Home Repair

A visitor named Paul has found and installed the Eljer flush valve on his American Standard Toilet. No report yet on how well it works, but he is pleased to report that the valve does include the flapper. If your American Standard Champion toilet has a leaking flush seal, rip that defective flush tower out today and install the the Eljer valve! Only $14.55 at Locke Plumbing.

Another commenter questions the water efficiency of the Eljer valve. Some day I plan to do some testing and report my findings (more pictures to follow!) Even if the Eljer valve used an astonishing 12 gallons a flush, (which it does not, by the way) this would be much more efficient than the hundreds of gallons per day wasted through the non-sealing flush seal of the A.S. Champion.

Do not EVER, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES buy a "Champion" toilet by American Standard. Buy an Eljer instead.

If you do not own one of these poorly designed monsters, then you have been warned, and there is no need to read any further.

If you do own one of these wasteful toilets, then take heart... there is a solution to your perpetual flush valve leak. (This solution doesn't involve a sledge hammer.)

Here's an interesting survey by the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association comparing the flushing performance of various toilets. Who knew Canada could be so useful?

For all its problems, the AS Champion ranks as the best flusher on the market. In testing, the Champion removed over 1,100 grams of solid media at 1.6 gallons. Be that as it may, DO NOT BUY THIS TOILET. As I've mentioned elswhere, a root canal would be prefereable to buying this thing. IT IS A LEMON. (Although it could probably flush a lemon.)

More toiletry and other plumbing stuff at Terry Love.

***UPDATE***
Link above is broken, here's the updated test results!

Modify your American Standard toilet at your own peril. Doing so will most likely result in a voiding of any manufacturer’s warranty. Possible risks from modifying your American Standard toilet include potential leaking, which may result in property damage, or excessive use of water due to misaligned flush seal. Taking pictures of your toilet may cause your spouse to doubt your sanity. Extended exposure to an American Standard toilet may cause headaches, frustration, and extremely high water bills.

If you choose to attempt any of the modification techniques describe on this site, you assume all liability for whatever consequences may result. If possible, you should return your American Standard toilet for a full refund rather than attempting these modifications. These modifications should only be attempted by a person well knowledgeable in the use of plumbing tools and hardware.

The repair procedure for the leaking American Standard Champion Toilet flush tower seal is described on the following pages (in Extended Entry):

Please read the DISCLAIMER before proceeding.

***UPDATE***
The Ultimate American Standard Toilet Repair
The following procedures have been superceeded by the repair described at the link above.

More explanatory text to come, but these pictures pretty much tell the story.

Prime ingredient- 2 x 32 oz. Gatorade bottles. (I prefer grape, but other flavors may work as well.)

The upward lift is greater than what is needed, adding about 3/4" of water to the bottom of each bottle seems to give the right balance.

***UPDATE***
The Ultimate American Standard Toilet Repair
The following procedures have been superceeded by the repair described at the link above.

Please read the DISCLAIMER before proceeding. If you choose to attempt the modification technique describe here, you assume all liability for whatever consequences may result.

The cause of the consistent leaking of the flush seal has to do with a couple of factors- A lack of significant force applied to the seal, and a sloppy fit between the seal, the cylinder, and the tank opening. By utilizing the original seal, but constructing a new tower, we will provide for a better union of the seal and tower, with a stronger sealing force applied against the tank opening. Let’s begin by looking at the parts we’ll need. Note that these are only parts for constructing the flush tower, more parts will be needed to build a float assembly.

***UPDATE***
The Ultimate American Standard Toilet Repair
The following procedures have been superceeded by the repair described at the link above.

Please read the DISCLAIMER before proceeding. You will probably void any warranty you may have if you attempt this procedure. This is an easy procedure to perform, but is VERY DIFFICULT to undo. Very small parts may become dislodged and lost inside the toilet while attempting this procedure. Do not attempt this procedure unless you are willing to accept all risks and liability for your actions.

If you are considering purchasing an American Standard Champion toilet, I would encourage you to get a root canal instead. That might cost a little more up front, and certainly won't be pleasant, but you won't waste as much water and you'll at least get a sedative while you're enduring the suffering.

If you have already purchased this lemon, rejoice. There is hope yet for your everlasting tank leakage. Please be patient with me, explaining this remedy will take several posts. For a bit of background, you may want to look at my earlier posts;



***UPDATE***
Please see the DISCLAIMER, as well as the pages linked from there for updated modification instructions.

***UPDATE***
New seal didn't fit. Silicone holds seal in place (mine was coming off entirely), but gasket still doesn't seal entirely. Apparently this design flaw affects a large percentage of the AS toilets in use. Until American Standard fixes this design flaw, I would recommend AGAINST purchasing this toilet. It flushes great, but IT LEAKS BADLY.
[end update]

***UPDATE***
Replacement seal doesn't fit. Called American Standard Support Desk. Folks answering the phones are as courteous as you could ask for, but there is something severly disfunctional in the follow up (go figure.) Three times I have been promised that two replacement seals are in route. Three times there has been no seal delivered. On top of having a defective design, American Standard also has defective service.

By the way, I've fixed my toilet, using the original gasket. I'll have a new post describing the repair up soon.
[end update]

***UPDATE***
Fix is documented here.
[end update]

I love my American Standard Champion toilets. Once they're are properly overclocked, they flush like a dream. The leaking tank/bowl gasket installation thing is a minor hassle, hopefully AS will reconsider the tank-bolt design.

Unfortunately, my primary unit has developed the dreaded "leaking flush seal" issue. I'm going to try to silicone the gasket in place, hopefully that will resolve the issue. I think there may be a redesigned flush seal available, but I haven't yet found out if this is indeed designed for the champion flush tower.

I will update this post once I've confirmed the suitabilty of the alternative seal, as well as to report on the effectiveness of the silicone job.

One more piece of advice- TURN IN THAT WARRANTY CARD. American Standard has a ten year warranty on the flush system, but you've got to turn the card in within 30 days for it to be honored by AS.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Champion by American Standard is quality flusher, when compared to many other attempts at improved flushing efficiency. That being said, it still has one critical flaw- it is trying to clear the entire bowl using no more than 1.6 gallons of water. More often than not it succeeds, but it still leaves residuals often enough to cause a double flush more frequently than necessary.

One key to the forceful flush of the Champ is it's large tank reserve, which increases the initial downward flow of water. The key to overclocking this toilet lies in utilizing the remaining tank reserve.

***UPDATE***
While reading through some Consumer Reviews of the American Standard, I came across a simple suggestion to accomplish the same effect without the need for a coat hanger. The tip involves increasing the chain length between the lift rod and the flush tower. This allows the tower to be raised without the dropping mechanism being activated. This also eliminates the occasional problem of the hanger mechanism hanging and preventing the reseating of the flush assembly.

***UPDATE***
If you are considering purchasing an American Standard Champion toilet, I would encourage you to get a root canal instead. That might cost a little more up front, and certainly won't be pleasant, but you won't waste as much water and you'll at least get a sedative while you're enduring the suffering.

If you have already purchased this lemon, rejoice. There is hope yet for your everlasting tank leakage. Please be patient with me, explaining this remedy will take several posts. Please see the DISCLAIMER, as well as the pages linked from there for updated modification instructions.
[END UPDATE]


OK, time for a change from the humdrum blog wars of abortion, politics, and international events. Let's talk about something highly relevant to your and my everyday life- Toilets.

Back in 1992, congress had the great wisdom to mandate that no toilet made or sold in America could use more than 1.6 gallons per flush. Toilets made since that time had definite performance issues which typically resulted in multiple flushes per user session. Countless epiphets have been hurled at congress since.

Our home was built using 1994 toilet technology. An upgrade was in order. After a trip to Lowe's, and an interesting discussion of toilet technology with the plumbing dept. floor man, ("I wouldn't give a nickel for one of those south american toilets") we selected the Champion by American Standard.

This is a flusher that Dave Barry would be pleased to own. It's a bit pricey, and there's an issue with the included tank bolts, but overall it has performed wonderfully since installation.

***UPDATE***
See how I OVERCLOCKED my American Standard toilet!

The Stainless Steel Advantium by Kenmore (Sears) is certainly a nice looking microwave. At nearly $750, it's certainly not a cheap unit. You would think for the price, though, a little more thought would have gone into the design.

At the top of the unit is a plastic grill (immediately below the cabinet in the picture.) Behind the grill is a small recirculation fan and a charcoal filter. The charcoal filter is supposed to be replaced on a regular basis (about every six months, according to the installation instructions.) Two screws hold the grill in place. Would you care to guess where those two screws are?

Removing the grill and replacing the filter should take about three minutes. Due to poor design, however, here's what you've got to do;

• Get a step ladder
• Get a helper
• Disconnect the electrical cord
• While your helper supports the unit, remove the three MOUNTING BOLTS (#9010)
• Lower the front of the unit until (two) SCREW TAPPING,TRUSS HEAD (#1656) are accessible.
• While helper continues to support the unit, remove both SCREW TAPPING,TRUSS HEAD (#1656)
• Remove GRILLE ASSEMBLY (#1225)
• Remove old GREASE FILTER ASM (#1240)
• Install new GREASE FILTER ASM (#1240)
• Attach GRILLE ASSEMBLY (#1225)
• Insert (two) SCREW TAPPING,TRUSS HEAD (#1656)
• Have helper raise unit into installed position.
• While helper continues to support the unit, re-insert and tighten MOUNTING BOLTS (#9010). Avoid over tightening so as to not damage unit.
• Re-insert electrical plug.

Simple, no? Try to not drop the thing on to of your new Ceramic Cook Top!

***UPDATE***
Seems the link above is broken... here's the diagram. While not shown, the two screws are installed from the top (they go into parts #1218.)