Ideal Standard Close Coupling Ring Washer Doughnut Toilet WC Cistern

Product Information

We are currently using Royal Mail Parcelforce and DPD as our delivery providers, all small items will be delivered by Royal Mail, these can take up to three working days to reach you. Refit the 1 or 2 screws that secure the cistern to the surface behind but don’t tighten them too much, leave a little wiggle room. This is just to help hold everything in place and ensure nothing moves out of place.

However this issue would not just become apparent after flushing the toilet, there would be a constant leak. Before doing anything, the first task is to turn off the water supply to the cistern so that you can safely disconnect the flexi hose or other means of connection. The close coupled toilet is a fairly modern iteration and was meant as a replacement for the older and less efficient low level toilet. This is a problem in itself as the two types of toilet suite are very rarely interchangeable due to their size and layout. To see how to get over this problem go to our project on changing toilets To allow water in to fill the cistern, normally a flexi hose connector is attached to a water supply pipe and then screwed on to the base of the fill valve. In some instances a flexi hose isn’t used and copper pipe runs straight to the valve. This is the most likely root of the cause, however there can be others so read on to learn about how to resolve leaks with close coupled toilets. Why is my Close Coupled Toilet Leaking When I Flush??Note: There are several different sizes of doughnut so make sure that you get the right one. Measure the diameter of the base of the flush valve in the cistern and then you will know what size doughnut you need to ensure it fits correctly. Again if this is a newly installed toilet and you have just noticed a puddle of water on the floor then it may be coming from the incoming water supply and where it’s attached to the toilet fill valve or flush valve as it’s also known.

When screwing up these bolts once they are inserted down through the toilet pan, if you don’t tighten them evenly and together so that the cistern is pulled down straight and level then this can also be a cause of leaks as the cistern will sit at an angle and not seal the doughnut correctly. Other Causes of Leaks From Close Coupled Toilets With the wall fixings removed the final job before removing the cistern is to loosen and remove the through bolts holding the cistern to the pan. To stop water running out of the cistern through these holes the fitting kit is supplied with 2 conical rubber washers. The thinnest end plugs down into the hole and as the bolts are done up, a metal washer on top crushes the rubber into the hole creating a firm seal. As we have discussed, the most common cause of close coupled cistern leaks is that cistern isn’t sitting at 90° on top of the toilet pan. If the cistern is leaning over, even a little, one side of the doughnut lifts and, with a lot of water pressure, the leak is exposed. However as this water would be foul water e.g. water mixed with waste it wouldn’t be clean like fresh water and it would also stink!I have not yet mounted the cistern on the toilet, but I have the feeling that something is not right. Once installed, the next problem a lot of people encounter is that, the first time they flush a newly fitted close coupled toilet cistern, it leaks. This is such a common problem and 99% of the time the answer is the same. The cistern needs to be fitted at exactly 90° to the toilet pan. This allows the large rubber ring washer, or doughnut to create a proper seal.

This is especially important if the leak is with a newly installed close coupled toilet! The through bolts, as stated above, secure the cistern to the toilet by running down through holes in the base of the cistern and top of the toilet. Take off the cistern lid and disconnect the push button or similar flush mechanism and put the lid safely to one side. If however you find that you still have a leak then you will need to remove the cistern again and apply some Plumbers Mait all around the doughnut, top and bottom. Once reassembled this should now fully resolve any leaks. Finally have a good clean up around the under side of the toilet and floor, removing any water that could cause make you think there are leaks but there aren’t and then flush the toilet. If all is well after any inspection all should be clear and you should now be leak free.Using a spanner if there are nuts present or your fingers if there are wingnuts, unscrew each nut and then carefully lift the cistern free of the toilet pan. If Plumbers Mait or a similar sealant isn’t used or the screw cap on the hose isn’t done up tight enough onto the fill valve then water can easily leak up through the threads.