Toilet cistern not filling - ball valve?

Have a downstairs toilet that is rarely used, but as I have a burst of DIY going on this weekend I'll see if I can tackle this long standing problem.

We have an unfiltered well supplying water. Toilets upstairs presuambly get water from the tank, so sediment settles in that (just cleaned it out for the first time over the weekend). However, downstairs I presume the toilet is plumbed from the mains - in any event what seems to me like the ball valve is filthy and there is some tubing at the top which is clear in upstairs toilets but looks like its clogged with sediment and is a dark brown in the downstairs one. By the tubing I mean the small clear piece above the blue valve in the pic below...

http://images.productserve.com/preview/1228/29918160.jpg

No water getting into cistern at all. So is cleaning it possible? Or is a new valve needed? Either way how does one go about all that?

Thanks...

Joey the lips

What type of toilet is it a new top flush cistern...

items

Deleted User wrote: »

Have a downstairs toilet that is rarely used, but as I have a burst of DIY going on this weekend I'll see if I can tackle this long standing problem.

We have an unfiltered well supplying water. Toilets upstairs presuambly get water from the tank, so sediment settles in that (just cleaned it out for the first time over the weekend). However, downstairs I presume the toilet is plumbed from the mains - in any event what seems to me like the ball valve is filthy and there is some tubing at the top which is clear in upstairs toilets but looks like its clogged with sediment and is a dark brown in the downstairs one. By the tubing I mean the small clear piece above the blue valve in the pic below...

http://images.productserve.com/preview/1228/29918160.jpg

No water getting into cistern at all. So is cleaning it possible? Or is a new valve needed? Either way how does one go about all that?

Thanks...

The clear tubing is just for silent fill, without the tube water would just fly out top making that splash filling sound. Tube is submersed under water (silent fill). Reason why tube is brown D/S and not U/P is good old paddy plumbing, pipes left open during construction, all kinds of dirt, metal, screws, anything really is sitting in pipe work @ lower levels, the clear tube is just stained from rust residue. You might also find screws fixing cistern to wall have rusted completely, rusty screws also stain filling tube.

Inside filler is whats called an orifice, orifice is used to close up pipe so sealing mechanism can seal flowing water through a narrow gap instead of a 1/2 gap (pipe dia) orifice is also used to limit flow, bigger orifice for poor pressure, smaller orifice for greater pressure, 9 times out of then orifice is blocked. Simple job to clear out, turn off water, open U/S tap, then open D/S tap, this will drain water from pipe work, then unscrew largest plastic nut on filling valve, all internals are located just inside the widest part at top of filling valve, just be careful taking fill valve apart, some small pieces might fall out, then you'll be lost trying to put back together.

If its not orifice, you could have a blockage where pipe from floor or wall connects to filler under cistern or @ side, undo fitting and check for any bits of debris, be careful when re doing fitting if you catch a wrong thread you'll ring thread and find difficulty's sealing water, if you ring it, you have to cut plastic filler @ bad thread and try again.

Toilet about 5 years old joey, has a handle, not one with those the buttons at the top.

Thanks for all that items, great detail there which will be v helpful. Just one small question, what is U/S tap and D/S tap? And when you say turn off water, is that at mains - can't see any obvious shut off valve near toilet itself, though the connections near wall do contain a brass head with a groove across them - wonder if turning them will do anything or if they are just something like a screw keeping the whole connection together.

Joey the lips

items wrote: »

The clear tubing is just for silent fill, without the tube water would just fly out top making that splash filling sound. Tube is submersed under water (silent fill). Reason why tube is brown D/S and not U/P is good old paddy plumbing, pipes left open during construction, all kinds of dirt, metal, screws, anything really is sitting in pipe work @ lower levels, the clear tube is just stained from rust residue. You might also find screws fixing cistern to wall have rusted completely, rusty screws also stain filling tube.

Inside filler is whats called an orifice, orifice is used to close up pipe so sealing mechanism can seal flowing water through a narrow gap instead of a 1/2 gap (pipe dia) orifice is also used to limit flow, bigger orifice for poor pressure, smaller orifice for greater pressure, 9 times out of then orifice is blocked. Simple job to clear out, turn off water, open U/S tap, then open D/S tap, this will drain water from pipe work, then unscrew largest plastic nut on filling valve, all internals are located just inside the widest part at top of filling valve, just be careful taking fill valve apart, some small pieces might fall out, then you'll be lost trying to put back together.

If its not orifice, you could have a blockage where pipe from floor or wall connects to filler under cistern or @ side, undo fitting and check for any bits of debris, be careful when re doing fitting if you catch a wrong thread you'll ring thread and find difficulty's sealing water, if you ring it, you have to cut plastic filler @ bad thread and try again.

This Works well or simply fit a new low pressure inlet valve.