Toilet not flushing

treatment

Hi all

I am currently working on our toilet that is not flushing and think I know the reason why. However, I hoped I might get some advice from the helpful people on this site before I went any further

There is, I'm seeing, a diaphragm type thing is linked to the flush arm and that pulls water up to flush when the chain is pulled. If this is cracked/broken then it would not pull up the water. Am I right so far? (I can see this moving up as I flush).

If so, if I disconnect the whole unit from the bottom of the cistern, then what? Do I need to replace the whole thing or can I just get a replacement diaphragm?
It is made by Derwent McDee, just for reference, and is an old toilet.

I've emptied the cistern and turned the flow off.

Any reassurances would be welcomed. I'm grateful

ps. I'm not allowed to upload a photo as I had planned to.

phill99

treatment wrote: »

Hi all

There is, I'm seeing, a diaphragm type thing is linked to the flush arm and that pulls water up to flush when the chain is pulled. If this is cracked/broken then it would not pull up the water. Am I right so far?

Yes.

A diaphragm can be bought sererately. About £1 from a plumbers merchants / b n q.

Tom_Jones

Replace the whole siphon, a simple job

treatment

Thank you both, I am grateful.

keystone

phill99 wrote: »

£1

:eek: I think I paid £1 for 10 last time I bought some - it was several months ago though.

Cheers

keystone

Tom_Jones wrote: »

Replace the whole siphon, a simple job

Depends how old. If its a very old high level washdown toilet with a cistern that looks a bit like this:



with a circular syphon the modern rectangular syphons don't fit!

Cheers

scarydeath

keystone wrote: »

Depends how old. If its a very old high level washdown toilet with a cistern that looks a bit like this:



with a circular syphon the modern rectangular syphons don't fit!

Cheers

I just found out this the other day!

If the diaphram is simply bent but not broken / cracked, then turn it upside down. This is what I did (except mine did have a crack in it!) and now the toilet flushes perfectly.

treatment

Thank you both.

I already ordered both a diaphragm and a full siphon part, I realise I don't need both, as both were cheaper than imagined.

It is appreciated.