlet valve? 

 

Unserviceable installations really annoy me.

 

TA.

[ProDave]

Take the lid off the cistern and post a picture, you should be able to see where it is leaking.  Some the lid will just lift off, others you may have to spring the buttons out to reveal a screw hidden by where the buttons were.

 

It might just need an adjustment.  It should be possible to unscrew and lift the cistern off the pan.  Any larger access hole you need for alterations could be cut behind the cistern where it won't show.

[saveasteading]

As ProDave says.

When exposed, lift the float and see if the water stops. That means a very simple adjustment may suffice.

 

Where does the water go next? To overflow or disappearing into the pan?

 

A cause of the latter can be muck in the syphon seal (which can be amazingly primitive) , causing it to keep dribbling into the pan.

[oldkettle]

Thank you @ProDave @saveasteading

 

I did try to lift the lid of course. You can see the water dripping from both the front and the back of the little thingy to the left where somebody even fixed a bit of polythene - I guess to quieten the dripping a little. The water leaks into the toilet. It doesn't stop when I lift the float.

 

I was able to unscrew the top off the float and there is a diaphrarm washer (?) which most likely needs replacement. But there is also a text on the float saying "above 1.4 bar fit flow restrictor". Not sure whether isolating valve qualifies as one. I did try to find a replacement diaphragm but wasn't able to do so. The design document given to the previous owners when they updated the bathroom doesn't include the name of the valve.

 

@ProDave will try to reach out to find whether there are screws holding the cistern on the other side or likely underneath. It is siliconed/glued to the wall at the top. 

[ProDave]

First of all, that blue float in the bottom picture.  If you pull up on it, does the water stop flowing?

 

If so just adjust the little white nut on the connecting rod between the valve and the float.

 

There are not normally screws at the bottom of the cistern, you would not be able to access them with a back to wall pan.  The cistern normally just sits on a big rubber "donut" that makes the seal to the pan and is fixed in place with screws at the top into the wall, only your installer chose a tube of sealant instead.

[oldkettle]

1 minute ago, ProDave said:

First of all, that blue float in the bottom picture.  If you pull up on it, does the water stop flowing?

 

If so just adjust the little white nut on the connecting rod between the valve and the float.

 

 

yes, I did try this, the water doesn't stop.

 

2 minutes ago, ProDave said:

There are not normally screws at the bottom of the cistern, you would not be able to access them with a back to wall pan.  The cistern normally just sits on a big rubber "donut" that makes the seal to the pan and is fixed in place with screws at the top into the wall, only your installer chose a tube of sealant instead.

 

Got it. Yes, seems to the the case. A bit scary to lift it but certainly a better idea than trying to unscrew the feed from behind.

[ProDave]

1 minute ago, oldkettle said:

Got it. Yes, seems to the the case. A bit scary to lift it but certainly a better idea than trying to unscrew the feed from behind.

Turn the water off, empty the cistern so it is not heavy, then cut the sealant and lift the cistern off.

 

Probably wise just to buy a new fill valve assembly and replace the whole thing.

[oldkettle]

5 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Turn the water off, empty the cistern so it is not heavy, then cut the sealant and lift the cistern off.

 

Probably wise just to buy a new fill valve assembly and replace the whole thing.

 

Yes, replacing the whole thing has been the plan, just didn't know how to get t it. And the isolating valve would not be available until the cistern is lifted - and I doubt the source flexy it sits on is long enough to close it off if lifting the cistern first. So cutting through the wall was inevitable it seems. OK, could shut the water to the house  - will create a separate thread on this one.

 

 

[saveasteading]

2 hours ago, oldkettle said:

"above 1.4 bar fit flow restrictor".

That will depend on whether you have mains or a tank in the loft.

With a new syphon you get 2 plastic cones to insert, one wider than the other. That's how low tech it all is.

 

Other surprises in first time work on a wc.

The seal from cistern to pan is primitive. Just plumbers mait (gunk) and gravity, and maybe an adjacent metal bracket.

The syphon mechanism is just a bit of polythene that flaps up and down.

Dual flushes include a hidden screw to unlock the lid.

Screws to the wall will probably have rusted and not come out.

[oldkettle]

8 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

That will depend on whether you have mains or a tank in the loft.

With a new syphon you get 2 plastic cones to insert, one wider than the other. That's how low tech it all is.

 

Other surprises in first time work on a wc.

The seal from cistern to pan is primitive. Just plumbers mait (gunk) and gravity, and maybe an adjacent metal bracket.

The syphon mechanism is just a bit of polythene that flaps up and down.

Dual flushes include a hidden screw to unlock the lid.

Screws to the wall will probably have rusted and not come out.

 

It's the mains pressure now - used to be a tank. Get the point about flow restrictors.

 

"Can't wait" to deal with these surprises. Can't see the screws to the wall though - I think ProDave is right and they weren't used. You can see the hole blocked off in the picture.

 

The one with dual flush is interesting. Ours WAS dual flush but there is no screw (or at least I can't see any place where it might go! Yet I do feel that there has to be something forcing the smaller button up and it's not been working for a long time - a bit of plastic broke off. Just found a video explaining how to install a replacement 🙂 https://youtu.be/nMeA_uqtjII