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Bloody new fangled toilets!

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Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby TrimTheKing » 14 Apr 2015, 10:46

So in our place all 4 bedrooms have ensuite's and there's 2 WC's downstairs and all 6 use Grohe suspended loo's and associated mechanisms.

These are great and lovely until you need to do any maintenance on the cistern as they are hidden within cupboards which someone else built and left few clues on how to get into them...

My daughter's has been constantly dripping into the bowl for a few days and now I'm off with them for half term it's time to get them helping me with a few household jobs that have been stacking up.

Once I got into the cistern (without getting annoyed and cutting my way in with the multi tool like I did with Barney's, only to instantly realise how easy it was to do without trashing his bathroom...) you remove the flushing mech which look like this...

Image

And when you pull it apart it contains 2 silicone washers like this, that on googling I have learned have a tendency to develop blisters filled with water which create enough of a gap in the seal to cause a small but constant flow...

Image

Now you can prick these and get it working again but they also develop micro blisters that still cause drips but are nigh on impossible to see never mind pop!

Luckily after an hours googling and forum reading (after calling Grohe and being told that the washers are not a sale item and I would need to buy the full flush cylinder for about £75!!) I found a place that sells the washer kits for a few quid each so bought a few spare sets after the downstairs WC went 12 months ago so rather than faff popping and testing I just swapped them out.

The new ones are apparently made of neoprene rather than silicone and don't suffer from the same affliction, so fingers crossed...

Anyway, 30 mins and we are drip free and another job ticked off the list! :)

Cheers
Mark
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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby Andyp » 14 Apr 2015, 12:16

Well done for sourcing replacement parts I have been less lucky and subsequently have a love hate relationship with WC mechanisms. Ours are a dual flush mechanism and eventually something, usually very small and plastic, breaks rendering the whole mechanism useless. The cost of replacement is far greater than any cost gain with using less water. Good old fashioned ball valves win hands down.
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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby Rod » 14 Apr 2015, 13:12

We have only 3 - a ball valve type, an unknown make with mechanical dual action (which has been going fine for many, many years) and a built in Thomas Dudley one about 5yrs old.
The TD packed in last year when it wouldn't flush but fortunately I'd seen it built so I knew how to access it OK ( cut through the silicon sealant to remove the cover).
It turned out to be the pump action dual button that had failed but to check out the syphon part I stupidly tested it using a cycle pump - rupturing the syphon seals!!
Fortunately the syphon part twist-locks off and a replacement for that and the pneumatic buttons were readily available on the bay.
But I agree, Ball valves are much simpler to understand and work on.

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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby RogerS » 14 Apr 2015, 13:16

TrimTheKing wrote:......
Luckily after an hours googling and forum reading (after calling Grohe and being told that the washers are not a sale item and I would need to buy the full flush cylinder for about £75!!).....
Cheers
Mark


Now why can't the EU pass a sensible law such as ensuring suppliers make available spare parts for these things for a number of years? Rather than a daft law regarding credit card charges which looks as if it will knock on the head all the incentive schemes such as my favourite - BA Airmiles.
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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby TrimTheKing » 14 Apr 2015, 13:23

RogerS wrote:...Rather than a daft law regarding credit card charges which looks as if it will knock on the head all the incentive schemes such as my favourite - BA Airmiles.


I've missed that Roger, link?

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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby RogerS » 14 Apr 2015, 14:04

TrimTheKing wrote:
RogerS wrote:...Rather than a daft law regarding credit card charges which looks as if it will knock on the head all the incentive schemes such as my favourite - BA Airmiles.


I've missed that Roger, link?

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Mark


Here. Bloody EU. Having worked for a couple of American companies who only pay for the cheapest Atlantic flights and having a relatively large femur and so virtually impossible to fit into the seat for 13 hours, at least I could buy my ticket using Amex and so get some small benefit for the travel aggro. Now it looks as if that could be on the skids.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... 1961316911
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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby Wizard9999 » 14 Apr 2015, 15:17

Well I for one do not expect to see the price of my supermarket shop, etc, etc drop by 0.4% as a result. Simple case here of EU not understanding behavioural responses to their meddling. Still, my bigger issue is the inability to spend any of the BA air miles I already have as there are never any flights available when I try to use them.

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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby Andyp » 14 Apr 2015, 15:22

At least your debit/credit cards ( high street banks ) are still free. We have to pay for the privilege of faster and more efficient payment transactions, when compared to the still ubiquitous cheque, and the banks have been coining it in from the retailers too.
I bet BNP will be wanting to increase my debit card charge as a result of this.
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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby RogerS » 14 Apr 2015, 17:22

Wizard9999 wrote:Well I for one do not expect to see the price of my supermarket shop, etc, etc drop by 0.4% as a result. Simple case here of EU not understanding behavioural responses to their meddling. Still, my bigger issue is the inability to spend any of the BA air miles I already have as there are never any flights available when I try to use them.

Terry.


Yes, getting those seats is a bit of a lottery. The other 'downside' is that you still have to pay an awful lot in fuel surcharges (why?) and airport taxes. It's still my favourite airline, though. Nothing like a longhaul in Club (on Airmiles naturally!) to forget your woes and watch a few films and sink a few drinks. :)
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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby chataigner » 15 Apr 2015, 13:49

Andyp wrote:At least your debit/credit cards ( high street banks ) are still free. We have to pay for the privilege of faster and more efficient payment transactions, when compared to the still ubiquitous cheque, and the banks have been coining it in from the retailers too.
I bet BNP will be wanting to increase my debit card charge as a result of this.


Yes, that has to be the daftest bit of banking practice imaginable. Here in France, cheques which do not guarantee payment, require manual processing, delay transactions etc are free, but cards which are quick, dont require manual intervention and offer assured payment for the retailer are charged both to the retailer and to the consumer. Time for a change !
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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby Woodbloke » 15 Apr 2015, 15:32

For mind bogglingly complex khazi's, try Japan :lol: - Rob
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Re: Bloody new fangled toilets!

Postby Andyp » 16 Apr 2015, 07:18

chataigner wrote:
Andyp wrote:At least your debit/credit cards ( high street banks ) are still free. We have to pay for the privilege of faster and more efficient payment transactions, when compared to the still ubiquitous cheque, and the banks have been coining it in from the retailers too.
I bet BNP will be wanting to increase my debit card charge as a result of this.


Yes, that has to be the daftest bit of banking practice imaginable. Here in France, cheques which do not guarantee payment, require manual processing, delay transactions etc are free, but cards which are quick, dont require manual intervention and offer assured payment for the retailer are charged both to the retailer and to the consumer. Time for a change !


David have you any idea where the resistance to change lies? Is it the banks ( fear of fraud) , the unions ( staff reductions ), the public ( fear of technology ) or the retailers ( processing costs ). I have seen an increasing number of small shops who will no longer accept cheques but they are still the exception.
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