Microflush Toilet Seal

[dale farley]

As I posted a few days ago, I replaced the valve inside my toilet to stop it from running too much. Immediately afterwards, I noticed that my seal on the flapper was leaking and preventing water from staying in the bowl. I did not readily find a replacement seal at a service center or on-line. The seal may have been leaking all along but wasn't noticeable because of the leaking valve. The water would leak out in a few minutes.

Yesterday, I took a small acid brush, mixed a few drops of dish detergent in a little vinegar and brushed around the contact area of the seal for a few minutes. There were significant calcium deposits on the seal. Before starting the job, I flushed the commode and stopped the flapper about 3/4 open by flipping the on/off switch inside the back of the commode. The acid brush had just the right stiffigivity (Hillbilly for stiffness) and removed most of the calcium build up. You can still see specks of calcium deposits in the picture, but I must have removed most of it where the seal contacted the commode because after 24 hours I see no loss of water. I used a little vaseline to lightly coat the seal after cleaning. This may be a good preventive maintenance measure for those not yet having a problem. It would be even better, if we could get our wives to do it.

[Denny]

Good job Dale. How did you do with the slide?

[dale farley]

Denny,

I went out Monday morning, and the slide worked as it should. Now that I have the wiring diagram, I think the switches on one of the bay doors may have been the culprit. The bay doors under the slide are tied to a common relay that will disable the slide if the door is not closed or the switch thinks the door is not closed.

[Denny]

Glad it is working for you. I'm sure there was a huge sigh of relief when the manuals arrived. So much easier to diagnose problems with the prints in front of you.