Consumer Reports Recommended toilet, Gerber DF-21-318 a big Flop!

[averymfw]

Terry (or anybody) is this still an outstanding issue? I'm looking for something like this toilet.
Is the problem on this dual flush also exhibited on the single flush version: 21-317?

 

[Terry]

The dual flush Ecoflush is made in China. I no longer sell that tank.

The 1.1 and the 1.6 gallon Flushmate is made in Detroit Michigan, and has been in use for twenty years.
I recommend getting the 1.1 gallon Flushmate if you want the Watersense Gerber.
Parts of the Eastside get a $100.00 rebate for a Watersense toilet.

Consumer Reports should have made some effort in their report to warn people about the WDI dual flush product. I don't understand how "junk" continues to get "best buy" ratings. But then, I'm a plumber selling, installing and repairing toilets for a "living", and so I have to put up with the fallout from their report.

If you are looking for a 10" rough, ADA bowl, then I have in stock the Toto CST744EF.10 for $319.99 that gets the rebate.
The Gerber 21-317 is the 1.6 gallon version of the Flushmate, with a 10" rough and sells for $339.99 locally here in Bothell. It takes a day or two to get this.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Redwood]

I just love it when these other companies try to imitate the FlushMate....

The Good Ol Kohler stab at it with their Pressure Lite Exploding Toilet...

Then there was the orphaning of the PF-2's......

And now these WDI beauties.... ROFLMAO

When will they ever learn?
I did long ago....
I buy Flushmate and avoid the imitators....
If a company like Kohler can't engineer their way out of it with superseded parts superseding parts imagine how a lessor company will do....
Kohler got smart and threw in the towel....
When are these idiots going to figure it out....

 

[blackbiz]

So what is the solution to this faulty toilet? I have called the customer service and (949) number several times which has been a complete joke. (800) number is just an answering machine, and lady at the (949) number says all she can do is pass along your information, a la the answer machine. In the end, no one ever gets back to you. This has been a big disappointing experience.

 

[Terry]

The solution is to replace the inner tank with the Flushmate 1.1 gallon tank. You can get that replacement on the Flushmate site, which by the way is getting very tired of homeowners asking about the WDI tanks made in China. Flushmate does not make the WDI dual flush. Flushmate manufactures their 1.1 and 1.6 tanks in Detroit Michigan. They are a local product that has been in use for years and years.

 

[kevinmadams]

As for Consumer Reports, this is the kind of reporting I seen from them for the last 20 years not just on toilets. I can see it now the boss comes in and says hurry up with that toilet report you have TV's tomorrow and toasters Friday.... Consumer reports has lost all credibility with me since the made Bear paint a top pic. I have built two kind of testing laboratories in my 38 year construction career. I know the personal and equipment needed for a lab to do correct, specific, and certified testing is phenomenal. In my opinion Consumer Reports opinion should be trusted as much as the main stream media.

 

[Ballvalve]

Your best protection: If its not in a dollar store, and it says made in China and includes a moving part, do not buy it.

 

[$$$ down the drain]

I have three Gerber Dual Flush toilets. The first two failed within 6 months of their purchase and WDI customer service took care of the problem right away. The third and final toilet started to fail two months ago. I have tried and tried and tried to contact WDI and NO ONE returns my calls. I'm done dealing with WDI. Yesterday I called Gerber to complain and they are in denial about this problem. They told me that the WDI product is kind of like a package inside of a package and that their (Gerber's) warranty only covers the china and that I need to contact WDI. I had to repeat myself over and over to the Gerber rep. that WDI is not returning calls and I that I felt like WDI was hiding from a huge problem and that I felt like Gerber needs to take care of the promblem NOW!

I'm ordering three Flushmate replacement tanks today... I'm done with Gerber and I'm done with WDI and heck I'm done with made in China!

 

[RedHouse]

WDI Ecoflush Handle dripping

I have a Crane Plumbing toilet with WDI Ecoflush (unknown model). The handle drips when you flush it. I've checked the tank and I can't see why. Also, the dual-flush dosen't seem to work. Would aprecciate any help.

WDI Technology EcoFlush

 

[RedHouse]

Here is the Costco toilet now being sold with this Lemon

Why do you call it a lemon?

 

[Terry]

When 40% of the tanks fail within six months, that's a Lemon.
Consumer Reports may like products that fail that quickly, but then they aren't plumbers, and they don't have to do the service calls. I'm still waiting for them to apologize for the mistake and let people know that their "Best Buy" should read, "Lemon".

WDI EcoFlush, a dual-flush pressure unit.
Made in China, not that it should have made any difference.

 

[Shoeless]

I have three of the "lemons" and the first one I purchased (probably 5 years ago) is exhibiting a weak flush. I called the 800 number and got an answering machine but before throwing in the towel and ordering a Flushmate replacement, I called the 949 number. A woman answered and transferred my call and someone picked up immediately. He was very helpful and asked a series of questions. He said I needed a new flush valve control assembly and offered to send me one - free for the part, $8.99 shipping.

I then told him I had read about the general unreliability of this unit. He was very familiar with this thread and assured me that this part is undergoing "continuous" redesigns to improve it. I didn't say I believed it, I'm just relaying what he told me. But I decided that it was worth a try to spend $9 rather than $140 or so for the Flushmate.

When life hands you lemons, get a new flush control valve assembly!


If I had the choice originally to buy a U.S. made system rather than a Chinese one, I would have paid substantially more. Not because that U.S. made items are necessarily better than Chinese made ones - the Chinese can make good products just like U.S. companies can make junk at times. I just would much rather support the U.S. manufacturing base. I think the best hope we have for U.S. manufacturing is for democracy to sweep into China with the eventual (and probably very gradual turn to) fair wages being paid to their workers. Wouldn't that be nice?


Snowshoe - Not Just a Dog

 

[Gary Swart]

Yeah, it's tough to toss something that even when not ideal is functioning. However, you might want to keep in mind how much use a toilet gets per day, per week, per month, per year. Is it really worth hanging on to a poor performer? Certainly, that's a question only you can answer, but it is something you might want to consider. Would you keep a car that wasn't reliable?

 

[Shoeless]

But if the replacement part is truly redesigned (as the manufacturer said) and now reliable, then it makes no sense to throw out the baby with the toilet water. A visual inspection indicated the $9 replacement valve was certainly a different design so I'm back up and running and only time will tell. Seems like a better decision than spending $400+ to replace all the units.

 

[Terry]

I'm back up and running and only time will tell.

Yes..........time will tell. Let us know in a few years how that works for you.

My customers and myself got burned pretty badly on the previous tanks.

 

[churchillrow]

Thanks for the info, Here is a link to the flushmate part.

Amazing that the problem is widespread enough that they have brought out a product specifically to deal with it.

https://www.eflushmate.com/FP/category/WDIMaster.html

 

[toby emerson]

I have 301 of these EcoFlush gabage toilets in the hotel i work. I have ecoflush B8104's.I have single flush 1.1 per flush, when i call Zern to get my warrenty parts they send me the 8601 cartrages now ( box is marked 8401). I have not found a compatable alternative insert for the Zurn brand I have.In the past year and a half ( they were installed 3 1/2 years ago) I have ran through 26 cartrages, 8 bladders ( for some reason the water at base of it likes to flow into the tank. Another Chief Engineer at a different property had to have Zurn ( or ecoflush) out to his property and put 280 yes, 280 mini hose clamps on one of the lines added because thhe original crimped piece was malfunctioning and spraying water in the guest rooms. I hate EcoFlush, I hate Zurn, i wish there was a replacment bladder for my side handle tanks, but i have not found one as of yet.--- Thanks

 

[GCk444]

It is clear you have a defective EcoFlush vessel that suffers from defective parts, and many EcoFlush vessels have pinholes and all kind of malfunctions. The good plumbers will not sell or touch any American Standard, Gerber, Mansfield or ZURN's EcoFlush toilet. My plumber told me that every time he calls Eco technical supports, they tried to make him pay for shipping cost when the damn products are defective. They always bullshit you this is first time they ever see any pinholes and other defective problems. If anyone wants good stuff, be safe and buy US made like Sloan or be very SORRY with all these CHEAP made in china products from EcoFlush/WDI!

 

[GCk444]

To everyone that has the EcoFlush toilets, DO NOT be Scammed and pay the $8.99 shipping fee when you have DEFECTIVE parts from your EcoFlush pods. Why does anyone need to pay it when the damn things FAIL all the time??? If EcoFlush/WDI tells you to pay for any shipping fee, you just need to contact the Toilet manufactures (i.e. ZURN, GERBER, MANSFIELD, AMERICAN STANDARD etc..). I don't have these toilet manufacture info but you can just google them. These EcoFlush pods have a 10 years warranty, and no one should pay for any DEFECTIVE products, plus WASTING your time on these BS products. Buy American (Sloan)!

 

[seatocl]

longevity fix orings

We have this toilet and it worked for about two months, then stopped flushing reliably. Called the company and they sent a new flush mechanism. Very prompt service. Because of the shape of our tank, it was not an easy task to replace this part. Would have to remove all of the insides to replace the flush mechanism. So, we tried just removing the two little caps on it and replacing the springs inside with the springs that came in the new unit. It worked! Flushed reliably again for about 3 months. Now, back to never knowing if it will flush. If we take off the caps, the toilet will flush while the cap is off, seemingly from some kind of relation to the spring action being released. My husband wants to just replace the toilet. I am going to try to find a source for the springs and see if replacing them regularly will solve the problem. Just guessing, I suppose, but for our unit the springs definitely seem to be a factor.

Here is what I do:

1. Turn off water to Eco-flush.
2. Remove caps on flush handle.
3. Remove the springs and pull the white plastic plungers with tip of finger.
4. Clean and inspect plungers and o-rings.
5. Apply small amount of bee's wax or petrol. jelly to the o-rings. The o-rings here trap air not water. Plastic to rubber makes wear and leaks.
5a. With the bee's wax rubbed into you finger rub finger into cylinder walls leaving no trace to be pushed down into piping.
6. Wipe any excess from plungers then re-install plungers back into the cylinder with the notches aligned.
7. With your finger, raise and lower plunger to check and distribute some bee's wax to the inside cylinder wall.
8. Replace springs.
9. Replace caps.
10. Make sure the handle lifts and lowers correctly. If not reinstall again.
11. Turn water back on and wait until water sound stops.
12. Pray!
13. Hold your breath and cross your fingers.
14. Flush.
15. I would do this when new. You would assume they would lube these at factory. but I have always found them dry when leaking.

I have had a couple of these and have replaced the handle once. Simple physics would make these usable longer. The other plungers in the system need this also. I learned this years ago when my Dad serviced my bike pump that had leather seals. "Keep them supple and they will seal. Happy Fathers day.