Rialto toilet flushes every other flush

[jalbert]

I moved into a new home with a discontinued Kohler Rialto K3402. It's got some years on it but my wife asked me to try to salvage it. I've replaced the flapper, the flush handle, and installed a 1B1X fill valve and ballcock assembly from Coast Foundry & Mfg. I thought I was on my way but now no matter what I try I just cannot get the bowl to fill properly. The first flush will work but then leave very little water in the bowl. Then the next flush will fill the bowl but not flush anything away. Then it repeats the cycle. No water at all seems to be entering the bowl from the rim.

Any ideas?

 

[Jadnashua]

Is the refill hose actually getting any water into the overflow tube? If not, then the bowl will not fill up. The next time you flush, you fillup the bowl. Then when you flush again, you have enough to start with so it will actually flush.

There is usually a clip that positions the refill hose so it flows into the overflow...check it out with the top off.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[jalbert]

Rialto

Thanks for the response. This is one of those unique Kohler parts scenarios. There actually is no overflow tube. The fill valve has a hose that runs between it and an opening at the back base of the bowl. Kohler's new Rialto has returned to the traditional overflow tube design (which makes me wonder whether I'm discovering the reasons why).

 

[Jadnashua]

Pull it out and check to see if there is any actual flow through that tube during the fill cycle.

 

[jalbert]

will try

Thanks. It is flowing through the tube.

It's a strange fill valve to me. I keep thinking that I'm missing some way to adjust it. It has it's own floater attached to determine when it should stop refilling. And it seems to be working fine. But it cannot be adjusted and fits onto a "keyed" bolt in a predetermined spot.

It's very confusing to me.

It kills me to think of the water I've been wasting.

 

[clement]

How the water fill valve work

How the fill valve work is that water comes in the riser tube and get distributed (diverted) to 2 places. When the plunger part is in the open position, water will flow through the following:
1. an intergral down pipe into the tank
2. a tube to the rim of the toilet

In order to get a longer flow time for the water to enter the rim, the valve down pipe has to be adjusted to a slower flow rate. You can adjust the 1b1x by turning the knob clockwise to cut down the flowrate (i.e. water level will rise very slowly). This will allow the rim water flow for a longer time. The rim water will also top up the toilet bowl to a higher water level thus give a larger surface area of water in the bowl.

Also a good flush depends on how much water is in the toilet. During a flush, water comes in to the bowl causing the water level in the bowl to rise. When the water level rises above the Goose-neck high point of the toilet bowl, it will cause a siphoning effect thus emptying the content of the bowl. If the goose-neck is gumming up, i.e. the hole becomes smaller, the siphoning effect will cause too much of emptying of the bowl water. This will not leave enough water in the bowl for the next flush. If this is the case, you have to clean up the gum deposit in the goose-neck.

 

[jalbert]

thanks

Thank you very much for the excellent, and well-informed, advice. Now if I can just strip myself away from the normal workload long enough I can investigate further and see if I can settle this toilet back in. Thanks!!!