- Fowler Toilets have been around for many years and on the rare occasion we get to see some great antiques still in action.
- If you have one of these systems, this video will show you how to remove the lid to check inside the cistern. It’s not hard but there’s a little trick to it.
- Old or New, Plumbdog have All The Gear and Every Idea! We’re your Perth Plumber!
Old Antique Toilet Cisterns
Our plumbing concern for this video is going to take us back in time, as Darius shows how to service an old-style cistern. He arrives at the property to service a leaking toilet suite. He will fix an old-style Fowler suite; these types of style came out around the 1970s to the 80s. As you can imagine this is pretty much rare to see these days, so this is indeed a treat!
How To Open Fowler Toilet Cistern From 70’s/80’s
Cisterns nowadays are easy to open for any troubleshooting. We just remove the lid because there’s no lock or any mechanism that you need to fiddle with. This type of cistern is a little tricky because the lid is secured to the base. If you are not experienced or an expert, you’ll be stumped and stuck on how to remove it.
This antique cistern has a dual flusher that you can pull up or push down where these days we have either buttons or lever. Watch the video where Darius shows us how to unscrew the bottom ring part of the flusher as we would normally do. After doing that we may think that this will free the lid, but it will still not budge. He continuous to loosen the middle part of the flusher and remove the top button, there you will see two-part pieces of the flusher. Now we have the cistern lid open and ready for inspection.
Rare Toilet = Rare Parts
Darius removes the mechanism by twisting it a little to free it from the cistern. Upon close inspection, the washer needs to be replaced. It is all worn out, so he unclips the ring and removes the old one. Since Fowler has been bought out by Caroma it is seldom that we can find any service parts for the old toilet models. Being an expert plumber from his experience along with having fully stocked vans, he found the best possible match to replace the washer. He also highlighted the importance of putting the washer in the proper position, that is the ridge to be upside down so it can push the washer around on the ring for a tight fit. He also shows the sump and that it needs to be thoroughly cleaned. If there’s still bits and pieces from the old washer, we may end up with a leak again. He installs the mechanism back, closed the lid and tests the cistern to make sure everything is good to go.
Not just another job done but a “Job Well Done” for our plumbing expert Darius! This is Plumdog’s promise to all our clients.
