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

justme wrote:

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 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.

"Ian Stirling" wrote in message
...
justme wrote:

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 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.

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

MarkK wrote:

"Ian Stirling" wrote in message
...
justme wrote:

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 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.

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.

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.

wrote in message
news
MarkK wrote:

"Ian Stirling" wrote in message
...
justme wrote:

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 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.

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.

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.

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

On Sun, 24 Jul 2005 17:04:27 +0000 (UTC), MarkK wrote:

Moral: if you only have the one loo, don't start the job on a
Saturday afternoon - unless you know your neighbours well.

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

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

wrote:
MarkK wrote:


"Ian Stirling" wrote in message
...

justme wrote:

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 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.

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.


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.
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.

MarkK wrote:
john.stumbles wrote in message
MarkK wrote:
"Ian Stirling" wrote
justme wrote:

Just drain the cistern, dismantle everything and the
problem & method of fixing will be self-evident.
A half-hour job.

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
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.

Fair comment. Moral: if you only have the one loo, don't start
the job on a Saturday afternoon - unless you know your neighbours well.

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.