How to Fix a Toilet Bowl That Won't Refill After Flushing

Start by taking the lid off your toilet tank and inspecting the refill tube connection points. If the refill tube is loose or disconnected, water will enter the tank, not the bowl.

If water is not flowing from the refill tube into the overflow tube, check if your fill valve has a bowl refill adjuster. If the bowl refill dial is closed, it will prevent water from being sent to the bowl during the refill cycle. If you do not have a refill adjuster, proceed to step 4.

Turn the dial to the fully open position, then flush the toilet. If water begins flowing through the refill tube and into the overflow tube, you have found the problem, and good news - it's fixable.

Flush the toilet and wait for about 3 minutes. This will allow your toilet bowl water level to settle to its normal level. Then mark the water level in the bowl.

When adjusting refill settings, aim for the bowl water level to reach the water level mark at the same time that the fill valve shuts off. If the bowl water level rises above the line while the tank refills, extra water will go down the drain, wasting water.

If little or no water flows through the refill tube, debris or mineral buildup is likely clogging the fill valve. This reduces water flow to the bowl. If you do not have a Korky valve, installing a new, serviceable fill valve replacement is recommended. If you do have a Korky fill valve, you may be able to fix it without replacing the entire valve. 

Since the tank is still refilling but the bowl isn't, cleaning the inside of the cap may help. Debris or mineral buildup can clog the fill valve cap at that connection point and limit the water flowing to the bowl. You can fix this by rinsing the cap with warm water. For full steps to service your Korky fill valve and clean the cap, see our How to Fix a Slow-Filling Toilet guide.

Mineral buildup can sometimes be harder to remove in older valves, and cleaning may not always work. In that case, you can replace the fill valve cap without replacing the entire valve.