Cannot remove toilet handle / lever

[tonysab]

Our toilet has been getting progressively hard to flush, to the extent that the toilet handle has now cracked. Therefore I was going to try and remove the syphon element to replace the flapper plasticy bit at the bottom (apologies for the technical terms here!). Anyway we have a Dudley Turbo 88 system so easy peasy I thought, don't need to remove all the bits etc just the syphon bit - that bits ok but I don't have enough room for it to lift out as the handle is in the way - so I unscrewed the large nut on here but it won't come off as the lever is preventing it from doing so and I'm not sure how the lever bit should come off, I've tried with reasonable force to twist/pull it, but with no look. Picture attached which hopefully shows my problem - can anybody advise how to remove the lever (the short-ish white plastic bit). Many thanks.

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• tonysab
• 12 Oct 2011
• 1

 

[ChrisOxford]

You're right, you need to remove the plastic "lever" which connects the handle's shaft to the metal link.

They're usually a friction fit onto the square, metal shaft of the handle, and then locked in place with a self-tapping screw.

There's not a screw hidden underneath, is there? Is the end of the square shaft visible poking through the lever?

The shaft can corrode, making the lever an even tighter fit than it's meant to be.

 

[adlplumbing]

you may also need a good pair of grips

 

[tonysab]

Thanks both, the shaft doesn't go right through the level so you can't see it on the other side, nor is there any obvious screw holding it in place (although there is a v.small hole not underneath but on the side of the lever but there is no screw visible in there, possibly there was once upon a time.
I suspect it has just become wedged on.
Seeing as though it seems to be easier to replace the handle and lever mechanism together it probably won't matter too much if I use brute force to remove it.
Thanks again - btw Chris I'm also in Oxford. Cheers.

 

[ChrisOxford]

You're right, there might have been a screw there once.

Sometimes, you can use a very large screwdriver inserted between the plastic lever and the backnut to force the lever off, using a twisting motion.

Be careful not to crack the cistern if you have to use a lot of force.

I'm in Cutteslowe, BTW.

Cheers,

C.

 

[tonysab]

Cheers Chris, we're in Radley.

I'm going to get a replacement from Homebase today so fingers crossed I'll get it sorted tonight.....

 

[tonysab]

Cheers yes the Homebase part is the handle plus lever and the handle is metal not plastic which it was previously so hopefully that will help. But the main problem I think will be the plastic sheet thingy at the bottom of the syphon which has probably got a hole in it. Will cut out some plastic sheeting from the garage and attach that which I did previously.

 

[tonysab]

OK I have got the handle off, it did come off eventually by just pulling it strongly.

I think I can see why the flush was not working very well - the plastic sheet at the bottom is in reasonable condition but one of the holes on the syphon which I think is used for water saving - the plastic plug has come out. The 2 at the bottom are in place but there is one higher up as you can see in the picture which I think should have a plastic see through plug in. God knows where its gone though it should be in the cistern if its come out, but I can't see it.....

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• tonysab
• 12 Oct 2011
• 1

 

[foxhole]

While it's out replace with a new one , only a few quid and will save messing around with the old one.

 

[tonysab]

Cheers but this ones only been in for a short while. I have to say though I'm even more confused now, popped into Homebase and the syphons there also did not have a stopper in the top hole. They were not exactly the same models - Dudley - but the setup looked the same, 2 lower stoppers and this top one.
If I put it in a sink of water and pull manually then hardly any water makes it to the top of the syphon, instead coming out of this top hole, which is symptomatic of what must be happening when we flush. If I put my finger in the top hole then more water makes it to the top so would go into the pan.

So the question is - should there be a stopper in this top hole? Certainly pics on the Internet if you search for Dudley 88r syphon seem to show a transparent plug in the hole. But this is not backed up by what I saw at Homebase.

Maybe I'll just try making a new plastic sheet thing for the bottom - this one doesn't look too bad condition but it's worth a try I guess.

 

[tonysab]

I have made a new plastic sheet for the bottom, just as I have done previously when it worked fine. But now it doesn't. Probably 50% of flushes just do not flush, the ones that do trickle in and are over within 5 seconds. I just don't understand where the problem is!

 

[seco services]

You need the clear plug in the top hole.

 

[tonysab]

Thanks. Presumably the absence of that would cause the flush difficulty due to a lot of the water being pumped out of that hole before it reaches the top?

 

[seco services]

You'll probably feel the lever don't have much resistance on it when you flush it.

 

[tonysab]

Hmm, I'm not sure its so much that, rather that you know you need to give it a damn good flush to stand any chance of it actually flushing (which is why the handle broke in the first place!). Never used to be this bad so I can only guess that this plastic plug popped out and mustve disappeared down the overflow pipe or something. Very odd.
Question is where the hell do I get another one from? I guess I'll have to get a whole new syphon instead.