How do I tame a Flushmate tank?

[Joerg]

Got a Flushmate 503 pressure-assist tank. Besides the fact that every flush sounds like a tire blow-out it also lands quite a bit of spray under the toilet lid. That is kind of yucky, the next person lifts the lid and drip, drip, drip.

Can these things be adjusted, modified, whatever, so the flush is less violent? I don't mind custom-building something.

The "Owner Service Manual" doesn't say anything about that and a twirl of the air inducer didn't do the trick either.

Regards, Joerg.

 

[Jadnashua]

I think you are sort of stuck with it...see what the others think.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Joerg]

Well, it has all these little thingies that can be adjusted but it isn't explained anywhere. A detailed technical drawing would probably help in figuring out a tuning procedure, just like they do for electronics.

When I flush tested the toilet (with A/S I found you have to because they didn't and I had to rip out the first install...) I could make a little rubber ball fly out the back with gusto. It became airborne, sailing clear across the driveway! And they do a great job in clearing a "major deposit" out of the bowl in under a second. It doesn't have to be that fast. I am surprised that there don't seem to be too many complaints about the noise. Ok, I have a rather sound sleep but I could imagine others sitting straight up in bed, thinking there was a water main burst.

Regards, Joerg.

 

[hj]

flush

Once you trip the lever, the air compressed by the incoming water propels the water out of the FlushMate tank, and there is nothing you can do to control the rate at which it happens. The only thing you can do is reduce the house pressure to slow down the speed of the flush's water.

 

[Redwood]

Replace it with a Toto Drake Gravity Flush Toilet?

 

[Terry]

What he has is a floor mounted rear outlet toilet, which limits him to the American Standard Yorkville, or the Gerber 21-310
http://www.gerberonline.com/fileLib/21-310.pdf

All of those are Flushmate equipped toilets.
Are there adjustments?
No. It's just one of those changes we see.
When many of the rear outlets toilets were spec'd in years ago, they used more water, and it was a gravity flush.
Because they are rear outlet, the replacement options have dwindled.

 

[Joerg]

Can't replace it because we have wall discharge plumbing. But I'll try the pressure reducer if I can find one that doesn't leak. The ones for irrigation have a weep hole and can leak.

Regards, Joerg.

 

[Scott]

The Flushmate is basically a storage and delivery system for the water and with a discharge flow around 70 GPM, any inconsistencies in the china bowl can cause excess turbulence, splashing, roll-back, and other such problems often perceived as Flushmate performance issues.


The splashing you describe typically occurs when a jet-hole or rim-wash hole is partially or fully obstructed and doesn't have anything to do with the line pressure or the internal pressure of the Flushmate. These obstructions can be caused by heavy mineral build up, a small piece of porcelain that may have gotten lodged near the opening, excess glaze, or any combination of these factors. You may be able to visually identify the problem-area by observing the action in the bowl as it's flushed.


The Flushmate's pressure is controlled by a factory-set regulator in the lower supply group and as such, as long as the line pressure is meets minimum requirements (20 PSI for the 503 series), the internal pressure will be constant. Attempting to eliminate the bowl splash by partially closing the water-supply valve will not correct the splashing bowl problem and may prevent the Flushmate from performing as it should. It may cause the vacuum breaker in the upper supply to expel water into the china holding tank which is a symptom of impeded flow or low/marginal line pressure.


Since it sounds like a recent installation, it's unlikely the problem is mineral build-up and is a direct result of an obstruction in the jet or rim outlets. I suggest you contact the place of purchase or the fixture manufacturer. Their initial response will probably be to tell you to contact Flushmate so you may need to help them understand that the problem is with the bowl and not the Flushmate.

Good luck.

 

[Joerg]

Scott, this factory set stuff is exactly what I am after. I had talked with the guys who make the FlushMate tanks and the answer was the same that you get from car manufacturers: Not user adjustable. Yet people successfully tune cars ;-)

As for the bowl the workmanship is in my opinion not great but I've got to live with it. Heck, maybe some day I'll take that whole FlushMate stuff apart and see what can be done. If there was a detailed description of what does what in there it would be easier.

Regards, Joerg.