Toto Aquia II keeps leaking - please help!

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yg_101

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Hi, I bought the last model of Toto Aquia II dual flush toilet last week, and had a licensed plumber install it. He tested the flushing a few times when he was done, and it seemed to be working OK. Within an hour after he left, the toilet developed leaks - at first, where the toilet sits on the floor, and a few flushes after that also from the tank.

He came the next morning to redo it, and dropped the tank on the floor - it cracked in half. I had to buy a new one - a $120 part. He came the third time, assured me that now he'll do it real well so it'll last forever, tested a few times again, and left. It lasted about half an hour before it started leaking again. This time, there was only one small leak from where the bowl sits on the floor.

Against my better judgement, I called him back to fix it - after spending $400+ on the toilet, $120 for the replacement tank that he promised to reimburse for, but never got the cash to do it so far, and paying for the install and the permit, I figured it should have no leaks.

So he came for the fourth time, and promised solemnly that now he'll fix it for good. He tested the flushing 10-15 times checking for leaks with the paper towel, sealed around the bowl with silicone, and said to wait an hour before using it. I waited two. On the first use, the water burst through the seams all around the toilet. It doesn't leak from the tank anymore, but I had my bathroom flooded twice with his installation, and the water is seeping through more than the previous time he did it.

I'm at my wits' end with this - I thought I was buying a top quality toilet, and got an experienced licensed plumber to install it - he said he knows Toto, and he got his journyman plumber license over 20 years ago.

The first failure he blamed on the junky gasket he said Toto provided. The second failure he said he should have sealed it better / differently somewhere. The third time he doesn't know what to say anymore. He read the instructions for the install.

The toilet sits on the standard ceramic tile floor. He said there's a cast iron pipe or flange on which he put the plustic flange from Toto. He used a regular wax ring wihout some kind of plastic insert it. Another thing is that the toilet is kinda shakey - it can rock a bit when you sit on it (and I'm just about 170 lbs).

Please help - I'd appreciate any ideas or advise. I'm thinking to go back to my old American Standard $100 toilet after dumping almost $700 down that toilet drain. The thing is it was leaking from the same spot where this one is leaking. I called this plumber to repair that leak, he said he would have to replace the wax ring, and it's about the same as to install the new toilet - although it had already cost me three times as much in labor.

I just don't know what to do or think about this anymore. I tried to RTFM, but I don't dig this stuff too well. The leak is not for the tank, but just where the toilet sits on the floor.
 

Gary Swart

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The problem is the wax ring is not sealing the toilet to the flange. A flange is supposed to set on top of the finished floor. You say you have a ceramic tile floor. I will make a wild guess that this floor was added after the house was built and that the flange was never raised so it is recessed below the level of the tile. This difference can be dealt with by using a thick wax ring, but you should not use a ring with a plastic funnel. These are trouble makers. Anytime a toilet rocks it is an indication that it is not sealing to the flange. Don't blame the toilet, you have a stupid plumber. Another indication that the plumber is stupid is that he seaed around the toilet with silicone to stop the leak. The leak is caused by a poor wax ring seal. The reason we seal around the base of a toilet is to keep water spilled on the floor from getting under the toilet, not to contain a leak. Silicone is not the caulk to use either. You should not paid a dime additional for the return visits to fix his screw-ups. You said he is a licensed plumber, but he sure sounds like a hack to me.

It is also possible the flange was reset but set too high. If is extends above the tile, then the toilet won't set firmly on the floor. This can be fixed with either redoing the flange or using shims under the skirt.
 
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Jjustice

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Hello,
I wrote on this site about a month ago regarding information about the Aquia II because my distributor warned me about its leaking. You reassured me and I copied down info about the black rubber seal between the tank and bowl being firmer than other toilets and about the importance of tightening down very slowly when attaching the tank to the bowl, etc. Well, the plumber said that he had installed these before and knew how to do it, etc. Well, what do you know - my toilet was installed yesterday and it is leaking on the floor around the bottom of the toilet. The floor is new tile and was installed about a week ago. I have 3 more toilets on order - all Aquia II as I like the design. What do I do?
 

Jadnashua

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You paid a plumber to install it, call him back to fix his problem on HIS dime...you should only have to pay for this once! If he fails to respond, reverse the charges, stop payment, etc., but give him a chance to fix it first.

While an Aquia is somewhat different than a 'normal' toilet, it is not rocket science. First, though, you might determine if it is leaking from the tank onto the floor, or from the bowl when you flush it.
 

Terry

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Basement_Lurker

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Hmm, you actually paid this "plumber" more money to fix his own obvious mistakes? ....wow Anytime I get a customer who understand the value of installing a Toto, and is willing to spend the extra $$$ for a quality installation vs a $99 hardware store red light special, I really appreciate their business and make sure everything is done above and beyond.

It really doesn't sound like this guy knows what he is doing. The Aquia models use a modfied unifit flange, so your first leak is happening at that point. It is fairly idiot proof to seal the unifit flange to the floor flange, so I doubt your leak is happening there, so somehow the leak is happening at the rubber gasket where the toilet horn fits into. The second leak is at the tank to bowl transition, and I am not sure how a plumber of 20+ years could be having such trouble with that...

It sounds like you did all the right things like calling a journeyman, pulling a permit, and purchasing a quality fixture, as well as being VERY patient through this nonsense. It's time to raise hell and threaten him with action, the very least of which is reporting him to the BBB. But no matter what, do not pay this guy anymore of your money! There are plenty of real plumber's out there who deserve your patronage than all of the handymen and hack plumbers.
 
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