American Standard Cadet from 1996

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Higgledy

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Sorry it's taken me such a long time to get back to this thread and my toilet problems. But here is what I am looking to solve. The toilet in the hall is used by 9yo son, he clogs it with each and every #2. But it is not completely his fault for two reasons. The first being this toilet will take two flushes just to clear pee -seriously. The second reason is my son's poo is unusually large --it is huge. We have actually taken him to his pediatrician and now he takes fiber, daily.

The toilet is an American Standard 1.6 gal flush. Inside the tank is a date stamp with 1996 and "4092 Tank", if that rings a bell with those who know. Could the problem be the toilet or maybe an installation/venting problem? The toilet in the master bath is also an American Standard, but is ADA compliant. It does not clog near as often --maybe once a month. Here is another observation about the hall bath toilet. When the toilet is flushed the first thing I notice is a huge bubble comes up from the outlet in the bowl. I don't see a bubble when I flush the master toilet. Is this a venting issue? Thanks for reading my ramblings. Phil
 

Terry

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The 1996 American Standard Cadet, wasn't all that good. There are plenty of new bowls that work better.

terry-1996-tank-top-01.jpg


1996
 
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Gusherb94

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The 1996 Cadet that was in one of our rental units was a horrible performer. The heavy usage is just insult to injury. The toilet is definitely the problem (or at the very least, the biggest part to the problem)
 

Higgledy

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I stopped at Home Depot to chk out the toilets the sold. The Champion 4 was $234, and the Cadet 3 even cheaper.

Does anyone know if the quality of brand name toilets sold thru Home Depot and Lowe's is lesser quality than the same toilet you'd buy thru a plumber's supply? (Here is Maryland we have Noland's and Ferguson's, that I know of) Thanks.
 

Terry

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I would go to the plumbing supply house, and the Cadet 3 is a better toilet then the 4.
They aren't Toto Drakes like you can get for $199.99, but at least they try to be.
I'm selling the Toto Drake ADA now for $249.99
 

Higgledy

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Terry,
This is good information, thank you. Why is the Cadet better than the 4? A.S. advertised the 4 as if it was God's answer to poop.

One of the things I hate about my current Cadet is the constant upkeep. How long would you expect a new Toto Drake or UltraMax to go before needing maintenance like flapper, valve, etc.?

I live in Maryland, it would be way to expensive to purchase off you, but if I were local you'd be my first choice.

Phil
 

Jadnashua

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How long the flapper valve lasts on a toilet depends (obviously) on the type of material it is made of and the water quality where it is used. Toto uses stuff from Korky, for th emost part. Where I live, a flapper valve lasts about 5-years and takes about 30-seconds to replace. Depending on the fill valve used, many of them are also Korky branded, and the wear part on that also takes maybe a minute to replace. How often that happens again is partly due to the water quality, and how often the water is shut off to the house or work is done in the area to the water mains. Whenever the water is shut off then refilled, it dislodges some crud from the insides of the pipes and this can get embedded in the seal of the valve, making a replacment necessary. Both of those parts are readily available at Lowes and most any plumbing store.
 

Redwood

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Why is the Cadet better than the 4? A.S. advertised the 4 as if it was God's answer to poop.

Honestly we don't know...
They have been advertising it that way since the days of the Champion I and it has never come out of "It's a Dog Status" IMHO
Now they are up to Champion 4 and have fixed some of the problems but it's still a dog...

Maybe they have so much invested into it that they just can't admit what they have and kill it...
Or, maybe they just have it figured with enough advertising they won't run out of chumps...
I dunno...
 

Higgledy

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Based on everyone's comments the Drake is the best low-end toilet in terms of performance that Toto offers. My nearest Toto retailer does not have the Drake in stock, but they do have the Dalton in stock, and at a reasonable price. They can get the Drake, but I need to wait. Should I get the Dalton or order the Drake?
 

Gary Swart

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I'd wait. The Dalton is a good toilet, but the Drake is somewhat better. Keep in mind this is a purchase that will last for many years, so a few days wait now will soon be forgotten. Seems odd to me that a Toto dealer would not have a Drake in stock.
 

Higgledy

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Thanks Gary. They have the Drake w/ elongated bowl but no the round bowl. Our bathroom is narrow, the current bowl is round. I am not sure I want to give up 1.625" for the elongated bowl.
 

Terry

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Toto quit making the Dalton. I found it to work well enough. It was similar to the Kohler Cimarron in a lot of ways, but a bit better.
If you can still get one, why not.
If I still had them in Seattle, I would still be selling them.
The Drake is better though. Better trapway and rinse.
 

Jadnashua

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An elongated toilet isn't always longer than a round one, and because of the shape, is a lot more male friendly. If it still meets code requirements, and won't impact a door swing, I'd go for the elongated in a heartbeat over a round one.
 

Higgledy

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An elongated toilet isn't always longer than a round one, and because of the shape, is a lot more male friendly. If it still meets code requirements, and won't impact a door swing, I'd go for the elongated in a heartbeat over a round one.

I completely agree. In addition to our narrow bathroom, the round vs. elongated is a point of contention with me and my wife. I prefer the elongated, but she likes the look of the round better. I never considered a toilet as having "a look" especially when I'm using it. :p
 

Higgledy

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Toto quit making the Dalton. I found it to work well enough. It was similar to the Kohler Cimarron in a lot of ways, but a bit better.
If you can still get one, why not.
If I still had them in Seattle, I would still be selling them.
The Drake is better though. Better trapway and rinse.

Terry,

Thanks for the reply. Remember me telling you about my son with #2 being so large we took him to the doctor? He clogs the toilet with every BM sans tp. I want the toilet that can handle his issues best. If the Drake has a better trapway doesn't that mean it has a more robust flush than the Dalton? i.e. larger volume of waste?

Phil
 

Terry

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Remember me telling you about my son with #2 being so large we took him to the doctor? He clogs the toilet with every BM sans tp.

I forgot that part.
For medical issues like that, I would be looking at the Caroma bowls, or perhaps a Kohler pressure assist bowl.
 

Gary Swart

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Probably the round bowl isn't in stock because few people buy them. The elongated bowl is by far the preferred shape. As a woman, your wife may not appreciate the shape, but as a male, you will. I would also urge you to consider either the comfort height to the slightly taller, ADA model.
 

Higgledy

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I forgot that part.
For medical issues like that, I would be looking at the Caroma bowls, or perhaps a Kohler pressure assist bowl.

What's the reason you think the Caroma bowl would be for us? Which toilet within the Caroma product line do you recommend? Do they sell Caroma in the states? Thanks.
 
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