Obscure dept- dual flush conversion kits

I've grown tired of replacing the flapper valves on my toilets, as our water is harsh on them, and it's a pain to adjust to make work.

Doing some quick searches- it turns out that there's a dual flush conversion kit that is out there- actually two- Fluidmaster and Danco.  On line, the Danco product has better reviews, as it appears that fluidmaster isn't a master at materials, as the cable breaks.

But has anyone done this conversion and are happy with it?  It seems as if when the seal gets brittle in these systems (which is what happens with our water), they will be easier to replace than the stupid flapper valve.

For the cost, they seem well worth it.

How old is (are) your toilet(s)? It may make sense to just replace the toilets altogether with new ones. I'm doing similar research on toilets right now as a penny pinching measure, and it seems like toilet technology is actually a constantly improving thing, and you should consider replacing them every 5-10 years, even if they work fine. 

Otherwise no help here.

In reply to mtn :

They are well over 30 years old.  I bought the house in '92, and they are the originals.

Replacing a multi hundred dollar toilet every 5-10 years to save some water seems to not save much money.

In reply to mtn :

The amount of water per flush from a tank toilet can only do so much. I'd be surprised if you see less than 1.28 gallon per flush. I wouldn't even buy one unless it's a pressure assist or a flushvalve (non-tank style). But since most people dont have a large enough water pipe serving their existing toilet, you probably couldn't flush a flushvalve if you were replacing a tank style. 1.6 gpf seems to be an decent compromise from the old toilets to the low usage. The old ones could be anywhere from 3-5 gpf.

In reply to RossD :

But the old 3.2gpf toilets were also virtually floater and skid mark free... alleviating the need for frequent 2nd flushes.

I did a dual flush conversion on my 1990's conventional toilet (we have a low flow well), and wouldn't do it again. The full flush setting was pretty wimpy, and you needed to flush twice most times, very much defeating the purpose. The conventional toilet simply didn't have a vigorous enough flush action to work with the lower flow.

We replaced it with an American Standard Cadet 3 dual flush low flow (from Home Despot), and it works brilliantly. It's listed as 1.6 gpf, and the flushing action verges on violent. In 3 years, I don't think I've ever had to flush twice, despite taxing it considerably on occasion. Highly recommended.

In reply to Turboeric :

Ok- that tells me that the dual flush idea doesn't work well.

But a different question- did you ever notice it leaking?  For the most part, the dual flow part is just a bonus- what I'm really looking at is the mechanism that replaces the flapper valve that I've been struggling with for 2 decades.  I *think* the change to a different technology is worth it- but want to find out.  

I put two of the Fluidmaster dual flush kits in our house when we bought it six years ago.

One died within a year and was replaced with the standard flush guts again.

The second one died just recently and will be put back to a normal toilet as well.

That tells you how well they work.

In reply to Trans_Maro :

Cables breaking are the common thread in Fluidmaster reviews.  

The other one seems to be more robust.  Where people have issues with the  Danco one is that they still need two flushes, which is what TurboEric pointed out.  That I can deal with.

The leaking and the holding down the flapper valve is really getting to me- and that's why I'd like to try one (or two).

I wouldn't convert anything when a new cadet 3 is $160. New generation E36 M3ter with bigger trapway is a winner.

I do not like the dual flush conversion.  My parents already converted the primary toilet back to normal and the secondary toilet is constantly filling with its conversion.  we frequently (for a toilet) had to adjust the cable and the switch to keep it working.  That's with city water pressure

In reply to alfadriver :

I've never had a problem with either a conventional toilet or the Cadet 3 leaking. (By leaking, I'm assuming you mean from the tank to the bowl) The dual flow conversion (I think it was a Fluidmaster) didn't seem to seat as well, and occasionally needed some persuasion to seal.

OHSCrifle said:

I wouldn't convert anything when a new cadet 3 is $160. New generation E36 M3ter with bigger trapway is a winner.

 

I may need to consider this.

There's only two of us in the house and my wife is the only one who manages to clog the toilet.

I've explained that if she stopped using half a roll of toilet paper at a time, it might help but I was told that I was mistaken.

Dual flush is false economy.  Go pick up an American Standard from the big box stores for $200.  Make sure you get the one with the Champion flush system.  These things flush so well you can flush a dead guinea pig.  The ones in the store are 1.28 G flush but you can order the 1.6 thru the website and pick up at store.  Just make sure you inspect the contents of the box before you leave the store.  The big box stores are terrible at shipping things.  

In reply to tr8todd :

Yea, the dual flush part isn't that important.  It's the mechanism change.

And I'm not that enthusiastic about changing toilets.

In reply to alfadriver :

Just buy a couple different sizes of wax rings and return the others after you install it. As long as the lugs aren't rusted out and the angle stop valve closes, you should be able to change a toilet in way under an hour.

WildScotsRacingCampbellCougarSeed said:

In reply to RossD :

But the old 3.2gpf toilets were also virtually floater and skid mark free... alleviating the need for frequent 2nd flushes.

Totally agree. Log clogs suck.  

I got Toto toilets when I replaced ours about 8 years ago. It was a fast no research  purchase but I actually really like them.  You push the lever down and release and it flushes just enough to change the water in the bole. Press hand hold and it is like you uncorked a turbojet. No clue as to exactly what it is but they have worked with no issues. 

dean1484 said:

I got Toto toilets when I replaced ours about 8 years ago. It was a fast no research  purchase but I actually really like them.  You push the lever down and release and it flushes just enough to change the water in the bole. Press hand hold and it is like you uncorked a turbojet. No clue as to exactly what it is but they have worked with no issues. 

You are not the first to praise Toto toilets like that.  It's been tempting to change.

Alas, I blew the money to attempt the flapper valve replacement.  

I picked up one of the dual flush kits from Amazon, I believe on Prime day, for way cheap and installed it on our less-used upstairs toilet that had recurring issues with the flapper not seating. So far it's worked well enough, but it gets used a fraction of as much as our downstairs one does, so it's not getting a lot of use yet. If anything happens with the more heavily-used one, I'll likely just get a newer complete toilet...

Well if the dual flush doesn't work out, I went ot a dual flush pressure assisted. I love it. No clogs. 1.0 and 1.6gph IIRC. Not cheap though.

I have a dual flush fluidmaster in my bathroom. It works great except you are stuck with the cheapo looking chrome handle when everything else metal in my bathroom is anodized bronze. I might look into the other one if it allows for better handles