Toilet symptoms
Cistern and pansymptoms.
Four completely different cases, and each one sits on a different part.
01
A constant trickle inside
A running sound inside the cistern when nobody has flushed means the inlet valve is not closing fully, or the flush valve is passing into the pan. That water goes down the drain all day where you cannot see it.
02
The flush is weak
Needing to flush twice every time usually means the water level inside the cistern has dropped below where it should sit, or deposits are blocking the rim holes and killing the rush of water.
03
The pan rocks when used
Movement means the floor fixings have loosened or the floor under it is not flat. Constant rocking works the connection between the pan and the waste pipe loose, and the leak starts after that.
04
Water at the base
Wetness around the base has two possible sources: the seal between cistern and pan leaking from above, or the waste connection below the pan. Drying the area and watching where it returns tells them apart.
In short
The toilet work.
Service
Toilet pan and cistern repair
The parts
Inlet valve, float, flush valve, seal, pan connector
Types
Exposed cisterns, and concealed cisterns inside the wall
Where it applies
Houses, flats, blocks, complexes and chalets
Hours
Daily, 6:00 in the morning to 12:00 midnight
The method
From the lid tothe last flush.
A cistern is read with the lid off, never guessed at from outside.
We lift the lid and read it
The water level inside tells us a lot: sitting low means the flush will be weak, sitting high enough to enter the overflow means the valve is not closing.
We split filling from flushing
We close the angle valve and watch the level. If it falls on its own, the flush valve is passing into the pan. If it holds, the fault is in the inlet valve.
We change the right part
An inlet valve, a float, a flush valve washer, or the large seal between cistern and pan. The part is replaced outright rather than adjusted.
We set it and flush it
The level is set to the mark, we flush it several times, and the base and the connections are checked dry before we leave.
The detail
Two valves inevery cistern.
Every cistern holds two valves working against each other. The inlet valve lets water in and shuts when the level reaches its mark. The flush valve opens when you press the button and closes once the cistern empties. Almost everything people complain about traces back to one of the two, and one simple test on the water level separates them.
A cistern that never stops filling is a genuine leak even though you never see a drop on the floor. Water enters and passes straight into the pan and down the drain, day and night, and it is the single biggest place water disappears in an ordinary house. The signs are the sound, or a thin damp line running down the inside of the pan.
A weak flush has two common causes. The first is a low water level inside the cistern, corrected by resetting the float. The second is deposits blocking the rim holes under the lip of the pan. Those close one at a time, so the rush of water weakens gradually and you never notice when it started.
A concealed cistern inside the wall follows the same rules with one difference. The parts are the same, but reaching them happens through the button plate or a service opening. If the original installation left no service opening, changing a part means opening the wall, which is worth knowing before choosing a concealed cistern in the first place.
External links for referenceMinistry of Electricity and Water (the public water network in Kuwait)
Questions
Asked aboutcisterns.
Either the inlet valve is not closing, because the float is set wrong or the valve is worn, or the flush valve is passing so the level keeps dropping and it refills. Close the angle valve and watch the level: if it falls, the flush side is the fault.
Rarely. Usually the level in the cistern has dropped below its mark, or deposits have blocked the rim holes under the lip. Both are dealt with without changing the pan. Replacement only comes in if the pan itself is cracked or its internal channel is damaged.
Yes, because the rocking works on the connection between the pan and the waste pipe until it lets go. The fix is lifting the pan, levelling the base and refitting it with a new waste seal, since the old one has already been squeezed out of shape.
Yes, as long as there is a service opening behind the button plate, which is the normal arrangement. The plate comes off and the valves are reached through it. If the original installation left no opening, we tell you what that means before anything is broken.
Dry the area completely and watch when the wet returns. Back straight after a flush points to the seal between cistern and pan or the waste connection. Slowly gathering through the day usually means the supply connection or the angle valve.