Champion 4 ghost flushing

Users who are viewing this thread

SJW

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Brunswick
Hi there

I have a 5 year old Champion toilet that has recently started ghost flushing. I replaced the flapper gasket but that didn’t work. I then decided to replace the entire flush valve assembly with a Korky. That didn’t work either.

I put food colouring in the tank and it is now appearing in the bowl. I placed the water refill tube outside of the overflow tube.

Any ideas what I can try next? It almost seems like it might be easier to replace the toilet at this point.

thanks for any help!
 

Attachments

  • 2E21AD00-C53B-4541-9B06-DA35CF6571DB.jpeg
    2E21AD00-C53B-4541-9B06-DA35CF6571DB.jpeg
    66 KB · Views: 202
  • CEAB7454-95C3-4C6F-95CF-4CD2F47907F9.jpeg
    CEAB7454-95C3-4C6F-95CF-4CD2F47907F9.jpeg
    29.7 KB · Views: 203

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,796
Reaction score
4,412
Points
113
Location
IL
Turn off the stop valve at the wall, maybe overnight. If the problem is a leak at the flapper, the water level will stop dropping at the flapper level.

Maybe you will find some imperfection in the flush valve seat.

On the other hand, I think your toilet is pretty old, right?

champion-4-elongated-one-piece-toilet.jpg
 

SJW

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Brunswick
Turn off the stop valve at the wall, maybe overnight. If the problem is a leak at the flapper, the water level will stop dropping at the flapper level.

Maybe you will find some imperfection in the flush valve seat.

On the other hand, I think your toilet is pretty old, right?

Thanks!

I have left the water off overnight with both the original Champion and new Korky and it is exactly what you describe - the water drains to the flapper, but not any lower.
 

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,796
Reaction score
4,412
Points
113
Location
IL
Feel the valve seat. Rub the seat with a cloth to remove any debris.

Does your chain have slack? It should have a bit of slack.

Also, are you sure you have a Champion 4? I thought those had flush towers rather than conventional flappers.
 
Last edited:

SJW

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
New Brunswick
Feel the valve seat. Rub the seat with a cloth to remove any debris.

Does your chain have slack? It should have a bit of slack.

Also, are you sure you have a Champion 4? I thought those had flush towers rather than conventional flappers.

The Champion 4 does have the tower, but when I replaced the gasket, it still leaked, so I switched it out for a traditional flapper type using the Korky product made for Champions
 

BurlingtonChampion

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
Points
3
Location
Burlington Ontario
Champion toilet, phantom flushes solved?....it was not what the web said (flapper gasket), it was worse. The ceramic surface to which the flush-valve mount ring is clamped has roughness (like 100 grit sandpaper), waviness (1/2mm), peaks (1mm), even bits of ceramic from manufacture that were not cleaned-off and are sintered onto the seal surface. I don't think any gasket has the ability to seal given the poor surface prep. I would like to send you pictures. I tried a buna gasket but it was too stiff. I am trying a cork gasket, but I suspect it will not survive continuous immersion. I could not find a sheet of neoprene at any local hardware stores. Here is a picture, that chuck is sintered onto the sealing surface.

Champion flush valve mount (6).JPG
Champion flush valve mount (1).JPG
 

Terry

The Plumbing Wizard
Staff member
Messages
29,942
Reaction score
3,458
Points
113
Location
Bothell, Washington
Website
terrylove.com
Sometimes you can take emory cloth and sand the china where the seal sets down. In a worst case, new seal and Silicone.
In really worse case, and I've had those too, replace the toilet.
 

BurlingtonChampion

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
Points
3
Location
Burlington Ontario
Thanks Terry. Emery paper 'smoothed' the roughness, but the chunks of clay and lumps are too big and are still present. Smoothing and the cork gasket-doubler have reduced the phantom-flushes to one or two per day (tolerable as we are not a extreme water restricted city). I have cranked the mounting bolts as tight as i could with a screw-driver, that helped. I didn't silicone (yet). As soon as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, I will try to get a small diamond wheel or disk for my 'dremel' tool and try to grind-down the lumps without electrocuting myself.

Predictably when notified of the finding, the American Standard people were essentially 'no comment'. They promised to send a new mounting-ring gasket when the stocks are replenished later this month.

The only good thing about the Covid-19 is all the time I now have for these lingering non-critical rainy-day fixes around the home.
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,770
Reaction score
1,190
Points
113
Location
New England
QA/QC, especially on toilets purchased at big box stores from AS seems to be an ongoing issue. Rumor has it that to get their sometimes lower prices, they don't require the full QA/QC that goes into those sold through plumbing supply houses.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks