Neighbours noisy toilet cistern

alec green

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Mar 7, 2013, 4:40:39 PM3/7/13

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Hi, I live in a mid terrace, and my toilet backs on to my neighbours, when mt neighbour flushes their toilet the cistern takes over 2 1/2 minutes to refill and the noise from the water filling is very loud and echos through my house. I would be willing to buy a new cistern for them, but not sure how to approach the situation. I politely asked them once if it was faulty, but was told there was nothing wrong with it. Any ideas please.

Thanks

brass monkey

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Mar 7, 2013, 5:22:33 PM3/7/13

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"alec green" <alec...@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:b3335139-1683-46d9...@googlegroups.com...

-------------

Depending on the type of noise you could ask if the ballcock has a filler
pipe which reaches the bottom of the cistern, maybe it dropped off?
If it's just a "water running through pipes" noise, I dunno. Yes I do, go
detached? ;)

polygonum

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Mar 7, 2013, 5:26:50 PM3/7/13

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On 07/03/2013 21:40, alec green wrote:
> Hi, I live in a mid terrace, and my toilet backs on to my neighbours, when mt neighbour flushes their toilet the cistern takes over 2 1/2 minutes to refill and the noise from the water filling is very loud and echos through my house. I would be willing to buy a new cistern for them, but not sure how to approach the situation. I politely asked them once if it was faulty, but was told there was nothing wrong with it. Any ideas please.
>
> Thanks
>

Make up some excuse for using their toilet. And, while in there, do
whatever you need - break it, mend it, pour acid into the cistern,...

--
Rod

Dave Liquorice

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Mar 7, 2013, 5:21:14 PM3/7/13

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On Thu, 7 Mar 2013 13:40:39 -0800 (PST), alec green wrote:

> Hi, I live in a mid terrace, and my toilet backs on to my neighbours,
> when mt neighbour flushes their toilet the cistern takes over 2 1/2
> minutes to refill and the noise from the water filling is very loud and
> echos through my house. I would be willing to buy a new cistern for
> them,

Doesn't need a new cistern just a new valve or the existing one having a
bit of TLC. What sort of noise is it? Squealling/hissing or hammering?

> I politely asked them once if it was faulty, but was told there was
> nothing wrong with it. Any ideas please.

Is there a lady of the house? Maybe informing her that your terribly
sorry but every time she uses the loo you know because of the noise from
the cistern. It might get something done.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Mrs Bonk

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Mar 7, 2013, 7:02:17 PM3/7/13

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On 07/03/2013 21:40, alec green wrote:

> Hi, I live in a mid terrace, and my toilet backs on to my neighbours, when mt neighbour flushes their toilet the cistern takes over 2 1/2 minutes to refill and the noise from the water filling is very loud and echos through my house. I would be willing to buy a new cistern for them, but not sure how to approach the situation. I politely asked them once if it was faulty, but was told there was nothing wrong with it. Any ideas please.
>
> Thanks
>

My plumber fitted a silent flush into my cistern. Although not silent,
it does make a considerable difference to the noise.

Brian Gaff

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Mar 8, 2013, 5:18:21 AM3/8/13

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Sounds like it needs one of them tube thingies that extend the pipfilling it
so it gets submerged quickly!

Brian

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"alec green" <alec...@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
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Brian Gaff

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Mar 8, 2013, 5:22:02 AM3/8/13

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Well, its the filling not the flush. One assumes its a mains water filling
system. Is there a stopcock on that feed, if so changing its setting can
make things better.

Brian

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"Mrs Bonk" <ar...@spamfreecutey.com> wrote in message
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polygonum

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Mar 8, 2013, 5:30:15 AM3/8/13

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On 08/03/2013 10:18, Brian Gaff wrote:
> Sounds like it needs one of them tube thingies that extend the pipfilling it
> so it gets submerged quickly!
>
> Brian
>

Sounds like it needs more than that if it is taking more than two and a
half minutes to re-fill.

Seem to remember that public/shared WCs are supposed to refill within 30
seconds. Our downstairs one does, upstairs a but longer. But before
replacing it all, it took up to about five minutes.

--
Rod

Georg von Krapp

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Mar 8, 2013, 5:44:57 AM3/8/13

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"alec green" <alec...@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
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------------

Maybe ask them if they can hear yours, too? You never know - yours may sound
just as loud to them, but if not, it would at least give you an opportunity
to talk about it.

Bill

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Mar 8, 2013, 6:16:51 AM3/8/13

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In message <aptstp...@mid.individual.net>, polygonum
<rmoud...@vrod.co.uk> writes

I replaced the fittings in ours at work a few years ago because we were
getting deposits left in the pans, people complained that when they were
busy the cisterns had not refilled in time for the next user. Who ever
had fitted the original ball valves had used high pressure nozzles
instead of low pressure and they were all gravity fed from a tank in the
attic. Made a big difference.

>

--
Bill

polygonum

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Mar 8, 2013, 6:26:03 AM3/8/13

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On 08/03/2013 11:16, Bill wrote:
<>
> I replaced the fittings in ours at work a few years ago because we were
> getting deposits left in the pans, people complained that when they were
> busy the cisterns had not refilled in time for the next user. Who ever
> had fitted the original ball valves had used high pressure nozzles
> instead of low pressure and they were all gravity fed from a tank in the
> attic. Made a big difference.
>
>
>>
>

That was one half of the problem with ours. The other half was the tiny
diameter of everything not filled with scale.

The new one is mains-fed, and a torbeck or something (came with cistern,
etc.) Would fill in about 20 seconds to begin with but for some reason
(spray?) I wound the service valve back a touch but it was still under
30 seconds.

But even gravity feed upstairs is under a minute.

--
Rod

Dave Liquorice

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Mar 8, 2013, 6:35:11 AM3/8/13

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On Fri, 8 Mar 2013 10:18:21 -0000, Brian Gaff wrote:

> Sounds like it needs one of them tube thingies that extend the
> pipfilling it so it gets submerged quickly!

If the water supply is mains then such a dip tube has to be collapsable
to prevent back syphonage. I don't think I've seen a traditional ball
valve with a dip collapsable or otherwise.

The silent fill equilibrium (torbeck) ones have a dip tube that is
collapsable.
--
Cheers
Dave.

F Murtz

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Mar 8, 2013, 7:01:19 AM3/8/13

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I fitted a brand new suposedly silent flush and it is the noisiest one I
have heard in 70 years.
It is in a plastic cistern tank mounted on a timber framed wall and
reverberates through the whole house

Mrs Bonk

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Mar 8, 2013, 7:01:57 AM3/8/13

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On 08/03/2013 10:22, Brian Gaff wrote:
> Well, its the filling not the flush. One assumes its a mains water filling
> system. Is there a stopcock on that feed, if so changing its setting can
> make things better.
> Brian
>

sorry Brian, i wasn't clear. Mine was the filling too but he called the
part "silent flush" It is instead of a traditional ball cock and has
something dangling in the water, like a long piece of plastic and a very
tiny ball.

Brian Gaff

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Mar 8, 2013, 8:11:36 AM3/8/13

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Mine takes ages but then its on the loft tank feed and sounds rather like a
babbling brook.
Wrong hole size in valve and I've never bothered to change it as there is
only me here!

Brian

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j Burns

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Mar 8, 2013, 9:54:08 PM3/8/13

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If you had an iPad, you could show it to the OP's neighbour on FaceTime.

Mrs Bonk

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Mar 9, 2013, 9:48:56 PM3/9/13

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I don't do Facetime with any old riff raff!

j Burns

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Mar 10, 2013, 4:04:10 AM3/10/13

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The OP said he asked politely. If they were any old riff raff, wouldn't
he have asked rudely?

Adrian C

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Mar 10, 2013, 4:53:37 AM3/10/13

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On 07/03/2013 21:40, alec green wrote:

Ah, you ask if it's faulty. Have you mentioned the 2.5 minutes and noise?

You need to speak face to face, no letters (Certainly not like the idiot
that lives next to me). Record it on a cassette tape recorder (remember
them?), take it around and play it. At this stage I would not mention
ideas about offering them money to fix it, some may even take offence to
that.

If nothing is done, then a short written note. Not something banged out
on A4 using a cranky typewriter / inkjet or made with individual letters
torn out a newspaper. A greetings card with harmonious flowers on the
front, probably best.

Do you have spring/summer plans for a "get together with neighbours"
party, someones birthday perhaps? Could discuss it then over cheese &
wine, or some other diversion.

--
Adrian C

SteveW

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Mar 12, 2013, 2:45:59 PM3/12/13

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On 08/03/2013 11:35, Dave Liquorice wrote:
> On Fri, 8 Mar 2013 10:18:21 -0000, Brian Gaff wrote:
>
>> Sounds like it needs one of them tube thingies that extend the
>> pipfilling it so it gets submerged quickly!
>
> If the water supply is mains then such a dip tube has to be collapsable
> to prevent back syphonage. I don't think I've seen a traditional ball
> valve with a dip collapsable or otherwise.

Until a few weeks ago we had such a valve. Standard ballcock, outlet
facing upwards, with a plastic U to make it face downwards and a
polythene (plastic bag) tube on the end of the U.

The mechanism had worn and was squirting water out in all directions
(noisily) instead of it going down the tube, so it was ditched.

SteveW