Technical FAQ

Technical FAQ

My toilet runs non-stop and/or flushes itself regularly - how can I fix it?

Toilets that "run" non-stop most often only need a new seat disc for the Actuating Unit or a Plunger Repair Kit for the refill valve. Both repair parts are relatively inexpensive ($10-$20) and can be installed in under an hour if you are feeling a bit handy. It is recommended that rather than figuring out which of the two problems you have, just get both repair kits and replace both the seat disc and plunger kit at the same time. If perhaps only one is the problem now, it will likely only be a short time before the other will fail.

Before you start any project with your toilets, make sure your toilet shut-off still functions. Shut-offs that haven't been serviced for more than 20 years have a good chance of not functioning. Tighten the shut-off and see if the toilet stops filling when you flush it or if it still refills. If the shut-off does not work you will need to service that first. Repairing the shut-offs is a more difficult task and will require you to shut off your master water supply for a time. Repair of the shut-off should only be attempted by those very confident in their ability or left to a professional plumber.

The Toilet Seat Disc is still available OEM from American Standard as part number 033643-0700A. Check the Unit Holder Service Providers for American Standard parts dealers in the city. Here is a picture of Actuating Unit where the Seat Disc is the rubber disc that snaps onto the bottom of the plastic Actuating Unit assembly. The Seat Disc can be replaced by anyone with a touch of bravery, dexterity and patience. The trick is to use a very sharp utility knife or Exacto knife to slice the mount point of the Seat Disc from top to bottom in a number of places around the circumferance until it slides off easily without breaking the Actutating Unit or putting too much strain on any of the other toilet parts. Be prepared to get a lot of black liquid on you - the reason your toilet is leaking is because the rubber that the Seat Disc is made from is disolving. The good news is that it washes off relatively easily with some soap. If your Actuator Unit is broken, the entire Actuating Unit is tougher to find in Canada but can be found, part number 068470-0070A. If the local American Standard parts dealers cannot source the unit for you, try Valley Industrial Specialties Inc. in Chula Vista California, also listed on the Unit Holder Service Providers page.

The Plunger Repair kit is also available OEM from American Standard at your favourite American Standard Parts dealer, part number 012971-0070A. Here is a picture P1020926.JPG of the kit. Shut off the water supply from your toilet and flush it to substantially empty the tank. Remove the screw that is holding the float ball arm onto the fill valve - this picture P1020927.JPG shows the screw 90% removed. You'll need a stubby flat head screw driver to do this, and just a little patience. Once that screw is out, the hard part is over - this picture P1020928.JPG shows the float ball arm removed from the fill valve. Use a rachet to remove the nut on the top of the fill valve - it's a 9/16" - as shown in this picture P1020929.JPG. Because the nut is plastic, a proper rachet and not just an adjustable wrench (which could damage the nut) is recommended. Remove the plastic valve noting how it is put together from 2 pieces, and use a jeweler's screwdriver as shown in this picture P1020930.JPG to dig out the old washer. NOTE the orientation of the old washer!! This picture P1020932.JPG shows everything disassembled. You might try to use some CLR or other calcium/lime/rust cleaner to remove the years of build up - it could make your toilet flow faster/quieter and may make reassembly smoother. Use the parts from the repair kit to reassemble the valve and finally replace your float valve arm. Re-open the water supply to your toilet and you should be done!

Leaking toilets likely need a professional plumber because the tank must be removed to get at all the washers. There is nothing particularly special about the washers, they are standard toilet washers that every plumber should have readily available in their kit bag.

My toilet button sticks - how can I fix it?

The push-buttons on the toilet stick because of a combination of soap residue getting lodged inside of them, and general wear from use and corrosion. You can attempt to disassemble and clean the button by removing the collar that attaches to the chain and removing the plastic screw on the end of the stem of the button. With some luck you can clean up the button, re-assemble, and it will work okay again for quite some time. Eventually, just cleaning will become ineffective because the stem of the button is simply too worn or cracked or the plastic screw becomes totally stripped. Toilet buttons can be replaced with Kissler & Co 47108-02 P1010656.jpg. Valley Industrial Specialties Inc. in Chula Vista California should be willing to ship to Canada - see the Unit Holder Service Providers page. The Kistler & Co button is almost a 100% match to the original button that shipped with the toilet, certainly a far better piece than what American Standard P1010655.jpg will supply you with at your local American Standard parts supplier claiming it to be the OEM replacement.

How do I remove the ceiling vent grills in my bathroom?

Your ceiling vent grills in your bathroom are held up by 2 Robertson screws (square head) and a bracket that wraps around the back of the black damper. You'll first need to clear out enough of the lint to reach the screws with a long screwdriver (a few Q-Tips work, albiet a little time consuming.) Use a bright flashlight to locate the screws. Use one hand to hold the grill up as you untorque the screws or you risk having the whole assembly fall on you! Here is a picture P1010664.jpg of the assembly that will help you find the screws.

The dampers on our existing grills should actually be diffuser screens as the ducts are return air and not air supplies. One owner bought some 6"x6" brass grills with simple diffuser screens from Classic Grills in the US and finds them to be an excellent replacement.

How do I remove and replace the motor for my clothes dryer vent?

Your dryer vent was installed with a motorized fan to help push the hot/damp air along the length of your unit to the outside. Over the years the motor gets noisy, and eventually fails to operate completely. With a little bit of effort it can be replaced. You will need:

Rotom O1-R467 Motor (available at CAF Electric at the time this was written)

Rachet with 5/16" and 7/16" Sockets

Flat head screwdriver

Robertson (square head) screwdriver

Set of Allen keys

Several hours and some patience

BONUS materials (not necessarily required) - Old rubber computer mouse pads. Duct tape.

Start by moving your dryer out of the way of the vent housing and lint trap mounted on the ceiling. Remove the basket from the lint trap, and unscrew the 4" metal duct from the mount on the trap. Remove the shelf if you have one right below the box as you will not be able to remove the housing/trap with it in place. This picture shows you the state you should be in by this point.

Remove the 5/16" bolts holding the housing to the ceiling. NOTE - As you get to the last few screws you will need to hold the box in place or it will fall. This is the most difficult part aside from mounting it back up later, so if you get past this point you're doing very well!

Remove the 7/16" nuts holding the fan assembly inside the ceiling. AGAIN NOTE - Hold the assembly in place as you remove the nuts. The assembly is rather heavy and you don't want it falling on you or your floor!

Disassemble your fan assembly as shown in this picture P1010668.jpg using your screw driver and allen key. Remove the motor. IMPORTANT - remove the rubber gaskets from either side of the motor, clean them up, and place them on your new Rotom motor - the Rotom does not come with these gaskets! Here is a picture P1010667.jpg of the old motor and the new motor, with the gaskets still on the old motor.

Clean up the fan assembly parts really well and let them dry before putting the new motor in and putting all the parts back together. These's no point feeding your new motor all that old lint the first time you turn it on! Also, if you have a little dirt devil or shark or whatever sort of vacuum, you can vacuum inside the ceiling a bit. Try not to damage the insulation too much or you'll create a new problem.

Put everything back in place in the reverse order you took it apart.

If you find that you get a lot of lint all over your laundry room, you can do two additional things that I found helped a great deal. First, go to the Dollar store and try to find half a dozen or so old rubber mouse pads. Glue them together to create the right thickness, and cut out a square so they just fit on the door of the trap as seen in this picture P1010665.jpg. Do the same for the lint basket that comes out, and you should find that this creates a decent seal. I also found it helped a lot to run duct tape around the entire seam where the fan housing meets the ceiling. You can see yellow-ish reminants of the previous run of duct tape I had up in the picture P1010665.jpg. If you have to remove and replace the tape at a later date, be sure to clean this gunk with some goo-gone or whatever works for you or the new duct tape won't stick very well.

If you make the investment to do this relatively simple replacement, you'll save money on electricity, your clothes will dry much faster, and you won't have to listen to your noisy old fan when you do your laundry. Good luck to you!