Blogger Pittsburgh, PA on May 05, 2012

HydroRight Converter for Old Toilets-What do you think?

This new toilet fix is pretty neat. I'd like to know if anyone would be interested in a video tutorial of how it is installed. Let me know. I have a related article about it on my blog, if you're intrigued feel free to visit it. The link is http://www.homerepairtutor.com/2012/04/06/ne...

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HydroRight Toilet Product

15 Comments

Miriam I New York, NY

Yes. I'd be interested in a video tutorial.

on May 05, 2012 · Like 0
Susan S Fredericksburg, VA

So would I!! Our toilets are the type that isn't supposed to use much water BUT what a P.I.T.A. THEY ARE!!! No pun intended. The prob is the darned things are always stopping up - and many times there is no reason for it happening (if you get my drift). Every bathroom has it's own plunger - what a lovely decorative item ; < (

on May 05, 2012 · Like 0
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA

Susan, thanks for your feedback. They are really easy to install and the price is reasonable-about $20-25 at Home Depot.
A lot of the older low flow toilets were designed poorly and didn't flush well. But I'm in love-if one could be in this case-with American Standard's Cadet 3 and Champion 4 toilets. The Cadet 3 is wonderful because it flushes quickly and quietly with lots of force. The Champion 4 is awesome ...»
because it's claim is that it will flush bucket of golf balls in a single flush. Check out these photos. If you're looking to replace the toilets I would check these out. I don't work for or have any affiliation with American Standard, just like their products.
on May 05, 2012 · Like 0
Susan S Fredericksburg, VA

And thank you for all the 'get-back' info!! I have seen the ad where a ton of golf balls are flushed. Pretty impressive.
Not really looking to replace at the moment - just maintain - and continue to whine about having to use the plunger!! We did replace the flapper thingy in two of our toilets because of leaks and it did make a big diff in our water bill. ...»

QUESTION: Since we already have lo-flow toilets - just not great force - if we used the HydroRight Converter would we be adding to the force issue by using still less water?
AND WHILE I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION ;~) do you know why or what would make the screws rust out that anchors the bowl to the floor. These are the screws located on the outside that have the caps - right on the base.
We DO NOT appear to have any external leaks - no water on floor or evidence of leaking on ceiling below. Kinda screwy that these would rust out and I know we need to do something. Your thoughts???

on May 05, 2012 · Like 0
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA

Hi Susan,
It's amazing how the flapper can increase your water bill by not working properly. It only costs $5 but creates huge headaches.
Although I'm not a plumber I believe the force is mostly a function of the size of the P-trap and toilet tank. The flushing is an action of gravity and the force of water so it makes sense that ...»
if the P-Trap is bigger you'll be able to flush more solids.
Your closet flange bolts are rusting and this may be due to your wax ring being bad. If the wax ring seal between the closet flange and the toilet is bad then you may get water leakage. But if you don't have any signs of leaking then this may not be the problem.
Two questions-does the bathroom get really humid when people take a bath or shower and do you use a fan vented to the outside when using the bathroom? The humidity alone over several years may cause the bolts to rust. If the toilet is over 30 years old and the room gets really humid this may cause the closet flange bolts to erode.
Two solutions-replace the wax ring ($4) and use the bath fan vented to the exterior.
Let me know your thoughts.
Jeff

on May 05, 2012 · Like 1
Plumber26 Thomasville, NC

You'll definately want to replace the bolts and when you do, get brass bolts as they will not corrode like the cheap ones do. You'll probably spend more like $10 on the pull and reset of the toilet. (not wise to reuse anything) So get yourself a wax ring, braided stainless steel supply line, some new brass bolts, and a few minutes of your time to save headaches down the road!

on May 06, 2012 · Like 1
Plumber26 Thomasville, NC

...and on the "Dual flush" kits. I had a customer pick one of these things up from HD and wanted me to install it. After looking it over, I advised her against it due to the fact that she had a 3.5 GPF toilet and would use the same amount of water on full flush (unless she wanted it to stop up frequently) and would not flush at all on half flush. Well, she still insisted and I installed it.
Well, needless to say, I was right. You have to set the thing to "MAX" on full flush to get it ...»
to flush half way decent and I dropped blue dye in the bowl to simulate urine and it took several flushes before the dye turned clear on the "half flush. In theory it's a good idea but, if you want a dual flush toilet, buy a dual flush toilet.
Toilets are designed at the factory to use a certain amount of water. If you take away from that, you'll get a weak flush, if you add more, you may get a double flush.

on May 06, 2012 · Like 1
Susan S Fredericksburg, VA

@HRT & P26 - THANK YOU both for all the "potty talk"!!! This has been most informative ;~)
Jeff, our home was built in '98 so not that old. I really can't remember when I first noticed the bolts had rusted - probably when I leaned on the toilet to get something off the top shelf in the med. cab. and I felt it rock - so that's been (cough cough) about 3 or 4 years. We do have a fan vented to the outside and it is used, I would venture to say "cheap" bolts are the issue. ...»

I will have my "grounds keeper" aka significant other review what we've talked about, although in previous conversations he and I have had, I'm 99.9 % sure he knows WHAT he needs to do - it's just the ROUND TUIT part - sometimes referred to as procrastination!!
So P26 - the check list is (1) Brass Bolts (2) New wax ring (3) Braided stainless supply line (4) turn water off (5) drain toilet bowl & lift it off floor (that sould be real easy now since there are NO bolts holding it down) and hope we don't find any bigger issues once that's done!!!
You guys have both been fantastic and I really appreciate your taking the time to answer all the technical stuff in lay-woman's terms!! I'll let you know how it goes.

on May 06, 2012 · Like 0
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA

Plumber 26,
Thanks for your input on the converter. What are your thoughts on using the flapper-less design? I've installed a few of these in toilets where the flapper has gone bad at least twice in a 3 year period.

on May 06, 2012 · Like 0
Plumber26 Thomasville, NC

Likely you are referring to the ones that have a round replaceable rubber seal at the bottom..... they'd be ok if they used the right material.The ring gets an air bubble in it causing more water waste. This is also a common problem that American Standard has not figured out. Kohler uses a similar material in their flush valve seal as the old Mansfield type flush valve and I haven't seen any air pockets in those kind. I'm just not keen on the idea of trying to "convert" anything. Things ...»
are designed a certain way for a reason. Trying to change that is going to cause you nothing but problems. I personally like (if you can afford it) the Kohler pressure assist toilets. They use 1 GPF and are very powerful.

on May 07, 2012 · Like 0
Plumber26 Thomasville, NC

yes, Susan S, you've got it

on May 07, 2012 · Like 1
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA

Plumber26,
Thanks for the tip on the Kohler pressure assist toilets. I haven't installed one yet. How expensive is this type of toilet? I try to stay around the $200-$250 range for budget reasons.

on May 07, 2012 · Like 0
Plumber26 Thomasville, NC

like $450-$550 range...... pretty cool little water saver though

on May 07, 2012 · Like 0
Plumber26 Thomasville, NC

Kohler Cimmaron and Wellworth are in that price range and have a great flush as well. (kinda like the Cadet 3 or Champion 4 without the flush valve issues)

on May 07, 2012 · Like 0
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA

Plumber26,
Thanks for the recommendations. Next time I have to change out a toilet I'll give the Cimmaron and Wellworth a look for sure. If they eliminate flapper issues I'm all in.

on May 07, 2012 · Like 0