How much water should be in the bowl after the flushing cycle is completed and the fill valve shuts off? Last Update: Aug 01, 2002

The level/volume of water in the tank, the closing action of the flapper/tank ball, and the geometry of the toilet bowl’s S-trap determines how much standing water is in the bowl, as long as the toilet’s refill tube (or, for some one-piece toilets’, the diverter valve) supplies an adequate quantity of water to refill the bowl to this level. Mark the water level and slowly pour water into the bowl (or allow some water to enter by gently pushing down on the trip lever without initiating a flush). If the water level does not rise, the bowl water level is correct. If the water level rises significantly with this additional water, an adjustment should be made to increase the flow (relative to the tank refilling tube) through the refill tube. Unless the refill tube is kinked or the flow blocked through this tube, install a new refill tube with increased flow capacity. Alternatively, the flow through the tank refilling tube can be reduced by pinching the plastic or copper “hush tube” with pliers. It may not be the best practice, but it works.