New experience or How to drill a toilet. Flush mechanism for a toilet: device, principle of operation, overview of various designs How to drill a hole in a ceramic tank

Problems in the toilet flush system are not uncommon, however, you can always fix them yourself, the only thing is that you will need to remove the tank lid. Dismantling must be done carefully, as it can be broken or broken. Therefore, in this article we will look at how to remove the cover cistern different types of toilets.

General information

In older models of drainage tanks, it is usually quite easy to remove the panel; just unscrew the top of the release mechanism and lift it up. Modern tanks have a drain button and a push-button cup, the design of which prevents the removal of the lid.

However, in any case, this design is collapsible, so this operation should not cause any special problems. The main thing is to perform any actions carefully, without exerting excessive effort and slowly.

Before opening the toilet tank lid, you need to prepare several tools that may be required during the work process:

• Pliers;
• Screwdriver.

Note! When working with the tank, the water must be turned off. Otherwise, it may overflow and flood the bathroom.

In the photo - a tank with an upward draft

Removing the cover

First of all, it should be said that the lids of some modern ceramic models of containers are very easy to remove, since the drain button is not attached to the trigger mechanism. To make sure of this, you need to carefully try to lift the part.

Below are methods for dismantling panels of other common types of tank designs:

• If the water is drained as a result of raising the rod, then before removing the toilet tank lid, you need to unscrew the ball located at the end of the handle.
• It is more difficult to disassemble a container with drain buttons, however, these models are Lately are becoming more and more popular. In this case, before opening the lid of the toilet cistern, you need to unscrew the tube containing the buttons inside. On the outside, it usually looks like a ring that needs to be pryed off with a screwdriver or knife and turned counterclockwise.

It must be said that after this it will not be possible to completely remove the panel; you can only slightly lift it and turn it, after which you need to unfasten the latches of the push-button mechanism.

• Soviet-style plastic tanks, which are sometimes still found in apartments, have pins that must be pulled out before disassembling the structure with your own hands.

After the part is dismantled, it must be placed in a safe place where it cannot be caught or broken by anything.

Advice! Afterwards you should check its functionality several times. In particular, you need to make sure that after the float rises, the valve completely shuts off the water.

Cover repair

Gluing

If something went wrong during the dismantling process or the cover was broken for some reason, then you can try to restore it.

To do this you need to prepare the following materials:

• Scotch;
• Epoxy adhesive;
• Small plates of galvanized steel.

Instructions for performing this work are as follows:

• First, all the individual parts must be assembled into a single structure and glued with tape. This must be done carefully so that there are no gaps through which glue can leak. To do this, all joints must be carefully taped.
• Then the assembled structure must be turned over inside up.
• Before gluing the toilet tank lid, you need to mix the glue with the hardener in a ratio of 1:10.
• All joints must be thoroughly coated with glue and galvanized plates must be attached to them on top, which will give rigidity to the product.
• When the glue hardens (after about a day), the tape must be removed, after which the lid is installed on the toilet tank.

Considering that the price of a new toilet is very high, this procedure will avoid unplanned waste of funds from family budget, wherein appearance plumbing will not be affected.

Bore enlargement

Often, home craftsmen, after replacing drain fittings, are faced with one difficulty - the diameter of the hole in the lid is smaller than the diameter of the fitting. Of course, you shouldn’t completely change the plumbing fixture because of this, but how to enlarge the hole in the toilet tank lid?

There are two ways to solve the problem:

• Carefully drill a hole with a ceramic drill and extra areas chip off. The irregularities will be hidden by the cap.
• Carefully chip away at the glaze using a thin drill bit and hammer, and then widen the hole with a round file.

In both cases, you need to act very carefully so as not to split the surface, since making a lid from the toilet tank in this case will be much more difficult.

Here, perhaps, are all the main points that you need to know in order to dismantle the tank cap and, if necessary, repair it.

I'll start with the background - then the title will be clear
The summer season has begun, and it started with a little trouble for me.
The country house is not heated in winter and freezes. And since there was a global move the previous fall, I forgot to remove the water from both toilets. As a result, the knee of both toilets burst
What to do? Change bowls. We bought toilets a couple of years ago - new models, we really liked them. I googled it - there are toilets assembled with tanks, but there are no separate bowls (prices - 9000 and 3900). I contacted the manufacturer - delivery time is 2.5 months. And so the summer will end. Ambush.
And then I found separate bowls from the same series, but a slightly different model, and even for 3000. I bought them.
But the ambush does not come alone.
The fact is that in these models, water enters the tank from below - through the shelf of the bowl. Those bowls that burst were universal - with a right and left hole for entry. Both tanks have left input. But, as you may have guessed, I bought the bowls with right input. But there are no others.
The eternal Russian question - what to do? Hand over? No! Drill!!!
Well, we've come to the point.
And then everything is simple - first, feather drills on the tiles. 4mm-6mm-8mm
Then with a crown. At first I used a concrete bit, a cheap one, not a diamond one. Somehow this process began to completely depress me - but the result was not very good. I spat, drove to Leroy and found what I needed - a diamond crown for porcelain tiles. And for quite ridiculous money.
We began to have a complete understanding with her and literally in 15 minutes. everything was ready.
Yes, the most important thing is that we drill at low, low speeds and always with water.

Without a toilet in the bathroom, it’s hard to call a cottage or apartment comfortable. Agree, this statement is difficult to refute. There are a huge number of models of this plumbing fixture. But especially difficult internal device they are no different, the principle of operation is the same for all modifications.

If there is a breakdown with the water supply, then the flush mechanism for the toilet will most likely have to be repaired - it is the drainage system that most often fails in this plumbing fixture. We are ready to help you quickly deal with this problem.

In this material, we have collected and summarized information about the main types of toilet tanks, breakdowns that may occur, and ways to eliminate them. For clarity, the materials are accompanied themed photos and video.

The flush cistern is an integral and one of the main elements of the toilet. This is a container with two or three technological holes for supplying/draining water and a lid.

First, water is drawn into this reservoir, and then, at the press of a button, it is discharged into the toilet bowl to flush the sewage down the drain.

There is nothing particularly interesting or complicated in the design of the toilet flush cistern. There are only a couple of mechanisms inside.

One ensures the supply and shut-off of the supplied water at the moment when it fills the container to the required level, and the second is designed to directly drain the accumulated moisture into the bowl.

Regardless of the design of the toilet, a flush tank must be present in it, since the direct supply of water from the cold water pipeline does not ensure the proper quality and cleanliness of the flush

Based on the material used, flush tanks are divided into three types:

1. Ceramic(faience) - reliable and cheap classics.
2. Metal- not very aesthetically pleasing in appearance, but a durable option.
3. Plastic(made of polyethylene) – blocks that are light in weight and installation.

According to the method of fastening and location they are:

• low-lying– installed directly on the toilet bowl;
• high-ranking– hung on the wall or located inside it in the installation block.

Separate toilets, in which the tank is separated from the bowl, have a drain pipe for overflowing water. And the higher their storage tank is suspended, the more powerful the water pressure it produces.

Their only drawback is the not very presentable appearance of the tank, located high above the floor. Therefore, most often in domestic toilets you can see models of toilets with tanks placed directly on the edge of the bowl. They are more compact and aesthetically pleasing.

Water supply options

The internal mechanism for supplying water to the toilet flush cistern includes:

• tap ();
• levers.

Water is supplied to the storage tank through a hole in its body on the right, left or bottom. With the side method, the float is attached to the end of a horizontal lever, which is connected to the valve of the ball valve.

And in the bottom version, the float is connected to a vertical rod located in the supply pipe.

The basic principle of operation of the mechanism for supplying water to the toilet flush cistern is extremely simple. As a result of the emptying of the storage tank, the float, which floats on the water thanks to the air inside, drops following a decrease in the liquid level.

Once at the bottom, it opens the fitting valve on the water supply, and as the tank fills, it rises again and shuts off the water supply.

Everything in the operation of this mechanism is based on the laws of physics. There are no electronics in its design, which significantly reduces the risk of breakdown. It is possible that there is too little or too much water in the toilet tank.

Then the float only needs to be adjusted so that the filling of the tank corresponds to the required parameters. But if the levers are broken, then the float system will have to be changed.

Types of drain mechanisms

If you need to flush unnecessary things from the toilet, we simply press the button on the tank. Everything else happens by itself. The water release mechanism inside is activated, opening the drain valve.

As a result, the water flow rushes into the bowl and washes everything into the sewer system.

The filling and draining mechanisms are not structurally connected with each other, each of them functions independently, but these devices start/stop in combination simultaneously

The drainage device is activated by:

• by pressing a button;
• pressing the lever;
• pulling the chain (string).

Tanks are available in different shapes and designs. However, most of them are standardized for a volume of 6 or 4 liters and have standard sizes holes for drain valves.

There are a huge number of water drainage mechanisms themselves, different in design. But if the one in the tank breaks, it can be replaced with a new one without any problems.

Our other article contains information about the design of a drainage device -.

The simplest variety drain siphon- This is a “pear”, shaped like a rubber plunger. Under the weight of water, it is pressed tightly against the drain hole and blocks it.

And when you press the lever, the “pear” rises due to mechanical force and releases water into the toilet bowl.

Then, as the tank fills, it becomes heavier and lowers back onto the seat, again closing the drain hole.

Everything is designed in such a way that, by definition, it cannot spill out of the tank. If triggered, such a transfusion will lead to an increase in the readings of the cold water meter, but will avoid a flood.

Structurally, the flush of water in the toilet itself can be horizontal or circular. First classic version involves supplying water in a continuous stream from one side of the bowl, and the second - forming jets in a circular pattern from its rim.

The horizontal descent is cheaper to implement, but is uneconomical and washes sanitaryware worse. The circular analogue is better in all operational parameters.

However, when high degree If the water is hard, its small holes may become clogged, resulting in fewer jets.

Operating principle of dual-mode flush

Modern models of flush cisterns are equipped with a double flush button. This is a tribute to the fashion for saving water.

Such devices are designed for two operating modes:

• standard– to dump the entire tank into the bowl (4 or 6 liters);
• half– to pour out only part of the volume (2 or 3 liters).

Such a system is more economical in terms of water consumption. But it is also more capricious in terms of setup and repair. The number of internal elements in it is increased, which means the risk of failure of this device increases.

A two-mode flush tank with a pair of buttons allows you to significantly save water, since in some cases only part of it is used, and not all of it

In addition to the dual option, the button for the dual-mode drain mechanism can be one. In this case, the volume of water released depends on the force of human pressure on the lever.

While the button is pressed, the drain hole remains open, and when released it returns up and at the same time the drain is blocked.

Selection and repair of tank mechanisms

When choosing a toilet tank, you have to make a compromise between the price of the flush device and its quality. Construction from metal elements more durable, but also more expensive than one made entirely of plastic.

The water supply from below is less noisy than the side one, but you will have to overpay a lot for it. The side-mounted mechanism is simpler in design and cheaper.

The Soviet float design with a plastic barrel on a wire arm may not look very presentable, but it is the most inexpensive and easiest to adjust option

The float is made in the form of a hollow sealed cylinder or an inverted glass. The first option is more reliable, but if holes appear in the plastic walls, you can forget about tightness. Water seeping through the holes will inevitably lead to failure of the float.

The principle of its operation is based on the presence of air inside. If punctures appear in the plastic, it must be replaced immediately.

The “glass” is initially leaky, it has an order of magnitude less trouble with breakdowns - but if it accumulates deposits inside due to high water hardness, it will become too heavy and stop working properly

The problem may be due to contamination of the drain valve. Just in between rubber element and the saddle has accumulated dirt in the form of rust from old pipes or silt.

In this case, you won’t have to change anything; just remove the cover, lift the cuff and clean everything under it with a rag. But if the rubber is worn out or aged, then it will definitely need to be replaced.

You may also be interested in the information on how to replace discussed in our article.

Before installing the valve inside the tank, it must be secured to the bowl. The design and layout of the toilet cistern are such that after installing the internal mechanisms, it will be problematic to reach the tightening bolts.

First, you should install and fasten the ceramic tank on the edge of the toilet bowl, and only then install all the devices for supplying/discharging water in it.

Repair of the float valve is carried out in the following order:

Image gallery

Malfunctions in the operation of the float valve of the flush tank are most often associated with damage to the membrane or valve. In order to replace the damaged element, unscrew the device

To “get” to the membrane or valve, we disassemble the valve head

If the membrane is torn, it will have to be replaced. We go with her to the store to buy exactly the same one. It happens that malfunctions in the operation of the faucet are associated only with the appearance of sediment on the parts, then we don’t change anything, just clean it with a brush soaked in vinegar

To simplify adjustment of the float position, some mechanisms have threaded connection on a rod or a rotating block to adjust the position of this “displacer”

The main problem when making adjustments is not changing the position of the float, but the need to remove the toilet tank lid. A drain button is attached to it, which in many models is rigidly connected to the drain mechanism.

To avoid breaking anything, this structure should be disassembled extremely carefully. First you need to carefully unscrew the clamping ring of the button. And only after this will it be possible to move the lid without fear.

Have you ever had an unfortunate toilet lid break? You can try to fix it yourself. In this article we looked at how to do this step by step.

If, with the float in the upper position, water still continues to flow into the tank, then the problem lies in the inlet valve. It will have to be disassembled and cleaned or completely replaced

Almost all the working elements of the flush cistern mechanism in the toilet are now made of plastic rather than metal. Because of this, they often break.

In stores, plumbing supplies are sold as ready-made designs drainage and supply, as well as their individual components for repair. In some situations it is cheaper to replace only part of the device, while in others it is easier to replace the entire assembly.

Photo instructions for replacing the device

For home craftsmen who want to completely replace a damaged drainage device, the following photo instructions will help them in their work:

Image gallery

We turn off the water supply, then drain all the water from the tank. Unscrew the button or remove the drain lever, remove the tank lid

In order to remove the broken drain mechanism, turn it 1/4 turn counterclockwise

We determine the cause of the malfunction in the drainage system. If it is due to damage to the valve or the appearance of mineral deposits on it, clean the valve or replace it with a new one