How to fix trickle in Caroma cistern?

duane1

Well, I am wondering if there is any hope. I bought the replacement washer and installed it - see red washer in pic. I also bought a black one and tried it but the red one seems a better seal. There is still the slightest of trickles running down the back of the bowl. You wouldn't even notice it, except that from time to time the water drops low enough for the float to cut on and you hear water run for a bit.

I'd like to fix this!

Eric in another post mentioned calcium build up - I can dismantle it again and see if I can spot any. 

Also the spring idea, I suppose that if there is a missing spring it could apply some downward pressure. I didn't spot that either.

Is there anything else to try here, or do I need to move on to the Thunderflush replacement for the dual flush mechanism? 

btw the washer does not look completely round when installed as pictured. It is quite tight and for the life of me it always skews a bit no matter how I tug at it. All the best--

JacobZ

Hi @duane1,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

There are two things that look a bit off to me. The first is the amount of space around the washer. 

When you removed the original washer, did it sit in from the outside edges that much?

I would expect to see the washer fill the base of the flush valve. 

Can I ask you to give me the outside diameter and inside diameter of the actual flush valve?

Are they close to this?

 

If the washer still makes a solid connection with the outlet pipe, this might not be an issue, but it certainly doesn't look right to me.

The next thing I notice is that if you look through the translucent plastic that half of the washer is not tight around the centre of the pipe.

Try grabbing a flat implement like a butter knife, slipping it under the translucent piece and working the washer back towards the centre of the pipe. If you leave the washer on the flush valve and soak the washer in some warm water for a while to make it malleable, this might help.

If this is not working, try removing the washer and giving the seat a good scrub. Like Eric has mentioned in other posts, if there is any limescale under the washer, it can prevent the washer from creating a good seal.

If these two troubleshooting efforts do not work, the seating washer might not be correct, or you might have to replace the valve altogether.

Let me know how you go and please reach out if you need more assistance.

Jacob