Rustrpoofing a toilet seat!

[Duncanhardy]

Hi Eric
Can you advise toilet make and where you purchased the new seat and hinges I have the same problem
Cheers

 

[Benchwayze]

Just make sure you have a good aim. :wink:

When you get really old you won't need to worry about the above! 8)

 

[jasonB]

Its an Ideal Standard "space" corner WC.

Fastpart are ID spares people. But talk to Ideal Standard customer services first to see if the seat is still under gaurantee, They are quite good, I got an 8year old basin replaced FOC recently for one of my clients but the chinaware does habe a lifetime gaurantee. You will need proof of purchase.

spare hinge

 

[Eric The Viking]

Yep, that's the badger.

I got a silly price from Ideal Standard themselves (close to £100 if memory serves - for a TOILET SEAT!). They wouldn't sell the hinge separately. I found it cheaper elsewhere (by about £30!) by Googling. It was still eye-wateringly expensive though. I'm sorry I can't tell you which supplier, but I threw the receipt out only recently (which is why I remember at all!).

Despite comments above, the issues were entirely down to quality control/poor manufacturing choices*. Rule #1 with stainless is don't mix it with mild steel anything, even if the steel is plated, as the electric potentials are different, and the mild steel is encouraged to rust. The screws used in the original rusted because they were in contact with brass inserts in the seat and stainless in the hinge. The hinge itself failed because the welds were poor quality, and the design of the hinge makes them flex in use. Stainless work hardens more readily than mild steel.

None of the above is rocket science. I daren't think what the design/product development process was, that it didn't take basic engineering and chemistry into account.

E.

*OK, it's true I have trouble with anything smaller than a swimming pool to aim at, but the family gave me a red plastic bucket last Christmas, so it doesn't matter any more. It's bloomin' cold in the woodshed though...

 

[tekno.mage]

None of the above is rocket science. I daren't think what the design/product development process was, that it didn't take basic engineering and chemistry into account.

Of course not - it may or may not have been designed correctly but it certainly met "Mr Bottom Line" (who may even work for the Hedge Fund that now owns the company) and was then produced very much down to the lowest possible cost. "Mr Bottom Line" doesn't understand technical things like engineering or chemistry and certainly not metallurgy - only how to cut costs any way he can even if this means exploiting a third world work force for cheap labour and using the cheapest possible materials and parts (particularly in areas that do not show to the consumer) then if the thing breaks or fails after the warranty period is up, he thinks that's great as you'll need to buy a new one. Sadly, many modern consumers seem more interested in the fashionable look of a "designer" item than it's durability :-(

Sorry, rant over.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Sadly, many modern consumers seem more interested in the fashionable look of a "designer" item than it's durability :-(

Sorry, rant over.

You're quite right.

At the time we installed it, I looked for a long while for something to fit in the space. The whole room is _very_ carefully worked out to fit everything in the space, and that toilet bowl has to be exactly where it is, otherwise we couldn't have a loo in there at all. It's so tight that one side of the cistern is against the glass panel of the shower screen (this looks better than it sounds!).

I was disappointed when I ordered one with a syphon (or so I thought), and received one with a bloomin' EU flap-valve. Yup, that now leaks, as does the other one in the house. It's stupidly complex and requires a complete replacement valve assembly, apparently. Syphons, in contrast, CANNOT leak if set up correctly, and the piston flap is pennies, literally (you can make them from the side of a 3litre milk container!).

I took a cursory look at the seat and thought it would be strong enough. It wasn't till it failed that I realised it was, in effect, spot-welded together - in one spot, across a 10mm metal 'mortice and tenon' joint in 2mm stainless (might be even thinner)!

I so wish we had First Amendment rights in this country. There should be a web site where product faults can be listed, by product and by manufacturer, so that the bad ones can be exposed. They could be ranked by 'propensity to rip-off'. I have my own list... :evil:

E.

PS: The few remaining examples of Victorian and Edwardian plumbing still work. Why does the modern stuff fail after a few years?

 

[blackrodd]

Vasaline the steel and brass, and wipe off after fitting!
Regards Rodders