Toilet Manufacturer Casting Issue

michaeljhsda2

I removed the toilet tank in order to change out the guts on a Mayfair toilet. I noticed in the throat area of the toilet (not the tank), where the water flows through, there was a small amount of caulk laying there. I thought, "what the heck is caulk doing in there." I picked up the caulk and there's a hole there!!! Should the hole be there?

A search on the web reveals that it's a casting defect from the manufacturer. Instead of throwing out the toilet, they label it as B stock or some such and pass it off to the unsuspecting public. Years later the plug comes loose and then water seeps out and creates major problems. Has anybody heard of this issue?

michaeljhsda2

Thanks for your reply. I never heard of the manufacturer either until I moved into this house. It never did leak onto the floor. So there wasn't a problem in that regard. The gasket on the fill tube was bad . You can't see the hole because I covered it with caulking, however, I started thinking, this is not a good solution. That's when I started reading about it online and decided I need to buy a new toilet. There is no way I want this to be a problem in the future.

michaeljhsda2

.....

michaeljhsda2

Pic

michaeljhsda2

Old silicone plug. It was just sitting there and was removed quite easily.

tonyb

I'm betting your neighbors may have the same problem. This is a perfect example of how some shady builders cut costs by buying in bulk and "B" products. Except most times it's too late by the time you get around to remodeling.

The answer here is to go buy a new one, do you really want to put a silicone plug back in there ?

Here in the NW burbs of Chicago in a very nice burb, one builder who has a good rep for quality decided to cut some corners. He got a great deal on doors for his subdivision. Problem was, they weren't standard sized. So he had his carpenters build to the off sized doors to give the appearance nothing was off. That is until years later when people started to want to replace doors and found all had to be custom made.

decal

My Mom's toilet leak caused over $30,000 dollars in damage to her house. Get a new one.

txcoastal1

decal wrote: »

My Mom's toilet leak caused over $30,000 dollars in damage to her house. Get a new one.

I agree...
We have had 2 neighbors that there water inlet hoses to the toilets gave way and caused the same amount of damage.

michaeljhsda2

Wow. Sorry to hear that Decal. Was it a leak similar to my situation?

Yeah Tony, I'm sure the neighbors got the same raw deal. I'll have to spread the word. When the house was being built, I took pictures and video of everything after the builders left for the day (well almost every day). Everything looked ok, however, I never imagined they would buy a defective toilet to save themselves a few bucks. They got that one over on me. Very disappointing.

How about the houses they build where it's not required to have solid wood (plywood or OSB) sheathing around the entire perimeter of the home? Only the corners have to be covered in wood, the remaining portion of the wall was foam board. You could literally separate the siding and put your fist right through it. There is a very expensive subdivision next to mine that built houses that way. Not sure if they still get away with doing it that way now. Saved the builder money. Of course the savings do not get passed along to the consumer. Mine has full wood sheathing all around.

I'm definitely buying new toilets for both bathrooms.

tonyb

Never heard of all foam board walls, that's a new one on me. Talk about "I'll huff and puff and blow your house down". WOWZA !!

polrbehr

Nothing surprises me with home builders.
My house was built in 1988, they put in Anderson casement windows throughout, including a 4-pane bay window in the kitchen and a custom 9-pane window in the living room (approx. 6'X8' total SF), built a beautiful brick fireplace, and a 12 x 30' cedar deck with railings.
Then they put in shamelessly shabby kitchen cabinets/countertops, and threw an undersized, POS steel boiler to heat the place. Maybe they ran out of money once the deck was done...

But we got a great deal on the place when we bought it in '96, so all in all I'm not complaining. It's a good thing you found that issue with the toilet before it became a nightmare. Easy DIY weekend project IMO.

michaeljhsda2

tonyb wrote: »

Never heard of all foam board walls, that's a new one on me. Talk about "I'll huff and puff and blow your house down". WOWZA !!

LOL.

michaeljhsda2

polrbehr wrote: »

Nothing surprises me with home builders.
My house was built in 1988, they put in Anderson casement windows throughout, including a 4-pane bay window in the kitchen and a custom 9-pane window in the living room (approx. 6'X8' total SF), built a beautiful brick fireplace, and a 12 x 30' cedar deck with railings.
Then they put in shamelessly shabby kitchen cabinets/countertops, and threw an undersized, POS steel boiler to heat the place. Maybe they ran out of money once the deck was done...

But we got a great deal on the place when we bought it in '96, so all in all I'm not complaining. It's a good thing you found that issue with the toilet before it became a nightmare. Easy DIY weekend project IMO.

Cool. Glad that worked out for you.

Now if I can just find some toilets that aren't crappy!

polrbehr

michaeljhsda2 wrote: »

Now if I can just find some toilets that aren't crappy!

Most of them aren't, unless you buy used. *rim shot here*

FYI I replaced both toilets when I remodeled our bathrooms, I just went with Am Std
Cadets for about $120 each. Nope, they ain't Kohler or Ferguson or any boutique brands, but they do what you expect them to do.

sucks2beme

I went with the American Standard in the master- the one that flushes a bucket of golf balls. Works great. The POS in the other upstairs bathroom is about
to get the same one. That one clogs up if you look at it wrong.
When it comes to 1.5 gallon flush, choose carefully. Most aren't worth what
you're flushing!

michaeljhsda2

polrbehr wrote: »

michaeljhsda2 wrote: »

Now if I can just find some toilets that aren't crappy!

Most of them aren't, unless you buy used. *rim shot here*

FYI I replaced both toilets when I remodeled our bathrooms, I just went with Am Std
Cadets for about $120 each. Nope, they ain't Kohler or Ferguson or any boutique brands, but they do what you expect them to do.

LOL.

sucks2beme wrote: »

I went with the American Standard in the master- the one that flushes a bucket of golf balls.

So what you're saying is they can take a lot of crap...

motorhead43026

I am always amazed by the water saving toilets. How do you save water when you have to flush it 5 times to get the t-urd down.

WagnerRC

check out TOTO toilets. one of the best.

ken brydson

sucks2beme wrote: »

I went with the American Standard in the master- the one that flushes a bucket of golf balls. Works great. The POS in the other upstairs bathroom is about
to get the same one. That one clogs up if you look at it wrong.
When it comes to 1.5 gallon flush, choose carefully. Most aren't worth what
you're flushing!

I went with the same one in the kids bath. Never clogs. Need 2 more now...

sucks2beme

All three original toilets were 3 gallon models. They were so cheap, the tanks
cracked in the 1st few years by the handle. OF those 3 replaced with 1.5
gallon models, only one is still in service, and that's the one that has a horrid flush. The American standard one really is worth the money. No clog, one flush.
This is NOT where you want to save a few bucks.

decal

michaeljhsda2 wrote: »

Wow. Sorry to hear that Decal. Was it a leak similar to my situation?

No, she was out of town for vacation and the inlet hose failed. Her insurance paid for all repairs,thank goodness.

tonyb

sucks2beme wrote: »

I went with the American Standard in the master- the one that flushes a bucket of golf balls.

Now there's a first....someone who craps golf balls. LOL

Dude, we need to talk about your diet, I'm worried about you.

Willow

Take this thread down, I'm offended by the other name for fill valve !!!

lightman1

Willow wrote: »

Take this thread down, I'm offended by the other name for fill valve !!!

Ball.....coc*......!!!!!??

gmcman

WagnerRC wrote: »

check out TOTO toilets. one of the best.

Yessir!

Came to this thread late, but I would highly recommend a Toto Drake, prob the best one you can get for a reasonable amount of money. Also offers partial flush with handle release, full flush if you hold it.

Will it clog, yes, but you really have to do something wrong to clog it. If I'm not mistaken, most toilets sold in the US if not a Toto are becoming a copied design.

tonyb

There isn't much in the way of design that goes into a toilet. However the greenies have convinced everyone that water is scarce and your wasting too much. So they design things to save water, like toilets, but also has less pressure to flush or takes longer to fill. That's the trade off you are told you must live with.

Same thing if you notice todays dishwashers, all water saving types. They suck at cleaning dishes. Water saving shower heads ? They suck too. Most any water saving device has a trade off....which goes against the very purpose of the device.

drselect

tonyb wrote: »

Same thing if you notice todays dishwashers, all water saving types. They suck at cleaning dishes. Water saving shower heads ? They suck too. Most any water saving device has a trade off....which goes against the very purpose of the device.

Another big reason dishwasher suck at cleaning is that they had to change the soap formulation.

tonyb

drselect wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

Same thing if you notice todays dishwashers, all water saving types. They suck at cleaning dishes. Water saving shower heads ? They suck too. Most any water saving device has a trade off....which goes against the very purpose of the device.

Another big reason dishwasher suck at cleaning is that they had to change the soap formulation.

....and they had to change the soap formula to deal with less water. So in trying to solve a problem than never existed in the first place, you created another with soap.

sucks2beme

You've got the Great Lakes. Other parts of the country water IS in short supply normally. Before this spring in Texas, a lot of towns ran dry. Growth has outpaced
the water supply and infrastructure in many cities across the US
A well designed toilet works fine on 1.5 gallons. The not so well designed
ones need a little elbow grease.

mrbiron

Home Depot bucket with foam cushion.
I cut the toilet "cord" a long time ago. What makes it convenient is, in essence, my entire house is my toilet. I drag the bucket around with me from room to room. I empty it down my garbage disposal because my neighbor complained about my "cr@p"-post pile. I put a bushel of lemons down after each "flush".....you know, because its the right thing to do.

Don't over think it fellas........

tonyb

Ha, you got that right. Except the grease needed has to come from another area of your anatomy.

.....and just because we have the Great Lakes close by, doesn't mean they don't make you conserve water. We are on constant "conserve" status even if we get 5 inches of rain and everything floods.