In detail: hybner toilet bowl do-it-yourself repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
The toilet is not a particularly complicated device. Back in Soviet times, when calling a plumber was an almost insoluble task, craftsmen successfully performed toilet repairs with their own hands.
Times have changed, modern plumbing has become more convenient and more difficult, but it is quite possible to correct some shortcomings on your own even now.
Even the most modern toilet bowl is not too different in design from its predecessor from the last century. He still has a bowl and a cistern installed above it, in which water is accumulated for flushing. The flow of water is still controlled by two mechanisms: shut-off and inlet. In modern design, these elements are made like valves. The intake mechanism is still controlled by a float sensor.
Such fittings are usually made of plastic, but there are still long-lived mechanisms where the float is held by a metal lever, or even just a piece of thick wire. Sometimes these are quite modern fittings made for a retro cistern in order to preserve a special style.
Immediately it is worth mentioning the devices of the "luxury" class, which use high quality fittings. Often, the intake and shut-off mechanism in such devices is a single element. It is better to entrust the repair of such expensive plumbing to an experienced specialist, so as not to aggravate the breakdown with inept intervention.
The most popular version of the toilet in modern apartments is the so-called compact. In it, the tank is mounted directly on the toilet bowl, or rather, on a special shelf made behind. There is a rubber gasket at the junction of the toilet and cistern. The tank is connected to the water supply using a flexible hose or a piece of plastic pipe of the appropriate diameter.
Video (click to play).
The toilet bowl is also connected to the sewer system using a corrugated hose and a rubber adapter. An even more compact version of the toilet is the wall-mounted model. The reservoir of such a device operates on a similar principle and is also equipped with an inlet and a shut-off mechanism.
But the cistern itself is located in a niche behind the toilet. It is placed on a special installation, which is then masked with a false panel. Such a system makes the tank fittings and the place of its connection to the water supply difficult to access for repairs. In this regard, owners of wall-hung toilet bowls are advised to:
carefully follow the rules for installing the device;
fine-tune the work of the tank fittings;
use high-quality mechanisms with a maximum service life;
to provide, as far as the situation allows, the possibility of easy dismantling of the panel, behind which the installation is hidden.
The principle of the toilet bowl is simple and familiar to almost everyone. When the float of the inlet mechanism falls below a set level, the valve that closes the water pipe opens and the reservoir begins to fill with water. When the water level, and with it the float, reaches the maximum level, the valve closes.
The gate valve mechanism, in its simplest form, is a heavy flap that is lifted with a lever, rope, chain, etc. More modern and “advanced” versions of the locking mechanism are operated using a button or pedal. At the bottom of the tank container, a receiving part is mounted, and the flap itself snaps into place in special clamps.
After that, the tank is closed with a lid and a button is installed, which is usually attached to the lever of the locking mechanism. When you press the button, the flap rises, water flows into the toilet, then the mechanism drops, blocking the outlet.At this moment, the inlet valve is triggered, and the tank container begins to fill with water.
The most vulnerable in the construction of the toilet are the joints, as well as fittings: membranes, gaskets, moving parts. In case of breakdowns, the following phenomena can be observed:
water constantly flows into the tank capacity, gradually overfilling it;
the tank is not completely filled or does not fill at all;
water flows out of the cistern in a small stream into the toilet;
to flush, you have to repeatedly press the flush button;
when filling the bowl of the tank, a characteristic whistle is heard;
water leaks onto the floor near the toilet, etc.
Before starting any repairs, prepare the equipment for work. To do this, first shut off the shut-off valve installed on the water pipe in front of the tank. If there is no such device, you will have to shut off the entire plumbing in the apartment. In most cases, work has to be done inside the tank.
To do this, remove the cover from it. First, remove the button or lever. Sometimes it is sufficient to simply lift it up and disconnect it from the check valve. If the button is fixed with a decorative ring, you must first dismantle this element. It is either carefully unscrewed counterclockwise, or pry off with some sharp instrument and simply removed.
A double button that allows you to adjust the amount of water that moves from the tank to the sewer is becoming more common. To remove it, press the small button, then the large one, and then start rotating the element counterclockwise to disconnect it. The lid is removed from the tank by first unscrewing the fasteners, if any.
You should act carefully. If the ceramic lid breaks, it is not always possible to replace it. Sometimes you have to buy a new cistern, or even the entire toilet.
Manufacturers usually supply both the toilet and the cistern fittings with detailed instructions for installation, adjustment and repair. If these documents have survived, before starting work, you should carefully study them, having understood the design and operation of all mechanisms. This will help to avoid additional breakdowns and errors.
Problems with the water level in the tank, including its overflow, are associated with a breakdown of the inlet valve or the need to adjust it. If the tank does not fill up after emptying, or if it only partially fills, it is likely that there is a problem with the float.
The float lying at the bottom of the empty tank is probably leaky and filled with water. Disconnect it, pour out the water, close the hole and reinstall it. But even a very well-sealed float can soon leak again. It is best to replace it with a new element.
If the situation with the water level in the tank is not so critical, i.e. it stably picks up and turns off, but its amount is insufficient or, conversely, too large, you need to check the setting of the tank fittings. It's simple: you need to lower the float or raise it higher. In old tanks, where the float was held by a horizontal piece of metal, this was done very simply. The wire was bent slightly up or down in an arc.
In the first case, the position of the float became slightly lower, and less water was collected in the tank. And if the lever was bent down, the position of the float allowed to increase the volume of water in the tank. In modern intake valves, the float moves up or down along the plastic holder.
Typically, changing the position of this element requires unscrewing the nut holding it, performing a movement, and then locking the new position of the float. The optimum water level in a full toilet is usually marked on the tube with a strip or small roller. Constantly flowing water into the toilet indicates obvious problems with the locking mechanism.
Sometimes its lower part shifts slightly to the side due to design flaws. It is enough to correct the position of the damper to stop the flow.If this does not help, or it is obvious that the flap is not displaced, most likely the problem is in the wear of the locking mechanism. There is a special rubber pad at the bottom of this device.
When closing the drain hole, it is tightly connected to the receiving part installed in the tank. Over time, this rubber element wears out and begins to leak water, which leads to the flow of water into the toilet. To fix the problem, you need to either replace only the gasket or the entire mechanism.
Experienced plumbers recommend the latter as it is the simpler and safer option. Domestic fittings, which are equipped with almost all budget options for toilets, are relatively inexpensive. But the service life of such devices is four to five years, or even less.
To replace the check valve, you must purchase the exact same device. Before repairing, the water from the toilet bowl is drained, then the damaged valve is simply removed from the clamps. With this part, you should go to a plumbing store to pick up exactly the same item. The new part is neatly snapped into the clamps, after which the repair can be considered complete.
All that remains is to replace the tank lid and the flush button. At this point, a problem may arise. If the shut-off valve has not been previously adjusted in height, part of it will protrude from the hole in the cover too high, which will prevent the installation of the flush button.
Before installing a new valve, compare it with the old element and set it to a suitable height. To adjust the length of the float, there are two slats located on the sides and fixed in the lower part of the product. They just need to be lowered or raised several divisions.
Of course, a stem that is too short on the check valve is useless, the flush button will not contact it, i.e. the device just won't work. If a suitable shut-off valve was not found in the store, the task becomes more complicated, since these products are not typical. You should not take "something similar", it is better to consult with an experienced plumber. You may have to completely replace all the fittings in the toilet cistern.
If water is drawn into the reservoir with a characteristic whistling noise, it is most likely that the filter on the inlet valve is clogged. The phenomenon is usually accompanied by slow or insufficient filling of the tank. The filter is located under the float, and the procedure for cleaning it is usually described in detail in the instructions.
To clean the filter, unscrew the clamping nut holding it, remove the element, rinse it under running water, and then reinstall it. It also helps to flush the entire inlet valve to free the passages from accumulated debris. After that, the water in the tank will be collected faster, and the extraneous noise will disappear.
If the problem with clogging of the filter and ducts occurs too often, it makes sense to take care of filtering the tap water entering the tank. Leaks at the joints indicate that for some reason the sealing is broken here. The reason may be incorrect installation of the toilet or simply wear and tear caused by time.
If a leak is observed in places where there is a threaded connection, it should be unscrewed and inspected. Worn out parts such as flexible hoses are best replaced with new ones immediately. If the thread is in order, it should be cleaned of dirt and dried. After that, you need to use a new seal: flax, FUM tape, etc.
Do not wind up too much sealing material, this can lead to deformation of the thread, but the lack of a seal often causes leakage. If the material protrudes slightly from the edge of the joint after screwing it in, this is normal, but there should not be too much of this excess.
The seal must be wound in the correct direction along the thread. If the edge of the thread is directed towards the master, wind the thread or tape clockwise, if from the master, counterclockwise.After twisting, the joint is additionally treated with a sealant.
A leak under the toilet usually indicates a problem with the corrugated hose that connects the device to the drain. If the rubber gasket is worn out (usually it is), you should replace it, and then carefully treat everything with a sealant. Sometimes the corrugation itself fails, it will also have to be completely replaced.
In detail, the repair of the current toilet is presented in the following video:
If you have an understanding of the principles of the device and operation of the toilet bowl, as well as its fittings, then minor repairs to the device will be performed without any problems. Of course, it is necessary to observe the technology of work, and in especially difficult cases it is better to involve an experienced plumber.
The toilet bowl in every home is an element of everyday life, without which it is simply impossible to do. It is used much more often than all other plumbing fixtures. That is why it fails more often than other devices. And its most vulnerable component is the tank, which consists of several internal components. Their mechanical damage, as well as careless handling of the tank are the reasons for this device to lose its performance. In this article, we will look at how to repair a toilet cistern with a button on your own, without calling a team of plumbers.
All cisterns have a similar design. The only difference is in the mechanism for starting the water.
Structurally, a toilet cistern with a button or two buttons, as well as a drain lever, can be represented as a set of interacting units:
Filling valve... He is responsible for maintaining the water level at a certain level. The valve is controlled by a hollow float. When the water rises to the desired level, the float closes the water supply channel to the tank;
Plastic float fixed to the filling valve. Works on the principle of a rocker, rising when filling the tank;
Drain valvehaving an overflow system. Modern variants of the tanks involve the control of this valve by pressing a button. When manually controlling the drain of the old model, it is enough to pull the lever or chain to start the water into the toilet;
Overflow is an obligatory component of the tank. It is height adjustable so that the water level is set to a limit. When this level is exceeded, water flows through the overflow pipe into the sewer without pouring out through its walls.
The main structural elements and the principle of operation of the mechanism are the same for all types of cisterns, only their implementation differs
A mechanically drained cistern is very simple to operate. Water enters it through the filling valve when the float is in the lowered position. After reaching a strictly defined level, the float shuts off the water supply. The drain is controlled manually. If the tank is equipped with buttons, then the water is drained after pressing them. In this case, the drain valve opens partially or completely, allowing water to flow into the toilet. The float is lowered to open the filling valve.
The structure of the toilet cistern with two buttons is a little more complicated, but you can use such a cistern more economically. If you press one of the buttons, the water is partially drained. Full drainage occurs when the second button is pressed.
Increasingly, you can find new types of tanks that have bottom water connection... It is advisable to install them if the use of the side connection is impossible due to lack of space. The main difference between such a tank is the presence of a diaphragm valve... Under the action of the pressure of water in the pipeline, the valve opens slightly and allows water to pass inside. When the water rises, the float presses on the piston rod, which gradually closes the diaphragm valve. When the set level is reached, the valve closes completely.
Fittings with bottom water supply and push-button control
Drainage malfunctions may well lead to the loss of the toilet bowl of its performance. For many, such a sudden breakdown can be a real natural disaster.In addition, no one will like the increased water consumption.
Read about what a hygienic shower for a toilet bowl with a mixer is and what types it is in a separate article.
And how to choose a pump to increase water pressure and in what situations it is needed, we described in another article on the site.
What kind of breakdowns are typical for cisterns? Let's list them in order of frequency of occurrence:
1. Water leaking from the toilet to the floor... Most often, water flows through an O-ring located between the bottom of the cistern and the toilet shelf. If the ring is cracked or warped, water will seep through it. Also, the place of leakage may be the gaskets of the fastening bolts with which the tank is attached to the shelf. They will have to be replaced if tightening the bolts fails. It doesn't matter if the old-style toilet cistern is being repaired or a modern system is being repaired. After all, they all have the same fasteners.
A high-quality sealing ring of the drain tank is the key to its good sealing.
Tip: When replacing gaskets and seals, it is recommended to lubricate them with liquid silicone to extend their life and prevent cracking.
2. There is a constant flow of water in the toilet... Most often this is due to an overflow of the tank, in which water flows out through the overflow tube. This can happen due to a change in the overflow height, a loose fit of the float to the shut-off valve, and the loss of its tightness by the float. The rubber seal on the drain fitting may also be worn out. Most often, the malfunction can be eliminated by adjustment. When the locking gasket is worn out, it is advisable to replace the entire drain mechanism.
3. Starting mechanism malfunctions... If you are using a push-button water supply mechanism, when you press the button, water may not flow into the drain. You will be able to repair the drain tank fittings with your own hands, since, most often, the lever mechanism that connects the button with the drain breaks. This also applies to tanks with a handle or chain.
4. Noisy filling of the tank... This happens due to the disconnection of the tube through which water is poured into the tank. This is typical for cisterns where water is supplied from the side. When the tube has fallen off, the noise of the incoming water will be clearly audible. To fix the problem, remove the top cover and install the tube on the fitting.
5. Water does not enter the tank... Repairing a toilet cistern with a button or other flush mechanisms when such a problem occurs is reduced to checking the inlet to the cistern. It is necessary to remove the valve from the tank and clean the inlet with a thin steel wire and rinse it with water.
