Filling problem

[louise]

After flushing, the tank fills very slowly. The water does not go thru the tube that it is supposed to go thru. Instead it leaks out of the top of the plumbing assembly. Turning the water on and off at the cut off valve, gets the water flowing again. Please provide suggestions on how to fix this problem.

[jimbo]

You should probably replace the fill valve in the toilet. The Fluidmaster 400A is my favorite and fits MOST but not all toilets.

You may just need to clean debris out from the inside of your fill valve. Every time you close and open the stop valve, it is possible that debris is dislodged and ends up in the fill valve.

[Bob's HandyGuy]

I'm not sure what you mean by "Turning the water on and off at the cut off valve, gets the water flowing again. " That is the purpose of the cut off valve. I think you should buy a new "fill valve", Louise. They are not expensive and come with a new hose. You must be fairly handy with tools to do-it-yourself. First, ask at your local hardware/home improvement store for a new fill valve. Shut the water at the cut off. Disconnect the water line that goes from the cut off to the bottom of the tank, at the bottom of the tank. Remove the nut from the bottom of the fill valve. Pull up and remove it. Read the directions thoroughly that come with the new valve. Then install it in the tank at the proper height, with the proper washers, and the float adjusted for the correct water fill. If you have a solid metal tube that connects your tank to the cut off, you may want to replace it with a flexible one. It makes installation so much easier, as they are hard to line up on an installation that differs from the old one. (Handyman, not a plumber.)

[Mike Swearingen]

I agree with jimbo. Replace the toilet tank water refill assembly with a Fluidmaster 400A float-cup type (about $6-$8 bucks). Just follow the illustrated instructions that come with it. Easy.
Good luck!
Mike