Water supply to a toilet mysteriously stopped

[Mark5]

Help please. The water supply to a toilet mysteriously stopped providing water overnight. I shut the water off to the bathroom and removed the quarter-turn supply valve. It’s the type that you glue on to the existing CPVC supply pipe. I removed it by unscrewing and separating the valve in half – the glued half remains on the CPVC pipe, see photo. I restored water to the bathroom and still got no flow to the toilet. I did get flow to the sink and shower. Hard to believe the pipe to the toilet only could have clogged overnight. 25-yr old house, well water not particularly hard, no water softener.

Some background: I replaced a worn out fill valve in the toilet tank about a year ago. The new fill valve was faulty and never shut completely off but we lived with it for a year by turning the Q-turn valve on and off for each use (yeah, I know…) Suddenly, turning on the Q-turn valve provided no water. I assumed the faulty fill valve fully failed and replaced it with no improvement. I removed the supply hose from the Q-turn valve to check this valve, still got no flow, so I assumed the Q-turn valve failed (maybe the handle broke from the ball.) That’s when I separated the valve as described above, found the valve to be working fine, and realized I had no flow from a completely open pipe after turning the water back on.

What could be going on? Thanks in advance.

 

[Reach4]

Not relevant to your blocked-pipe question, I wonder if that valve is a compression valve. Is that piece in the center the same size as CPVC pipe (5/8 inch OD)?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mark5]

Not relevant to your blocked-pipe question, I wonder if that valve is a compression valve. Is that piece in the center the same size as cpvc pipe (5/8 inch OD)?

I'll check that tomorrow night (I reassembled everything in case water started flowing). I did stick a screwdriver in that hole to see if there was a blockage right there and it went in over 5 inches from the edge of that center piece. That would put it behind the wall where an elbow would be, so no blockage there.

 

[Mark5]

I'll check that tomorrow night (I reassembled everything in case water started flowing). I did stick a screwdriver in that hole to see if there was a blockage right there and it went in over 5 inches from the edge of that center piece. That would put it behind the wall where an elbow would be, so no blockage there.

Reach4, I have a spare valve and took it apart to study it. That piece is a CPVC adapter. The end you see measures 1/2 OD. The other end, which you can't see in the photo, measures 5/8 ID which is what is glued to the CPVC stub from the wall. I suppose the valve does act like a compression valve as the black rubber, which you can see wrapping around the CPVC adapter, compresses as the two halves are screwed together. Thanks for your help, the mystery continues...

 

[Mark5]

Reach4, I have a spare valve and took it apart to study it. That piece is a CPVC adapter. The end you see measures 1/2 OD. The other end, which you can't see in the photo, measures 5/8 ID which is what is glued to the CPVC stub from the wall. I suppose the valve does act like a compression valve as the black rubber, which you can see wrapping around the CPVC adapter, compresses as the two halves are screwed together. Thanks for your help, the mystery continues...

Correction, the black rubber happens to be attached to the other valve half in the photo. When screwed together, it will wrap around the CPVC adapter.

 

[ImOld]

Considering there is water everywhere except for this short stub, I would get a piece of the #12/14 wire I have laying around, put a loop on the end, same as for wiring a screw connection, and start probing the pipe. It willl go around and through an elbow and won't get caught. Been there done that.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Those 1/4 turn valves are not designed for daily use. 1/4 turn is generally a ball valve (a steel ball) that rotates inside a nylon jacket or sleeve. You wore out the jacket and it rotated with the ball thereby blocking the water flow.

Go to the 2:30 mark.

 

[Reach4]

Those 1/4 turn valves are not designed for daily use. 1/4 turn is generally a ball valve (a steel ball) that rotates inside a nylon jacket or sleeve. You wore out the jacket and it rotated with the ball thereby blocking the water flow.

Note post #5: he stuck a screwdriver in 5 inches.

 

[Mark5]

Note post #5: he stuck a screwdriver in 5 inches.

Great video WorthFlorida, but yeah, the valve is not the problem. I just tried ImOld's wire-tool suggestion and have not been able to turn past that elbow yet with #14 wire. I'm mentally preparing to remove drywall and cut back pipe to get batter access... sure hope it doesn't come to that. Thanks for your input so far everyone.

 

[Reach4]

Any chance there is a valve in the toilet supply path that you have not found, but a child did?

 

[LLigetfa]

I would guess that there is another valve somewhere upstream that has failed. On my toilet supply lines, I have thermal mixing valves that add a small amount of hot water to prevent toilet tank sweat. A failed mixing valve could manifest your problem. I installed the mixing valve in an accessible location should it ever fail.

 

[Mark5]

Any chance there is a valve in the toilet supply path that you have not found, but a child did?

Unlikely, there are no additional valves in the visual/accessible line to this bathroom. And no children here anymore Thanks.

 

[Mark5]

I would guess that there is another valve somewhere upstream that has failed. On my toilet supply lines, I have thermal mixing valves that add a small amount of hot water to prevent toilet tank sweat. A failed mixing valve could manifest your problem. I installed the mixing valve in an accessible location should it ever fail.

That could certainly be possible, as much as I hate the idea. If true, I'll be in the drywall business. Thanks.

 

[LLigetfa]

BTW, what I use is the B&K 109-503RP Anti-Sweat Toilet Tank Valve. You might google it to see what it looks like so you know what to look for. I cannot find a link to it on the B&K site and Terry doesn't like us linking to reseller sites.
On second thought, I could attach a screen grab.

 

[dsc3507]

Always interesting to know what solved the problem? Did you get the water flowing?