Lifting the lid on a toilet cistern

[Nick Odell]

Apologies if I've overlooked the answer in the DIY Wiki but I did try there first.

I can't lift the lid on my toilet cistern. Short flush/long flush levers are all contained in a circular button on top of the lid.

YouTube videos show the lid just lifting off: the buttons either push directly onto the flush mechanism or are connected by a cable. But my lid won't lift off and it feels as if the buttons are fixed to the flush mechanism in some way. Is there a third (or fourth....) way of connecting the buttons to the flush? Something else I need to know in order to lift the lid?

Many thanks,

Nick

[Brian Gaff]

Could it be that its just very stiff and the bottoms of the buttons fit over spindles that have internally become encrusted with limescale or whatever? Assuming no obvious clips or screws, most either come up leaving the buttons behind or the ends of the buttons push over spindles. Those are the only sort I've seen, but others may know of some crafty designs by Mensa members. Me? I went with a single flush lever through the side. Brian

[Andy Burns]

I'm no great expert on modern cisterns, but I though they generally linked the push-buttons to the flush valve using narrow pneumatic pipes now?

[Robin]

have you ever had the lid off? If not I suggest you look *very* closely at where the lid meets the body of the cistern and try inserting a thin piece of plastic or flexible metal.

Why? Well a few years ago 'er indoors met the same problem. She had no tools and I was 125 miles away. So she had to call a plumber. Turned out the bloke who fitted it had run a bead of silicone round the top of the cistern under the lid.

[Nick Odell]

Good point though not the case in this instance. I can lift the lid about 3mm before it meets resistance and the lid slides around the top of the cistern 5mm or so in any direction. But it feels as if it is anchored somehow if I try to move it any further.

Nick

[Nick Odell]

This one must be at least ten years old so probably not state of the art. Presumably the pneumatic pipes would still allow the lid to be lifted?

Nick

[Jethro_uk]

You may need to move it in another plane (i.e. sideways) before lifting. It's possible there's a hook you need to be clear of.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Or the push buttons may unscrew

[Robin]

I suspect it's one where you need to release/remove the buttons and the fitting beneath them. You may have to bite the bullet spend the rest of the day watching videos on YouTube of various ways that /might/ be required.

Or of course give it a mighty pull ;)

[Chris Green]

Is it by any chance one of those where the surround for the two buttons is screwed into something. Try rotating the surround and see if it comes unscrewed.

[PeterC]

Mine is screwed on and, although simple to remove, can take a bit of unscrewing. I use both hands, with thumb and finger tips pressed hard against the chrome bezel and that usually works. I have had to use high-friction rubber once, then put plumber's grease on the thread before refitting.

[Tim+]

Is there a chrome trim ring around the flush button? If so, try unscrewing it. There could be a threaded collar fitted to the lid.

Tim

[GB]

The only push button valves I have ever seen have flexible cables, but it's just possible that's not the case here.

[GB]

What's the difference between plumber's grease and Boris grease? ;)

[John Rumm]

Some of those flush button arrangements are sat on the top of the flush valve, and have a screwed on bezel that locks the cistern lid down. See if you can unscrew the shiny ring around the perimeter of the buttons.

[Nick Odell]

Thanks Chris, Peter, Tim & John. It does indeed screw down. I've been able to identify it from YouTube as the Siamp Skipper 45 and I've watched some videos for this model. Of course in the videos everything unscrews with ease and of course mine doesn't. It's stuck.

I plan to continue tomorrow morning with plenty of daylight ahead of me, the water turned off and the plumbers' merchants open for business

- just in case.

Two questions:

It looks like the chrome pushbutton assembly should unscrew anticlockwise - as does the flushing unit from the base of the cistern. Any likelihood that when I twist the button assembly the whole flushing unit comes loose rather than just the buttons? Would that be a problem anyway since I'd be wanting to remove the flushing unit in any case?

Is the whole button assembly designed to turn round and round on assembly/disassembly? If I were to insert something like credit-card plastic between the two buttons and use it like a screwdriver could I break anything? (I've already tried a rubber gripper on the bezel with no joy)

Thanks,

Nick

[Andy Burns]

Could do, turn off your water and flush the loo to empty the cistern as much as possible ...#

[Richard]

For some Ideal Standard cisterns, like this one:

Push one button in and pull/persuade its neighbour up and out of the chrome ring. The second button then lifts out.

Under the buttons there is a screw to undo and release the chrome ring. Then the lid can be removed.

Richard

[alan_m]

The outer ring of the push button unscrews?

[Tim+]

Very possibly yes! The button shouldn’t rotate as you unscrew the bezel. It will unscrew anti-clockwise as you would expect. You could try some sort of releasing agent but the chances are it’s a plastic screw in a plastic thread so I’m not sure what will work. You could try a hairdryer on the bezel to see if differential expansion might loosen it?

Tim