Adjust the Water Level in Your Toilet

One of the few frustrating maintenance items in a home involves your toilet. When the fill valve in your toilet begins to malfunction, it could cause the water levels in your toilet to be off. Once you flush the toilet, the fill valve will work to refill the toilet tank and bowl. Unfortunately, if the fill valve is not working in unison with the amount of water needed in your toilet bowl overflowing could occur. How do I adjust the water level in the toilet? In most cases, use your screwdriver to adjust the fill valve float in your toilet tank.
let’s take a look below at what this means.

What Type Of Fill Valve Do I Have?

Before you decide how to adjust the water level in your toilet, you need to know the type of fill valve that you have. Take the lid off your toilet tank and look at the type of fill valve. Let’s take a look below at what type of fill valves could be in your toilet tank.

• Cylinder style float – This style of fill valve looks like a plastic cylinder that has an opening going through the middle of the cylinder.
• Ball and Arm float – This style of fill valve has a metal arm with a ball attached at the end of it.

How Do I Adjust Each Fill Valve?

Adjusting the water level in your toilet tank and toilet bowl should occur with the fill valve. Each type of fill valve can be adjusted so that your water levels can shift to meet your needs. Let’s take a look below at the steps to adjust each type of fill valve.

Ball and Arm Float

• Remove the toilet tank lid.
• Check the current water level in the tank so that you know how to adjust the float.
• Check the height of the floating ball that is connected to a metal rod. You will see a plastic ball that is floating at the water level.
• Turn off the water. Twist the water line feed into the off position. There is an oblong handle that you can turn clockwise until the handle is tight.
• Flush the toilet to empty the water from the toilet tank.
• Now, adjust the water level by turning the screw that is connected to the ball and arm float with a screwdriver.
• Turning the screw clockwise will raise the water level.
• Turning the plastic screw counterclockwise will decrease the water level.
• Flush the toilet to test the water levels and determine if you need to make any other adjustments.

Cylinder style Float

• Remove the toilet tank lid.
• Check the current water level so that you know how to adjust it.
• Find the cylinder float on the shaft of the fill valve.
• Turn off the water. Twist the water line feed into the off position. There is an oblong handle that you can turn clockwise until the handle is tight.
• Flush the toilet to empty the water from the toilet tank.
• Look for the release clip that is connected to the change stem. Also, this connects the float to the stem.
• Gently pinch the release clip to raise or lower the float.
• If that doesn’t work, get your screwdriver and gently twist the plastic screw located on the cylinder arm.
• Turn the plastic screw clockwise to lower the cylinder float.
• Turn the plastic screw counterclockwise to raise the cylinder float.
• Check your desired water level by flushing the toilet and testing out the level each time you twist the screw.
• Make adjustments based on the water level.

Other Recommended Maintenance

Now that you learned about adjusting the water level in the toilet, let’s take a look at other areas of maintenance.

One of those areas is the toilet leaking. If you see water outside of the toilet on the floor near the base, you want to stop using it. This is because the water has bacteria in it and will ruin the floor. You will want to make sure the t-bolt is in place and check the wax ring.

The next area is a gurgling bathroom sink. If you have a gurgling bathroom sink, this can be due to a vent pipe clogged, a bathroom drain clogged, a clogged garbage disposal, a P-trap that is busted, or a clogged drain.

Lastly, if you see that you have low water pressure in the sink, it can be due to a few things. It can be the aerator, a blockage in the faucet, or pipes. Once you figure out what it is, you can also flush the water heater to increase the water pressure.

When Do I Call A Professional?

Dealing with the maintenance of your toilet bowl and toilet tank can be rather frustrating. In most cases, it is best to hire a local master plumber. Not only can they update the fill valve in your toilet tank, but they can also check for leaks. If you aren’t sure who to call, reach out to your local home inspection team. Consequently, they can inspect your entire plumbing system and recommend any plumbing repairs. Also, they can refer a reputable local master plumber to complete the project.

Conclusion

Having to mess with a plumbing project can be rather frustrating. Most homeowners don’t have the tools to loosen or disconnect parts involved with a toilet. Additionally, having the strength to disconnect the various parts could be troubling. Luckily, you can reach out to your local reputable master plumber. Before you do that, go ahead and reach out to your local home inspection team. They can inspect and assess your entire plumbing system. Contact Inside and Out Property Inspectors in Jacksonville, FL, and surrounding areas to get your sewer scope inspection done today.