Kohler toilet exploding

[Joe]

Has anyone experienced the following: I installed a "Kohler" Rialto Lite siphon jet toilet (approx 10 years ago). This is a toilet that uses air and water pressure to get rid of the waste. Inside the tank there is an air tank with regulator, backflow valve etc. Early Fri. morning we were awaken with a loud bang and the sound of water spraying. After shutting off the water supply to the toilet I noticed that the regulator had broken apart. After checking with two different plumbing supply co. they both advised me that this particular toilet was recalled do to this problem... Has anyone had any similar situations and what if anything did "Kohler" do for you? My concern now is I don't think they make the color "Desert Bloom'" anymore.

[Art]

You can contact Kohler. They have a website which you can find using

If I remember right, they bought the insides of these toilets from another company which went belly up and Kohler was giving no help whatsoever. Really ticked people off. Newer versions use a valve made by Sloan which works well and is a reliable company that has been around for a long time.

[Michael Baugh]

Quite a bit of info, some of it rather amusing for those of us without exploding commodes, at

some of the consumer affairs commentaries first before attempting to contact Kohler at their included website.

[Capt Retardo and the Skidmarks]

Previously in alt.home.repair, "Joe" proclaimed :

someone already posted a good recommendation however now I wonder if you should rename the color "Desert BOOM".

Sorry, couldn't help myself. ;-)

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[PRNole]

I purchased two of those "power flush" Kohler's (Wellworth model) in

1993. Never had a problem with them but gradually found it harder and harder to buy replacement parts. I eventually learned of their "explosive" character and decided to replace them, just in case, even though mine hadn't even leaked, never mind explode.

Found out that Kohler has a very *quiet* replacement program, probably as a way of avoiding further damage claims over these toilets. All you have to do is give them the tank's serial number (it's stenciled under the tank's lid or inside, on the back of the tank, or on the actual flushing vessel itself) and they'll send you a new tank replacement unit for $125 with *free* shipping. The new system is called "Pressure Lite" Siphon Jet Toilet and is made by Sloan.

So, I went ahead and ordered them ($250 for both) for a lot less than I would have paid for each tank at a Home Depot or Lowe's ($300 to $500 each). In fact, salespeople in both stores told me it wasn't possible (or even a good idea) to buy just a tank, and not the seat. They even charged more for colors other than white, whereas Kohler's replacement program didn't differentiate.

Call Kohler at 1-800-4-KOHLER if you're in the US (1-800-964-5590 in Canada)

The new toilet

Joe wrote:

[Joe]

[Art]

I'll tell you a funny Kohler story. I have 4 of their reliable pressure flush toilets with the Sloan valve. One never worked right from day one in the house. Sloan kept sending me new parts and I kept on changing them taking the toilet apart several times. Finally I callled Kohler who said they would send me a letter to take to their distributor to get a new bowl. I got the letter and brought in the old bowl half which the distributor promptly thru in their large garbage bin where it landed in several pieces. They had no bowl so they took apart a box with a new toilet to give me the bowl portion. While doing so I noticed that the washer used between the bowl and tank was different than mine and asked for the washer too. Sure enuf, the original washer must have been lost by the moron plumber and he substituted one which blocked the water. The Sloan valve has a backpressure sensor and stops flushing if it thinks the toilet is backed up (a great feature, by the way). Anyway, the moron plumber caused an unbelievable amount of aggravation for me, Sloan and Kohler.

[Stormin Mormon]

When I read that real fast, I wondered why would want a "desert boom" toilet. Well, you got it!