Toilet Flush Helper

[Armanda Kicks]

Ihave RA and have recently had a taller toilet installed which came with a vertical push in flusher which has put a strain on my fingers when flushing. I was delighted to find your Flush Aid on Amazon and to find that it is perfect for the purpose, easy to hold and pain-free to use.

To avoid having weak flushes in the future, focus on prevention. Make sure to check your toilet regularly and make any necessary repairs as soon as possible so you can avoid bigger problems down the line. And if you do notice an issue with a clog or slow drainpipe, take care of it immediately before it causes serious damage to your plumbing system. Regularly maintaining your toilet and being aware of any potential problems can help keep your toilet in good condition for years to come.

Easy to install, the 400H Toilet Fill Valve fits most toilets and is one of the quietest fill valves available. The 400H comes with both tank and bowl water control for a more powerful flush. The adjustability of the bowl water helps this valve work in all older as well as newer toilets.

Fill valves are normally universal and easily changed out from brand to brand. There are some toilets that require a specific type of fill valve, but most 2-piece toilets use a universal valve that are interchangeable from original equipment (valves that came with the toilet) to fill valves available in the stores.

A toilet fill valve will fail in either one of two ways, the first is the tank overfills with water and continues to run and two the fill valve does not refill the tank after you press the handle to flush the bowl. Any signs of the valve taking longer to turn off or hesitates to refill after the flush could be signs the valve is wearing out.

No, not all the fill valves are the same, however they all do the same thing and that is to refill both the tank and the bowl. Most toilets use a universal design that fit upright inside the tank and can be interchanged from original equipment (valves that came with the toilet) to universal replacement toilet valves.

The 400A is a standard refill valve that controls the water in the tank, it controls fill time and water level. The 400H is a performance fill valve that also controls the water in the tank. The 400H fill valve has an additional adjustment for the water in the toilet bowl using an independent adjustment knob. The 400H can be adjusted to let more or less water into the toilet bowl without affecting the level of water in the tank.

The Fluidmaster fill valve when activated fills both the tank and the bowl with water. The term higher refill rates describes the amount of water that is diverted to the toilet bowl. Our standard fill valve, the 400A, has a refill rate to the bowl that is standard for most toilets. A valve with higher refill rates can double the amount of water to the bowl and should be used on toilets that use less than 1.6 gpf or are stated to be higher performing toilets or High Efficiency Toilets.

H.E.T. is an acronym that spells out High Efficiency Toilet. What this term means is that the water consumption or usage of this toilet is less than the current government standard. The current standard for water usage in a toilet is 1.6 gallons per flush (GPF). Toilets that use less than 1.6 gpf are higher performing toilets or High Efficiency Toilets.

The 400AH does not come with a bowl refill dial instead it only comes with a (Roller) clamp that restricts water to the bowl. The 400AH is taller than the 400H version by 1 inch and comes with a regulator which tops the speed of refill by 2 gallons per minute. The 400H version is our newest mode and is more adjustable in that it has a separate bowl refill dial that allows easier adjustment to increase or decrease the amount of water going to the bowl, without changing the amount of water in the tank. The valve does not have a regulator but a restrictor which allows a faster flow than the AH version and can be as fast as 4 gallons per minute and higher.

First (though less likely, based on your description), the holes around the rim or the big hole in the bottom front may be clogged with hard water deposits. Sometimes you can clear these out with coat-hanger wire, sometimes you need to pour acid in the tank to dissolve the deposits.

Second, there could be something stuck in the "gooseneck", inside the lower back part of the bowl piece. This gooseneck-shaped passageway is the secret to the operation of a flush toilet, but of necessity the passageway is kind of narrow and twisted, and anything large (eg, a comb or child's toy) that falls in the toilet is apt to get stuck there.

So if clearing the water inlet holes doesn't do the trick (and it probably won't) you'll need to pull the toilet bowl, turn it upside-down, and probe in there with something to try to find what's snagged in there. If you're really lucky it will be obvious the moment you turn the unit over.

If the holes under the lip are clogged, it may well take more than a good poking with a clothes hanger to open them and keep them open. I'll describe a procedure here that I've used on many occasions to resolve lime clogging of those holes. Bear in mind that it's best to wear some goggles and some rubber gloves for safety's sake. You also need to insure that you have good venting. Opening a window and using a fan would be best as you DO NOT want to breathe ANY of the vapors that may be produced. Hold your breath if necessary.)

You can use muriatic acid to open those holes. Should be available at a hardware store near you. First turn off the water to the toilet and flush the toilet, holding the lever down so that all the water in the tank drains away. Next, wipe and dry off the surfaces under the lip of the toilet. Then tape off those holes using a good quality

foil-tape (also available at that hardware store). This is the foil tape used for sealing HVAC ducts and the like. If you're not familiar, the folks at the hardware store should be able to guide you to it.

Once you have those ALL the holes taped off and sealed, lift the flapper in the toilet tank and insert a long-necked (12" - 16") flexible funnel in the hole. Now pour a just few ounces of the muriatic acid down the funnel. Remove the funnel, allowing the flapper to close and then turn the water back on so that the tank can

refill. You want to leave the muriatic in place for just a couple of minutes. When that time has elapsed, you need to reach under the lip and remove the tape. (Be careful here as the muriatic will then likely get on your hands. Fill and keep a bucket of water and a sponge handy from the get-go so that you can wash off any spills

that may occur during the procedure as well as having it there to wash off your hands if any of the acid gets on them............. and it gives you a place to tuck that funnel when you remove it from the tank.) Once you have the tape removed, flush the toilet. Your holes will likely be wide open and the toilet should flush well. If it's improved, but not totally open, you can repeat the procedure.

Speaking of obstructions in the throat.......we had an intermittant problem after some visitors one night. They brought the kids with. Eventually, I discovered that one of those kids had dumped some quarters I kept in a jar into the bowl and gave her a flush. Don't know for sure how many went thru but I pulled the thing about a week later and there were 6 or so still lodged in there. Grrrrrrrrr.

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