1 of my 3 old Kohler K-3397 Low Profile toilets is misbehaving & I really need help!

[Jeff Davis]

It's exactly the same as the old Koeler one. By wiggle it, I just mean that I push down on it with my fingers and thumb around the ½" tall sticking up & sort of twist it back and forth a tiny bit.

Have you read this? I don't mean any wild wiggling. Just twisting it very slightly to help it seat. better. Would you look at a photo of both the Kohler and Korky packages if I get one? They're what I’ve found are the ones for these K-3397 toilets. Maybe you could verify if you saw the pics since you have better resources?

 

[havasu]

This should be the flapper.

 

[Jeff Davis]

Some of the older toilets use an extra large, extra wide flapper for a solid fit. If you can wiggle it, I'm guessing it is not the needed extra large flapper.

Here's the KOHLER G83064 & Korky 2010BP flappers I've been using for 33 years in this house.
When I'd said I wiggle it a little to seat it to stop it from leaking, I'm just saying that I gently twisted that knob that sticks up ½.l on the top of it a couple times as I gently pushed down on it. It could be that just happened to give any residual water that had already passed it time to stop draining and that it was going to stop on its own.
I'd never thought of that until someone here mentioned that as being what's happening. Maybe that was you, I forget.

 

[Jeff Davis]

So, this is a one piece toilet, right?

Yeap

 

[Twowaxhack]

Plumbing rule # 9,678,200

Never buy a toilet with a special flapper, flush tower, flush handle or ballcock.

No exceptions.

 

[Jeff Davis]

Plumbing rule # 9,678,200

Never buy a toilet with a special flapper, flush tower, flush handle or ballcock.

No exceptions.

That's all I know.

 

[Jeff Davis]

Plumbing rule # 9,678,200

Never buy a toilet with a special flapper, flush tower, flush handle or ballcock.

No exceptions.

I guess there's new kinds now?

 

[TomFOhio]

Thanks Tom. I'm not wanting to argue but the only water that is apparently coming from the tank is seeping down from under the rim of the toilet, not the chute that the flap is on. Are you aware of that? I've said it and I even added a photo of it in my last Reply of the blue lime streak buildup that the seeping

 

[three_jeeps]

Throw those toilets in the dump and buy good toilets so that means not a kohler.

A slight tangent question: What make & models are 'good toilets'? How do you quantify 'good'? Flushing ability? repair-ability? etc.
Just curious as I have a few bath remodeling projects on the list.....
Thanks
J

 

[Jeff Davis]

A slight tangent question: What make & models are 'good toilets'? How do you quantify 'good'? Flushing ability? repair-ability? etc.
Just curious as I have a few bath remodeling projects on the list.....
Thanks
J

Thanks for asking. I'd like to know the same thing just in case I choose to replace my 3 toilets.
I've noticed that the toilets everywhere these days seem to blast & scare me when I push the button, just like on a jet.
I can choose between a mini-blast for pee & a big blast for poop.

 

[Twowaxhack]

A slight tangent question: What make & models are 'good toilets'? How do you quantify 'good'? Flushing ability? repair-ability? etc.
Just curious as I have a few bath remodeling projects on the list.....
Thanks
J

Both, flushing ability and standard parts.

 

[arctic bill]

this is kohler rialto , i have worked on hundreds of the pieces of junk toilets that designer when crazy for in the 80' and 90' .
the toilets just would not flush right so this is what you had to do just to make them work
1) install a 1/2 speedway so that the water pressure would power assist the flush. you can see that there is a plastic tube from the ballcock to the top of the trap to give it a push where when the flush is half way .
2) you could never install one of the in the basment or in places with low water pressure .
3) the tanks had a habit of over flowing because the flapper valve were undersized and there were holes at the back of the tank I worked on many of these , i would throw it out and get a decent toilet that one buys due to very good working reputation
NEVER BUY A TOILET just because the designer likes the look .

 

[three_jeeps]

this is kohler rialto , i have worked on hundreds of the pieces of junk toilets that designer when crazy for in the 80' and 90' .
the toilets just would not flush right so this is what you had to do just to make them work
1) install a 1/2 speedway so that the water pressure would power assist the flush. you can see that there is a plastic tube from the ballcock to the top of the trap to give it a push where when the flush is half way .
2) you could never install one of the in the basment or in places with low water pressure .
3) the tanks had a habit of over flowing because the flapper valve were undersized and there were yeaholes at the back of the tank I worked on many of these , i would throw it out and get a decent toilet that one buys due to very good working reputation
NEVER BUY A TOILET just because the designer likes the look .

Yes, never let an 'ar-TISTS' into the design lab.......

 

[three_jeeps]

Both, flushing ability and standard parts.

Thank you...make and models?

 

[Aloha Mark]

Interesting read so far. I would recommend a Toto toilet bowl, since the other brands (Kohler and American Standard) have given me problems. The Kohler Cimarron one-piece toilets were the only ones that performed for years and years (over eighteen), with excellent flush cycle, and only one leaky flapper. The clowns at Kohler never seem to keep a good, long lasting product in their lineup.
On any toilet that leaks around the flapper, I would check for mineral deposits on the rim of the plastic portal that the flapper sits on. That could create a small gap for water to leak through. Always buy Kohler flappers (if available) because the durability and buoyancy cannot be matched by third party replacements.

 

[three_jeeps]

Interesting read so far. I would recommend a Toto toilet bowl, since the other brands (Kohler and American Standard) have given me problems. The Kohler Cimarron one-piece toilets were the only ones that performed for years and years (over eighteen), with excellent flush cycle, and only one leaky flapper. The clowns at Kohler never seem to keep a good, long lasting product in their lineup.
snip...

Thanks
I wonder why some of the plumbers in this forum kind of shy away from making a product recommendation based on their experience? Rules of the forum?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Thanks
I wonder why some of the plumbers in this forum kind of shy away from making a product recommendation based on their experience? Rules of the forum?

I don’t have a problem with it but products change and it’s difficult to keep up with specific part numbers

 

[Twowaxhack]

They quit making the product eventually so it’s difficult to keep up with what’s still available.

 

[havasu]

Yeah, as the admin here, I don't care so much about the internal politics, but more concerned with giving our members good, honest answers. We aren't paid off by anyone!

 

[three_jeeps]

Yeah, as the admin here, I don't care so much about the internal politics, but more concerned with giving our members good, honest answers. We aren't paid off by anyone!

Yes, I can understand that. I grew up working in my dad TV,Radio, Appliance sales and service store. Two person operation. My dad would sometimes be asked, what TV brand do you recommend for ppl to buy? He carried three brands of TVs and he prefaced his answer by saying for picture quality and best reliability, I recommend X, which is one of the brands we sell. I know there is a lot of ancillary stuff that can go into a recommendation (profit margin, floor plan costs, availability, cabinet styles, etc.). I was curious about the reliability issue so I asked my dad if I could go through 4-5 years of repair orders and note the model, year, extent of repair (parts, cost). My findings validated what he told ppl. He also told ppl when he felt other brands were better in some respects. In the end he let ppl make up their minds about what was important to them and what to buy.
The answer to this recommendation question is always, 'it depends'....My dads recommendation was largely based on minimizing repair work and picture quality. For me, it is good to have a recommendation from ppl who repair things as opposed to sales ppl regurgitating from the companies script.