On Wed, 05 May 2004 17:26:27 GMT, (phil) wrote:

Are push button flushes on toilet cisterns generally any good, or is
it best to stick to the standard handle?

B&Q (at www.diy.co.uk) have one but I'm wondering if there would be
any issues fitting it to a relatively new cistern.

I got a call from a family friend the other day saying the toilet was
leaking. I poped round there and found the cistern mech wasn't screwed
down tight into the ceramic cistern. I turned the water off, flushed
the cistern, bailed out what was left and removed the plastic cistern
mech?

The reasons it was leaking (apart from not being tightned down fully)
we

The hole in the ceramic cistern was quite a bit bigger than the
plastic thread (probably 3mm all round), alowing the fitting to move
off centre.

The rubber washer was quite narrow (not 'thin').

The flange over the washer had a 'flat' in the moulding leaving about
1/8" of flange at that point?

The local plumbers merchants took the old cistern out the back and
tried to find one with a wider flange / washer but said they couldn't
find one. I asked if thy had a Dual Flush one, he did and it had a
much wider flange and washer! (Doh!).

I took it back, fitted the washer and bound the fitting with slit down
PVA tape to make it fit (and stay) in the middle of the hole in the
bottom of the cistern and tightened the backnut etc. Filled tested, no
leaks ;-)

The Dual flush cistern I fitted in our place 15 years ago works:

Full flush: Push and hold
Half flush: Push and release.

This new one works the other way round.

Points.

Why do all these (mainly plumbing) items seem so poorly engineered
these days?

Is there a 'rule' these days re the working of Dual flush units (half
/ full, hold or not?).

All the best ..

T i m

Oh, and the handle was seized in the plastic bush .. now it's working
nicely .. ;-)