This toilet valve is incorrectly installed, right?

If it aint broke.........

The "overflow tube" is indeed there to allow excess water in the tank to run into the bowl, and then down the drain.

If the float on the fill valve is adjusted correctly the "overflow tube" will never actually be used for that purpose.

The other purpose of the "overflow tube" is to refill the bowl after the flush. If your toilet has a good siphoning action, the water in the bowl could be sucked down to just an inch. The bowl is refilled back to the proper level by water being directed down the "overflow tube" during the time the tank is refilling.

The valve that you turned is suppose to be adjusted so that the water in the bowl reaches the proper level at the same time the tank reaches the proper level, and the fill valve shuts off the water flow..

If that valve allows too much flow, the excess water will run down the drain, and if it doesn't allow enough flow, then the water in the bowl won't be deep enough to hold and cover any solid wastes.

I'm surprised to hear that your toilet has been working fine. I would expect that you would have a very low water level in the bowl.

EugW wrote: ↑If I open up the dial on the right, water will spurt out the nozzle, but it was completely shut off, so a bit of that water just leaks out near the top of the valve into the tank.

I checked online and apparently it's normal for a bit of water to leak out the valve at the top, according to the fill valve manufacturer. It doesn't waste water, since that just leaks into the tank, not down the drain.

Rick007 wrote: ↑ If that valve allows too much flow, the excess water will run down the drain, and if it doesn't allow enough flow, then the water in the bowl won't be deep enough to hold and cover any solid wastes.

I'm surprised to hear that your toilet has been working fine. I would expect that you would have a very low water level in the bowl.

Strangely enough, there is plenty of water in the bowl after a flush. Maybe that's why they removed the hose to the overflow tube? That extra water would likely have just been wasted.

In retrospect, I think it might be because that particular toilet probably doesn't have the best siphon action.

Hugh Jass wrote: ↑ If it aint broke.........

Maybe you're right. I could get a few more years out of it as-is. I'll just clean it and hopefully won't damage anything in the process.

EugW wrote: ↑
Strangely enough, there is plenty of water in the bowl after a flush. Maybe that's why they removed the hose to the overflow tube? That extra water would likely have just been wasted.

In retrospect, I think it might be because that particular toilet probably doesn't have the best siphon action.

The flapper is suppose to totally stop any water flow into the bowl after the flush.

Perhaps your flapper has a slow leak that is allowing water into the bowl and filling it up. Since this water leak will be continuous, you are wasting the excess water down the drain once the bowl reaches it's maximum level.

The recommended test for a flapper leak is to add some food coloring to the tank. If after a period of time, the color can be seen in the bowl, then water is confirmed to be leaking past the flapper.

Rick007 wrote: ↑ The flapper is suppose to totally stop any water flow into the bowl after the flush.

Perhaps your flapper has a slow leak that is allowing water into the bowl and filling it up. Since this water leak will be continuous, you are wasting the excess water down the drain once the bowl reaches it's maximum level.

The recommended test for a flapper leak is to add some food coloring to the tank. If after a period of time, the color can be seen in the bowl, then water is confirmed to be leaking past the flapper.

You can test the flapper and flush valve just by turning off the water supply and come back in a few hours..if the water level is unchanged, the flush valve seal and flapper is holding.

If the water level is dropping it could be the flapper or it could be a leak in the seal between the flush valve and the bowl.
>If the water level drops to the level of the flapper and stays there, the flapper is not sealing.
>If the water level drops below the level of the flapper almost to the level of the bowl or total empty, the leak is between the flush valve and the bowl.

I know this because I've been suffering trying to find a flapper which seals - maybe there's a slight knick in the plastic where the flapper meets flush valve.

In the end, I replace the flush valve and flapper entire unit.

Rick007 wrote: ↑ The flapper is suppose to totally stop any water flow into the bowl after the flush.

Perhaps your flapper has a slow leak that is allowing water into the bowl and filling it up. Since this water leak will be continuous, you are wasting the excess water down the drain once the bowl reaches it's maximum level.

The recommended test for a flapper leak is to add some food coloring to the tank. If after a period of time, the color can be seen in the bowl, then water is confirmed to be leaking past the flapper.

This was the problem I was having with the other toilet. Food colouring in the tank would eventually end up in the bowl, and every so often - every few hours - I'd get a the fill valve opening and pumping a little more water into the tank - phantom flush - for maybe 10 seconds or less.*

I have not had this problem with the toilet in this thread. It fills the bowl to a reasonable level immediately and then it just stays there. I don't get those phantom flushes either. However, the force to empty the bowl when flushing has never been the best. It works, but isn't as strong as my other toilets.

*P.S. For that other toilet my initial problem was that the fill valve was constantly buzzing. Irritating noise. So I replaced the fill valve. Then I realized the flapper was also leaking. I just never noticed it before, probably because the buzzing was hiding it, or perhaps I changed something when I cleaned everything. So then I replaced the flapper too. End up paying much more than if I had just bought the two things together as a kit.

EugW wrote: ↑ This was the problem I was having with the other toilet. Food colouring in the tank would eventually end up in the bowl, and every so often - every few hours - I'd get a the fill valve opening and pumping a little more water into the tank - phantom flush - for maybe 10 seconds or less.*

I have not had this problem with the toilet in this thread. It fills the bowl to a reasonable level immediately and then it just stays there. I don't get those phantom flushes either. However, the force to empty the bowl when flushing has never been the best. It works, but isn't as strong as my other toilets.

*P.S. For that other toilet my initial problem was that the fill valve was constantly buzzing. Irritating noise. So I replaced the fill valve. Then I realized the flapper was also leaking. I just never noticed it before, probably because the buzzing was hiding it, or perhaps I changed something when I cleaned everything. So then I replaced the flapper too. End up paying much more than if I had just bought the two things together as a kit.

Phantom flush => The "other toilet" flush valve is the problem...either flapper leaking or gasket seal problem. As the water drops because of the leak, the fill valve kicks in to re-top up the water. There was nothing wrong with your fill valve IMO and you probably didn't need to replace it.

Second toilet, no issues with flush valve so don't need to do anything as water level is stable the whole time. If the flush has never been the best, the easiest fix is to descale the bowl and the jets. Muriatic acid is the best for this.