My mother-in-law’s house has 2 American Standard 1.6 gpf toilets, they’re about 2 years old. Does anyone have any words of wisdom on stopping the blasted things from leaking?
I’ve cleaned the seats and went so far as to put silicone grease on that flimsy little rubber ring to try to seal it. Is there anything I can do besides reip the innards out and replace it with an old-fashioned ballcock that will stop the leaks – she can’t afford $100 a month water bills.
These defensive details give homes a better chances of surviving wildfires.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
turn the water supply off...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
eaxctly where is the leak...
or is it periodic fill mode???
or is it both???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
water continuously leaks past the seal into the bowl, when the level in the tank gets low enough, the water comes on to refill the tank. It's a constant thing.
That would be your flapper valve leaking. Do you have a red one or a black one? The red ones are better and don't make your hands black when you change them.
thanks for all the info everyone, this one doesn't have a flapper, it's a "Douglas Valve", I called American Standard and they're shipping me 2 of them right away.
I call those a flapper. Hence the name flapper valve. works for me.
There is another potential problem area.You have a small tube that runs to from the fill valve to the to of the overflow tube on the flush valve.That tube is used to refill the bowl after a flush. If the end of that tube is pushed down so that it is below level of the water in the tank it can syphon water out of the tank into the bowl..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Those 2 y.o. toilets are American Standard Champion toilets... I've got three of them myself. When they were first manufactured, they were equiped with that flimsy rubber flange. If hers is like mine, it's coming out of its holder on the flush tower.
The good news is that these toilets have a 5 year warranty - no receipt required. Call: 1-800-442-1902 to get a replacement flush tower shipped to you. They are easy to replace, you just need a big pair of channel locks to get off the 3" plastic nut holding the flush tower to the tank.
The new tower works just fine, no problems for the last year since I swapped them in.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts. You nut, you.
Hey Paul.....not sure if it's because I'm not a plumber, or maybe the term is regoinal....what do you mean by "flush tower"?
I had a similar problem with one of my toilets. Replaced the flapper only, and it's been fine.
J. D. ReynoldsHome Improvements
it's that tube assembly sticking up out of the middle of the tank...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
The "Flush Tower" is a proprietary flapping mechanism. It's like an upside down cup over the hole in the tank. When you flush, the whole cup gets lifted for a brief moment and it generates alot of water velocity. This is why the Champions suck down the waste so fast, there is very little swirling, more like a big gulp.
This is also the source of the distinctive "clunk" you may hear about with this model toilet. Personally the sound isn't disruptive to me.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts. You nut, you.
Flush tower is known in the trades as a Douglas valve.
View Image
"Why do you hurt me when I do bad things to you?" My youngest son to his older brother
Ya see....Douglas valve I've heard of.
J. D. ReynoldsHome Improvements
I have 20 plumbers on my job, I bet 12 of them haven't heard of a Douglas valve.
"Why do you hurt me when I do bad things to you?" My youngest son to his older brother
douglas valve...
that's an easy one
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
thanks, Paul. That's good news. I'll try to get a model number off the things and call them.
Also has she been using the Clorox bleach-style drop in toilet tank 'tablets'? They have a bad reputation with rubber.
Jeff
They have a bad reputation with rubber.
Ya know....when my flapper died, that is exactly what I was wondering. Actually meant to post the question here and never got around to it.
J. D. ReynoldsHome Improvements
I just installed a Kohler toilet this week. Inside the tank, there was a sticker warning that using cleaners in the tank would void the warranty.
Fluidmaster has system that uses a replacable cartridge.It goes in the small tube from the fill valve to the top of the overflow tube.So it add the cleaner directly into the bowl and not into the tank..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Thanks...I'll look into it.
J. D. ReynoldsHome Improvements