Replacing the mechanism of a very old toilet cistern

Mistral001

frugalmacdugal said:

Hi,

is this the same as yours?

That looks like a modern syphon flush mechanism.  Mine is an ancient system comprising a rubber plug in a hole and a brass rod pulls it out when you flush.  Thanks for the photo.

Mistral001

plumb1_2 said:

Is the syphon made of white ceramic ? Post pictures 

There is no syphon in the tank, it is just brass levers and a rubber plug in a hole.

plumb1_2

Mistral001 said:

plumb1_2 said:

Is the syphon made of white ceramic ? Post pictures 

There is no syphon in the tank, it is just brass levers and a rubber plug in a hole.

Goggle Fluidmaster

[Deleted User]

Hi,

it's a google photie, though it does look warmer than white.

propertyrental

Post a picture so people here don't have to guess!

grumbler

Alderbank said:

grumbler said:

IMO, it's worth buying a modern valve with push buttons, not this antiquated valve working with a lever.

Mistral001 said:
Actually, one of the reasons for not replacing the cistern is that I do not like those button things.   I like the firm clunk and the immediate flushof the old-fashed levers.

 A modern push button flush needs a much larger hole through the ceramic tank than the handle of the lever flush does.

Not true. I had a lever (mid 90s house) and replaced it with a dual-flash button recently. The hole is 1".

Not sure it will fit a such odd-shaped cistern though.

danrv

As mentioned, a pic would be useful.
I fitted a new dual flush siphon like the Screwfix one shown, to my 70’s Shires Lynx cistern.
Got mine from Homebase and it fitted straight in.
I’m not sure about earlier cistern or siphon types though so just check if it’s the same.

plumb1_2

danrv said:

As mentioned, a pic would be useful.
I fitted a new dual flush siphon like the Screwfix one shown, to my 70’s Shires Lynx cistern.
Got mine from Homebase and it fitted straight in.
I’m not sure about earlier cistern or siphon types though so just check if it’s the same.

Have you finished that bathroom yet 😊

danrv

plumb1_2 said:

danrv said:

As mentioned, a pic would be useful.
I fitted a new dual flush siphon like the Screwfix one shown, to my 70’s Shires Lynx cistern.
Got mine from Homebase and it fitted straight in.
I’m not sure about earlier cistern or siphon types though so just check if it’s the same.

Have you finished that bathroom yet 😊

😕 on hold, but at least it’s a room with a bath.
Got the new Triton T80 shower and PVC panels are sized up. Just need to fit. Needs two or three weeks of dedicated effort but prefer to do it as and when.

ThisIsWeird

Mistral001 said:

I have a question about the syphon flush mechanisms.  My old cistern has a overflow which flows into the bowl through what looks like a circular water duct underneatth the outlet stopper.  I think it is sometimes called a flapper, but this one does not flap but instead looks like a circular plug on the end of a vertical brass rod.  The duct is joined to a vertical pipe which finishes open-ended a few inches below the top of the tank and the overflowing water flows into the pipe ending up in the bowl.  Do modern replacement flushing mechanisms have overflows like this?  I would regard some type of overflow as essential.

The one I linked to before - https://www.screwfix.com/p/viva-adjustable-dual-flush-syphon/8246h - seemingly has that second screw-on collar in order to seal around a flush pipe like yours, but also has an internal overflow. In essence, if the water rises too much, it'll pour over the inverted 'U' that forms the Syphon. This overflowing water will end up in your pan just like the flushing water, and will appear as a visible trickle/water disturbance so you are made aware of it.

Something I'm not sure about is whether the hole in the cistern bottom is standard, or is it larger for your type of flap valve. So please stop procrastinating, and remove the damned thing for a bludy look