toilet won't flush

Hello,

Please excuse the diybanter access (to the newsgroup)

I am away from home and the home I'm in has a broken toilet. I have removed the top. I have what I think is known as a close coupled toilet, there is a float arm which works ok - water level is ok. The handle moves just as it should, links to a metal rod which is about 4 inches long and this rod goes vertically down and connects to what I would call the syphon chamber, when the handle is 'flushed' the rod comes upwards pulling something inside the syphon chamber upwards.

The only place I can see for the fault to lie is in side the central black plastic 'syphon chamber' (?)

Description of the syphon chamber: You will no doubt be familiar with what I am talking about, there is a

40mm black pipe connecting the 'close coupled' bit which then forms an upside down 'U' bend and the other end of the 'U' widens out and is about 100mm wide this end is open to the water and I guess has a piston inside connected to the rod going to the handle.

Flush the loo and nothing happens except a bit of water goes through.

Is this a case of needing a new syphon chamber - which would mean emptying the tank, and removing it - is it fastened by bolts from underneath?

Or is it repairable? which would still mean the syphon has to be removed?

Thankyou

Reply to
justme
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The washer inside may have degraded enough that it no longer works. I removed the siphon chamber in my toilet, when it started doing this, and repaired it using a circle of polythene cut from a jewsons sack. Worked well.

Reply to
Ian Stirling

Yes, this is almost certainly the problem. The correct term is "flap valve", not washer, though. Dead easy to fix & won't cost a penny if you can lay your hands on a heavy duty plastic bag. Just drain the cistern, dismantle everything and the problem & method of fixing will be self-evident. A half-hour job.

Mark

Reply to
MarkK

Heh heh!

If it's a close coupled cistern you way well find that the soft rubber 'doughnut' that seals the cistern to the pan needs replacing to make a good seal, and also the rubber washer that seals the syphon to the cistern. Not to mention the bolts holding the cistern to the pan being a bit rusty, ditto screws holding cistern to wall.

Reply to
john.stumbles

Fair comment. I've only done this job once & must have been lucky as it was dead easy, though the cistern was at least 20 years old. Not close-coupled, which I guess helped too. Moral: if you only have the one loo, don't start the job on a Saturday afternoon - unless you know your neighbours well.

Mark

Reply to
MarkK

Or have a bucket or a spade and know your neighbours really well...

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

How true. What looks like a simple quick job turns into a nightmare. Or least it has on the 6 or so I've replaced. Best to replace siphon with one that has a join so it can be spilt and so you don't have to diamantle everthing to get to the flap washer.

Reply to
OldBill

Heh. good advice. Pulled out my old loo to replace it, and was left with an imperial cast iron pipe out of my wall and only a metric fitment coupling pipe available in any of the sheds.

Since my girlfriends sister was arriving on a visit the next day, my g/f was less than pleased !

Cheers,

Paul.

Reply to
zymurgy

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