I have a cracked toilet cistern which needs replacing. I am a barely competant DIYer and try and avoid plumbing. I've had a look in B&Q and could only find complete loos for sale.
can you buy spare cisterns, or is it better to prelace the whole loo.
and is it a job for a novice or should I bite the bullet and find a plumber?
matt
Take a look at your household insurance as you might get it replaced under that. A few years back I had a new bathroom installed and the pan developed a hairline crack. The insurance paid for a complete toilet as they had changed from a seperate overflow to an internal overflow. In theory just a new pan should have done but I got the whole thing done and the plumbers charges.
Kevin
You can buy replacement cisterns from places with a better selection that B&Q; builders merchants are best, if you can face the sneering. If it's coloured, or highly styled, you may not be able to get a matching one.
As for installing it, that's a perfect D-I-Y job.
I had a coloured one which broke. Insurance assessor found that custom made one could be obtained at cost of £750. So I asked for the cash and put it towards a new complete white bathroom suite {:-)
If it's a close-couple suite where the cistern sits directly onto the pan you may have trouble finding a cistern that fits (and it's not too easy taking the pan along to the shops to match it up :-)
If it's a 'low-level' suite with the cistern hung on the wall and connected by an L-shaped pipe to the pan then any cistern that fits[1] will do.
Get one with an internal overflow[2]: the new cistern's pipework is bound not to match up with the old one's and this'll make your life easier by one bit of pipe at least. Fit a screwdriver-operated service isolation vale to the cold supply to the cistern, and use plastic pipe or a flexible connector for the last few inches to the inlet valve connector.
And hang it with stainless stell or brass screws so they don't rust.
Novice to plumbing or to DIY? If you're OK with drilling holes and fixing things and genrally solving the sort of problems that come up in the real world (as opposed to daytime TV makeover programmes :-) you should find it OK. If you get stuck you can always use a bucket[3] until you find someone to help you.
[1] it ought to be capable of delivering the right amount of water to the pan, which is usually set by the flush valve, though the modern push-button valves often don't have any adjustment. Modern WCs are required to use 6 litres of water whereas the older ones used 7 or 9 litres. (The fact that many modern ones require 2 or 3 flushes to clear no 2s and therefore use more water than the old ones seems to have escaped the wit of the powers that be.) [2] if/when the inlet valve leaks water will overflow down the flush pipe into the WC pan rather than through the overflow pipe outside. [3] to flush the pan with, not to ... oh well I suppose you could use it for that if needs beHomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.