I turned off the main water valve in my house to replace a toilet since the valve to the toilet wouldn't turn off the water. Problem is, when I turned the main valve back on, I got a really low amount of pressure. It's a gate valve, and I am assuming it is broken.

I am not a professional plumber by any means, but I know my way around enough to do things like replacing a toilet or sink.

With that said, is there any fixes I can do at the moment just to get full water pressure back up? I can replace the valve in a couple of days with a ball valve, I just don't have the means or time to so at the moment.

Any help?

  • If you did not already replace the toilet fill valve with quarter turn valve when you replace the gate valve. – Alaska Man Mar 8 '17 at 3:49

Have you opened all the other water faucets in the home and flushed the toilets? There may be water in the line. The only other idea is that your water heater and water softener unit may be trying to fill up, causing low water pressure. Make sure there are no other water leaks.

I too am not a pro but can figure things out. I had to replace the on/off valve on my toilet not to long ago. I could not afford a new one at the moment. So I turned off the water main, and removed the valve. I soaked it in vinegar over night. (I did this at 10pm to 6 am.) I filled my bathtub with water and used a small bucket of water in the bathroom and filled with water and poured it in the toilet to flush. I then re-wrapped the threaded connection and reassembled the valve. It wasn't perfect but it lasted another couple days. Then I replace with a new one.

You may want to consider putting in an on/off valve under the toilet. I have had to install several in my home as none of the showers had any.

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    Hey thanks for the quick reply, you had it exactly right. I had contacted a plumber friend of mine shortly after posting this and he recommended the exact same thing, air in the lines and such. Turned on faucets and flushed the toilet. Stepped outside for a minute and came back in to the beautiful sound of rushing faucets. – cronic5 Jul 25 '13 at 17:06
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    Awesome!!! I am glad I could help you. I know what it is like to put so much time into trying to fix something and it not quit work. I wish you much luck on all you do. :) – Tia Jul 25 '13 at 17:50

If you have old pipes, rust can break loose after replacing the main and clog the screens in your sinks and toilets. I replaced mine, everything worked fine except both the toilets. Had to take them apart and clean them the next day.

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