Replacing toilet syphon?

HI Darren

If you can find a 'real' plumbers' supplies place - then yuo may be able to buy just the diaphragm (which is the likely cause of the 'unreliable flush' problem.

I've done this on our two toilets here - process is generally like this...

- turn off the water that supplies the WC

- flush the toilet

- empty the remaining water from the cistern (sponge works well)

- remove the flush handle and associated mechanism

- unscrew the two screws at the back of the cistern holding the cistern to the wall (often easier said than done - a short stubby screwdriver can help)

- undo the two nuts or wingnuts holding the cistern to the pan

- lift the cistern off the pan and sit it on the floor on some olf towels

- undo the large plastic nut, which retains bracket that holds the two bolts that secure the cistern to the pan

- remove the syphon mechanism

At this point - either take the whole lot to your supplier and get a matching replacement, or take out the plastic diaphragm, and get a replacement for that.

Then refit the new / repaired siphon mechanism and 'reassembly is the reverse of disassembly' as they used to say in the Haynes Manuals...

You might need a new big foam washer that the big plastic nut fits into

- or you might be able to re-use the original one

Hope this helps Adrian

I suspect it is - but I'd quite like to replace it with a more efficient dual flush syphon if possible. We've been moved onto a water meter so if I've got to take it all apart I might as well take the opportunity to fit one that's a bit less wasteful!

Ah, so this is the thing that toolstation list. Sounds like I shouldn't need a new one of those then.

one of

Darren

Ah - fair enough - our cisterns were dual-flush already ,g>

All depends how easily the old one comes off - it's a big thing, and fairly fragile as well (when you have that big Stilson on the end of it)

- if it's your only toilet then you might want to get a 'spare everything' as insurance...?

Yes - that's the one.

At that price you could even go for a spare as well !

Good luck Adrian

Close coupled is the terminology. If it has a pipe its 'low level'

Its the distance between the base of the cistern & the top. Most are 9.5" IME, but do check.

The photo shows a siphon as supplied - they come with the bits for close coupled and low level.

For £2.45 you might as well buy the kit - in case stuff has corroded.

All agreed 100% - but don't whatever you do try to reuse the doughnut washer - almost 100% guaranteed to leak.

The ones you are looking at are only dual flush in as much as you can set them to flush one of two different volumes. If you want a true dual flush where you can choose you need something like a Wirquin Jollyflush

Ahhhhhhhhh..... Will go have a look for one of those then. I take it it's designed to replace the old style so the button will just fit through the handle hole?

I seem to remember a friend fitting one yonks ago and needing to open up the hole a bit - my dremel is the other side of kent so that might be tricky :)

Will investigate this morning, ta :-)

Darren

Yep, I did :-) The old one was certainly knackered!

ended up fitting one of:

So far so good, I'm not sure the flush has ever been quite so good :)

"in case stuff has corroded" is a bit of an understatement. One side it took me a while (laying on my back) attempting to work out what had happened to the wing nut. Seems it had largely rotted away. Hardly any "wings" left just a big mess of rust and strangly swollen rubber. Bosch multitool worth it's weight for that - just chopped the bloody thing off.

Thankfully the other side which has even less access was fine and undid ok with a little plusgas to help.

Sorted. Just got a bad back now from laying reaching around the back of the bog!

Cheers all,

Darren

I hope you greased the threads so that next time they dismantle with ease.

Yep, little bit of copper grease (was all I had around).

Darren

Even better - well done!