American Standard Cadet 3 Three Toilet consumer product review

**ron in sc** · 04-13-2008, 09:25 AM

So I guess it's hit or miss with the Cadet 3,

I'm not a professional but I'm not willing to deal with stuff that involves this much trouble. I initially got a Cadet 3 because I thought it was a toliet that functioned pretty good at a lower price than a Toto.

**Lancejackson** · 04-22-2008, 07:53 AM

HI,
I read your positive reviews of the Cadet 3, but I had one (cadet 3 elongated right height) installed in my condo a week ago by a plumber. I am very disappointed with it for 2 reasons:

1) About 3 out of 4 times, when I flush, a few drops of water from the bowl land up on the seat. I have tried adjusting the water level in the tank but nothing seems to help. I find this disgusting. I would imagine it happens to a lot of people, but who takes the time to look carefully enough at the seat after flushing - other than me?

2) The seat does not fully cover the front of the bowl. There's about 1cm of uncovered rim where drops of urine are sure to land. This is amazing to me. Isn't that the purpose of a seat?

I can't stand the thought of having to replace the toilet yet again. Does anyone have a suggestion about how to stop the water splashing onto the seat?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Lance

**Terry** · 04-22-2008, 08:59 AM

The Cadet 3 does splash water onto the bottom of the seat,
or if you are sitting, then yes, the bottom.

A lot of Cadet 3 fans don't mind the wet butt.
Either that, or they have never flushed while sitting down.

**Lancejackson** · 04-22-2008, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by Terry

The Cadet 3 does splash water onto the bottom of the seat,
or if you are sitting, then yes, the bottom.

A lot of Cadet 3 fans don't mind the wet butt.
Either that, or they have never flushed while sitting down.

That's crazy. I don't understand how that's normal??
By the way - I said it splashes onto the seat - on top of the seat - not under the seat. But it's a short distance to go from the bottom to the top of the seat. Do all toilets do this? Is there any reasonably priced one that doesn't splash?

**jadnashua** · 04-22-2008, 09:26 AM

No, not all toilets do that. Some are just designed better than others, or even if it should work fine, quality control and manufacturing tolerances aren't tight. The most recommended toilet here is probably the Toto Drake. It comes in various configurations, round, elongated, normal, ADA height, etc. etc.. They all seem to work well (I put two into my mother's house).

**Ian Gills** · 04-22-2008, 02:12 PM

It does not happen with my Round bowl version and I am completely crazy about water anywhere, so yes I do notice these things (I wipe my bath and basin after using them). Other problems I have had (urine under the seat) were related to the original seat I bought for the Cadet 3 (a cheap one). I have since upgraded to a Toto softclose seat and everything works fine.

**Lancejackson** · 04-23-2008, 11:28 AM

thanks to all for your responses. I'm sure it is a more common problem than people realize.

**MSanders** · 04-23-2008, 09:03 PM

I also have a round bowl version and I have no problems with splash either.

**achutch** · 04-24-2008, 03:19 AM

My Cadet 3 Right Height toilet, which is getting far more use than I originally expected, does not splash at all. The Bemis seat which can be removed (unlocked) easily for cleaning, fits perfectly.

So far, there have been no performance issues with this toilet, and until there are, I will continue to be satisfied with my choice.

achutch

**Lancejackson** · 04-24-2008, 06:18 AM

Thanks again for your replies. Call me skeptical but I would bet that if you did a bit of a test you would find otherwise. The flush is so powerful that it simply has to splash and I do not believe that this problem can be limited to a few cadet 3s. Or perhaps the shape of the bowl does make a difference - interesting scientific experiment. Achutch - is your elongated (sorry can't see the pic right now).
Do me a favor. On 10 different occasions on a few different days - some with a lot of toilet paper and some with a little - carefully look on top of the seat with a flashlight to see if there are any water droplets. You would be surprised how difficult it is to see a drop unless the light hits it correctly.
thanks.

Maybe I need to find an extra high seat - any recommendations?
That's another thing that bothers me about the cadet 3. The seat it comes with doesn't even cover the front of the rim of the bowl - there's about 1cm of rim showing. who wants to sit on pee.

**Fit** · 04-24-2008, 08:19 AM

OK- so based on your last comment I sat on my new Cadet three this morning and flushed 10 times.

Aside from the egregious waste of water for the sake of science

my bum remained high and dry. Nary a drop.

I've the right-height elongated bowl with the compact/10" rough tank.

**achutch** · 04-24-2008, 03:44 PM

Hello Lance J,

If you say that your Cadet 3 splashes, then it splashes. I would not dispute the observations of an owner and actual user.

Since there are variations from bowl to bowl (read my note above about the two bowls I returned to the store because they were defective), I'm wondering if the holes in the rim of your bowl are cut in such a way that will cause a splash. I took a hand mirror and looked under the rim and found the holes are all different sizes and cut more roughly as compared to the rim of my Toto Drake in the other bathroom.

I did a one flush experiment with nothing added to the bowl and felt no splashes. This toilet has been in place for over a month and never once have I seen water on the seat (or underneath) after a flush. But, over the coming week, I'll try with paper, etc. and report back if I feel a splash.

As for the seat, mine fits perfectly. The front slightly overlaps the bowl, and there is plenty of space from where you sit to the rim. It's a Bemis wooden seat for elongated bowls. I did not get the complete toilet in a box that came with the plastic seat labeled American Standard as I got for my father back in January.

Cadet 3 is elongated, "comfort" or "right height". Here are a few pictures. I had an awful time getting good light for autofocus and was lying on the floor to get a closeup. The toilet looks like it's tipped up, but I assure you it is not. You can see that the seat slightly overlaps. Also there's a shot of the open seat to show no exposed rim in the bowl.

**achutch** · 04-26-2008, 09:12 AM

Indeed it is, Ian, and its perfomance is first rate, and for me performance is what matters most.

The Cadet 3 replaced a 1930's 7-gallon gusher that I was rarely using since my water & sewer rates went up. I'll need about a year to be able to compare my water usage, which even until the Cadet 3 had been greatly reduced by the Drake upstairs and the LG front loader washer. (And the town raised the rates due to fact that less water is being sold -- cheapskates!!).

Also, no splashes so far.

achutch

**Lancejackson** · 04-28-2008, 08:01 AM

Achutch - thanks a lot for all your trouble. You certainly go the distance.

My cadet 3 definitely splashes - no doubt about it. wish there were something i could do other than replacing it - such a pain in the ass.

the seat I have that doesn't fit came with the toilet. I'm going to have to look into another one.
you said your seat is "wood"? what does that mean - is it actually wood?

Grading the best toilets, the ones that work!

**achutch** · 04-28-2008, 11:06 AM

Lance,

There must be some imperfection with one or more of the water ports underneath the rim to make it splash as it does. If you decide to replace the bowl, make sure you inspect it before you leave the store.

Take a hand mirror and inspect underneath the rim especially where you see the splash coming from. You might want to watch a flush through the mirror to see which ports are causing the spray or splash.

The Cadet 3 Right Height that I got for my Dad came all in one box, with a plastic American Standard seat. That seat is nothing I would have picked for myself, but I seem to recall that it fit OK.

My Bemis seat is made of compressed wood (you may as well say sawdust mixed with some sort of adhesive) as most of the non plastic seats are. It's nothing fancy, inexpensive ($11.74 at HD), plain white, but like its Bemis plastic soft-close counterpart on the Toto upstairs, it unlocks and lifts off the bolts to allow for easier cleaning.

The compressed wood seats don't last forever, and if they crack when you're seated, they make one hell of a noise (somewhat like a gunshot), certainly an attention grabber, especially when getting ready for work in the morning!

I still have the box that the elongated seat came in, but I put the Bemis round front seat from the old toilet in it and brought it down to my summer cabin (antique round front toilets there) which I am in the process of getting ready to open and move to on May 1. I'll be going down there again tomorrow with another load of "stuff" and will get the model number of the seat for you.

Hope this helps.

Achutch