Toilet handle: cisten hole size?

[Terry Pinnell]

I need a new toilet handle. Surprisingly, none of the dozens I browsed specified
the diameter of the hole in the side of the cistern that was required, a crucial
dimension

I bought one called 'Merriway BH00126' but its collar diameter of about 19.5 is
much too large for the roughly 18 mmm hole in the three cisterns in our 1990
house. All others looked similar.

I went to this site for possible advice.
https://knowhow.sparespro.co.uk/toilet-flush-handle-buying-guide/
where I read this:

"Cistern Hole Size
The majority of cisterns have a 1/2" lever hole size. Generally, the only
exception to this are cisterns made by Ideal Standard who have a 3/8" lever hole
size."

1/2" is 12.7 mm, and 3/8" is 9.5 mm. Those are much smaller than all those I've
been looking at.

What am I possibly missing here please?

More important, can anyone recommend a manufacturer of handles with a threaded
collar of no more than 18 mm please?

Terry

[Brian]

I discovered, much to my surprise, the ‘handle’ holes aren’t a standard
sized 7 or 8 years back. ( Perhaps longer.)

My best advice is to visit a good plumbers’ merchant with the dimensions of
what you need.

When I became aware of the problem, it was due to a plumbers’ merchant
asking the make of the cistern when I was looking for a new handle - I
assumed they were interchangeable.

Like yours, ours was and Ideal and the ‘common’ ones wouldn’t have fitted.

[Terry Pinnell]

Thanks Brian. Reassured that it's not just me!

I've phoned several manufacturers and incredibly each of the 'technical support'
staff I asked insisted that the cistern holes were 3/8" or 1/2"! I persisted,
pointing out that even the metal rods were about 3/8 square; my calipers said
9.3 mm. But no joy. And even those few sites which showed lengths of the handle
and the plastic 'puller' did not give the all important 'threaded collar'
diameter.

Terry

====================

[Clive Arthur]

Well there's this, seems expensive though...

https://www.replacementbathroom.co.uk/standard-toilet-cistern-lever-18mm--small-bush--17405-p.asp

I wonder if the sparespro site meant 3/4" and not 3/8"? Mine may be
18mm or it may be 3/4", but it's certainly more than 1/2" and looks to
me to be a 'normal' size.

--
Cheers
Clive

[Clive Arthur]

On 23/05/2022 17:16, Terry Pinnell wrote:

<snipped>

'threaded collar'

AKA 'bush'.

--
Cheers
Clive

[Terry Pinnell]

Thanks Clive. Wow, £25, no way! I don’t get it, there must be quite a large market for Ideal Standard replacement parts like mine? The toilet can’t be older than the 1990 house, which is not that ancient.

Has anyone had any success reaming out the existing hole? Needs at most 2 mm. Then the hundreds of parts I’ve seen would fit.

Still baffled by these almost universal references to 1/2” and 3/8”, the latter for Ideal Standard cisterns I gather. Those diameters mean nothing to me. My cisterns holes are just over 18 mm.

[Matthias Czech]

Am 23.05.2022 um 23:58 schrieb Terry Pinnell:
> Thanks Clive. Wow, £25, no way! I don’t get it, there must be quite a large market for Ideal Standard replacement parts like mine? The toilet can’t be older than the 1990 house, which is not that ancient.
>
> Has anyone had any success reaming out the existing hole? Needs at most 2 mm. Then the hundreds of parts I’ve seen would fit.
>
> Still baffled by these almost universal references to 1/2” and 3/8”, the latter for Ideal Standard cisterns I gather. Those diameters mean nothing to me. My cisterns holes are just over 18 mm.
>

They say: Fits 17mm to 20mm.
https://www.plumbers-mate-sales.co.uk/ideal-standard-small-hole-front-cistern-lever-38---08000400-164-p.asp

And a little less pricey.

[Clive Arthur]

That probably explains it - it's a 3/8" BSP thread which is nearly 17mm
diameter.

--
Cheers
Clive

[Terry Pinnell]

Thanks Matthias, that's better!

Clive: Was just about to post this image, then saw you got there before me! I'll
include it anyway for anyone who ends up here with a similar query.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x8uixmii4fayook/ToiletHandleDimensions.jpg?raw=1

[Brian]

Our cistern- since replaced- was a pain. The flush had a mind of its own.
In the end, I removed the syphon flush and replaced it with a flap one
which came with a push button. That required some ‘modification’ to the
mounting ring to make it fit but it worked a treat in the end.

Then, we had the whole bathroom replaced….