Toto Drake - original flapper replace or fix - part # confusion

[Mazcar]

Gentlemen,

I have a Toto Drake CST744s. It's a couple of years old, now. We have serious water issues at my condos. The water puts out a lot of minerals and our water lines have calcium build-up. Recently, my toilet started giving me the once-per hour hiss that seems to be the symptom of a bad flapper. I ran my finger along the flapper and flush valve lip to remove any crud. However, I found a gelatin type goo there. It all came off with my finger, but the once-per hour hiss remains. Grrr. Online a lot of people are complaining about the Toto 3" flappers. Is there something wrong with the design? Is there any mod that I can do to get better life than two years out of a flapper? A Toto-Korky genuine flapper costs $25. That's insane. I did see that Korky says that the part number that replaces the THU175s is the THU331s, and that they sell it in a non-Toto number of 2021. Home Depot sells a 2021cm. EBay has a bunch of 2021bp available for $10. They say they are for 3" Toto G-Max. So, what gives with the letters? Is it a bunch of hooey and doesn't matter?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Gary Swart]

I don't know where you got a price of $25 for a Korky flapper, that is crazy. Depending on the store, somewhere around $7 would be about right. Are you sure it's the flapper? The cap on the flush valve M 528 is often the cause of the symptom you describe. Also a quick and inexpensive fix. The usual causes of early flapper failure is chlorine in the water or using bowl cleaning chemicals placed in the tank.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

If Korky recommends it for your toilet, it will be good with your toilet. I suspect you found the Korky product selector tool. http://m.korky.com/landing.php

You might discuss with the board having your water improved. If it is the condo's well, they would want to get the water tested by a lab. If this is city water, the water department probably has recent test data for you. Maybe all it would take is a suitable softener to improve your water a lot. This would not be mainly for the toilets, but for everything else too.

 

[WJcandee]

Online a lot of people are complaining about the Toto 3" flappers.

They are idiots.

A Toto-Korky genuine flapper costs $25.

Where? Neiman-Marcus?

It's $11 at Home Depot.

However, I found a gelatin type goo there.

This is likely organic, not mineral. Kill it with something. It might damage your flapper, but you're going to replace it anyway.

Blah-blah model numbers

Any of the following will work fine in your toilet:

Korky 2021. The letters after that model mean nothing (unlike on the various flavors of the 528 fill valve, where they do mean something). BP means "blister pack". Home Depot uses a variety of other letters after the model number to prevent you from comparing the price easily, like CM. Whatever. Online I find it for $9.34. It's exactly the same flapper that came with your toilet. I mean it's the same flapper, from the same mold at the same factory. Just in a different box. It is the right flapper for a lot of Totos. I posted a list in the comments a long time ago.

Korky 3060. This adjustable 3" mostly-rubber flapper fits a lot of Toto and other toilets. It's more expensive than the 2021, so no reason to buy it unless you're in a pinch, which you aren't.

Korky 2023. This is a new-design completely-universal flapper for Totos. It comes in a hybrid Toto/Korky box. Available at HD. It's a little sturdier than a completely Chlorazone flapper, as it has a bunch of plastic components. It's about $3 more than the $10-something HD gets for the 2021. I have stuck with the 2021, but if you're complaining about that flapper, it's an option.

Personally, the idea of having to spend $10 every two years to replace a flapper doesn't concern me, although mine have lasted much longer. It's always a water-quality issue, and it looks like you have one.