Short Flush Toto

[rubenhome]

I have a toto drake (?) and it doesn't give a proper flush. When you push the handle down it doesn't trip and give a full flush like a normal toilet. Instead, you need to hold the handle for a half second for enough water for a proper flush. If you don't hold it briefly then the flap instantly closes and you only get a half flush, or less.

This is fine once you understand this toilet, but it's in the powder room and so guests sometimes have a problem with it. Most toilets do a full flush if the handle is pushed all the way down and don't need the handle held.

I've looked in the tank but don't see any way to adjust a float or anything similar. Is there any way to adjust this or do i need to pull it out and get a different toilet?

Thanks!

 

[Terry]

All new toilets since 1992 are this way.
The only toilet that will flush with more water is from the 80's

If you can find an old toilet, then you can waste more water.
Either way, the Toto Drake using only 1.6 gallons will flush 900 grams.
That would be better than an 80's toilet.

Most old toilets were never very efficient with water. The water was too slow, and the trapways too irregular.
A good third of the water was used after the flush took place, with water just going down the drain and with no purpose behind it.

In the church I go to, we took out American Standard toilets from the 70's that plugged constantly, and yes they drained the entire tank.
I replaced all of the toilets with Toto, and it was a dramatic improvement.
No instructions were needed for those hundreds of people using the bathroom.
Wasn't needed, they worked.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[rubenhome]

Understood, I definitely don't want it to empty the tank. All of the toilets in the house are post 1992 and low flush. The difference is, they all "trip" when you push the handle except the toto. Once you've tripped the mechanism on the other toilets you are sure to get a full proper flush.

In fact, every other toilet I've ever used also has a "trip" where if you push the handle far enough it clicks and does its thing. The toto doesn't click or trip. So if you push the handle all the way down quickly and release instantly the valve immediately snaps closed and it gives an anemic flush that doesn't always clear the bowl. So it's very dependent on the person knowing to push the handle AND hold it open for a brief instant.

I'm not willing to put up a sign in the powder room that says "hold the handle down for just a brief instant" and having to plunge the guest toilet is a real party pooper. Not to mention the fact that the unusual toto shape makes it nearly impossible for a normal plunger to work.

 

[Terry]

Inside a Drake tank. Comes with the Red 3" flapper.

Well,
Then your's is working differently then the few thousand we sold last year.

The flapper only stays up for a second or two. The tank is not designed to drain.
And yet, they seem to work. funny.

In fact most of my sales are repeat customers.
How long have you had yours?
The one downstairs I've had three years.

 

[rubenhome]

Yes, this definitely sounds different because the flapper does not stay up for a second or two. At best, maybe a second, but it drops the instant your hand is off the handle.

It too is about 3 years old, I would guess. It has been this way from the day it was installed. It has never had that trip or click feel on the handle the way all other toilets do. Is that common for toto?

Is there anything I can do to try and improve this? There are no visible adjustments. It's very frustrating to have to remove a $450 toilet (installed cost).

 

[Terry]

Handles are generic. You will find that same handle on other brands too.
I've never seen a handle with a click on it. Interesting. They pivot, but click?

Toto does make a blue flapper that stays up longer if you want to use more than 1.6 gallons, it bumps it to about 2.0 gallons.

 

[rubenhome]

I wasn't describing the handle. I was describing the ACTION when you push the handle.

On most toilets, if you don't push the handle far enough you don't "trip" the action. So some water comes out but not a proper flush. But once you trip the action then you get a full flush. Is that a better description?

On the toto, it doesn't have that "trip" feel in the action when you push the lever down. As a result, the flapper snaps shut super fast and it's very easy to get a poor flush. Like when you don't push the handle far enough on other toilets to actually trip the action of the lever to start the flush.

Yes, the inside of my tank looks like that. the flapper is red on the bottom but it has a Green top. The red portion has several large round cutouts on the bottom side.

 

[Terry]

Unless the rod is bent, or the chain is too slack, it should pull the flapper up for a second.
I have seen the trip levers go bad. There is a small white plastic part under the handle that can break. If that has happened, that any standard side mount trip lever will work.
The hole is to let air out so the flapper drops qucker.
The Blue flapper has the hole plugged.

The Red flapper started off all red. I don't know what the green is all about.

 

[Peanut9199]

Green is probably a build up of some sort of algae or something.
I would try changing the flapper first and if you don't care about flushing more water than the 1.6gpf you can use a THU140S Blue flapper just make sure the old and new flapper has 17 links.
The number of links are very important so the chain is not too tight or too loose.
You can call Toto technical and tell them you have a toilet that's a couple of month's old and the chain has snapped off the flapper, they will send you another 1-888-295-8134 if you want a Blue flapper tell them is a Ultimate CST854.

 

[plumbtired]

New Toto Drakes, puzzling flush procedure...

I just installed two new Toto Drakes and have discovered the flush cycle to be puzzling. If I pull the handle down, then promptly release (as one would normally do when flushing a toilet), I get a nice LITTLE flush...but it doesn't take the solid material down. If I hold the handle down when flushing, the solid material will flush out. Thus, too, I am confused, as is "rubenhome," on just how this Drake's flushing procedure is done.

Before I read this thread, I was also wondering if I should put a sign up by the commode in the main bathroom, stating that the handle should be held down for a couple of seconds when flushing solid material!

 

[Peanut9199]

Do you have the 1.6gpf Drake or the new 1.28gpf Eco-Drake?

 

[plumbtired]

Do you have the 1.6gpf Drake or the new 1.28gpf Eco-Drake?

Not sure if you posted this for "rubenhome" or me, so I'll respond anyway...


I have two of the "standard" Drakes, the 1.6 gallon flush (model is CST744SL).

I'm starting to get more used to their idiosyncrasies but I still am puzzled about the "short flush" that doesn't want to take the "whole enchilada" down

 

[Peanut9199]

If you have the 1.6 Drake it should remove the "whole enchilada" a couple of tacos and a empanada with no problem.
Check your chain it may be too loose or too tight and is causing a short flush.
It should be 17 links from the flapper to the trip lever.
If this is ok and you still having a problem i would replace the flapper.
You can use the THU175S red flapper or THU140S blue flapper (which will flush more than 1.6 gpf of water) your choice.