Reply With QuoteI can not find this on your web page. please show me how to convert a american standard Cadet 3 to a luxury model.
Thank You
Tammy
Grading the best toilets, the ones that work!
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Originally Posted by kingsotall
And when they go to a plumbing supply house, you can't "see" the product you're buying.
When you go to the plumbing showroom, you see everything that is not made to cost minimum, just elaborate, high end stuff.
I think that's where the big box stores prove their measure by starting at the bottom, working their way up to a threshhold where the average buyer will most likely range in the $100-$300 toilet.
Most people have 2-4 toilets in their home so when they figure the multiplier, that's another consideration.
And, they can see the product their buying, open up the box even to know what they are getting. Two entirely different modes of marketing that works. When you buy from a plumbing supply house, you're getting a brown box, at the big box you get a half wall of toilet seats to your choosing, in style and choice.
I wish I could install more totos, I like them, but Drakes start at $350 with a normal seat, and the customer has the ability to look and see at the competition. On my end, they're just going by my word, and that's where the special trip to the supply house/showroom is defeated by the big box because even people like me love the opportunity to buy lots of items in one place. Doesn't have to be just plumbing, it can be electrical, gardening, plants, wood, hardware and on up the chain.
We knock the big box stores but in turn they provide an ability to do more without special tripping to numerous places most times, like years ago.
Most plumbing supply showrooms in my area when you go to their website, have nothing to the idea of e-commerce like Terry does. Huge difference and that's where the investigative shopper has to be purged to call and speak with someone, has to wait on pricing, and are going to hunt otherwise...even out of state at that point to make the buying decision.
Certainly not rocket science.
Converting the Cadet 3 to a luxury model.
I can not find this on your web page. please show me how to convert a american standard Cadet 3 to a luxury model.
Thank You
Tammy
Grading the best toilets, the ones that work!
Last edited by Terry; 05-03-2009 at 11:42 AM.
I just read through most of this thread.
Since January of 2008, I've installed three of the cadet 3's in the apartment building I own and a couple of more in private homes.
One big gotcha was that the extended height version was too high to fit under a vanity counter that extended over the toilet. Obviously a little more foresight or knowledge would have prevented that problem. But in the second private home installation I did even the standard height round version barely made it under a wrap around vanity counter.
I did a bit of research before I settled on the Cadet 3 including the MaP toilet performance tests, Consumer Reports and this web site. Consumer Reports wasn't of any value but based on the responses here and the MaP results I thought the lower price of the Cadet 3 was enough to make me choose it over the Drake.
My results have been mostly positive. I haven't had any of the flapper problems that have been reported here. But it is a tedious job to attach the tank. I have never succeeded in tightening the bolts enough to get the tank fully seated. I come close (using the push down on the tank and tighten the bolts technique) but at some point the amount of torque required to tighten the bolts scares me to the point that almost fully seated seems good enough.
I was paying about $60 for the bowl and $60 for the tank. I just bought one at Lowes yesterday and the price had jumped to $87 for the bowl and the kit was $187. I don't like the kit because it comes with a cheap plastic toilet seat that I wouldn't use anyway and I especially don't like the kit when it costs $40 more than the separate units cost.
Last edited by Terry; 04-07-2009 at 09:01 PM.
I bought three Cadet 3 one piece, ADA height, elongated toilets recently. All three of them were perfect - no flaws. They were very easy to install and they sit perfectly flat and level. The flushing performance is phenomenal. They are MAP rated at 1000. The bowl wash is very effective and the water spot is relatively large for a 1.28 gal flush toilet. The everclean glaze that they use seems stays very clean - the water still beads on it after over 2 months. I have not had to use a toilet brush so far.
The flapper is different than the one that is shown in previous posts. Maybe they improved it? I don't know, but I have had no issues so far.
All in all - I am very happy with my purchase. The one thing I don't like is that the Toto S300 Washlet seat I purchased will not mount on the one-piece Cadet 3 toilet. This is because there is a lip that rises up to the tank from the bowl. This is supposed to make the toilet easier to clean, but it also prevents me from installing the washlet.
I found that the washlet will fit on a Champion 4, but this meant I had to swap toilets from the guest bath to the master bath. What a pain! The washlet works perfectly on the Champion 4 and is highly recommended. It was very easy to install - less than 1/2 hour. Now, not only am I using a lot less water, but I am also using a lot less TP. A good combination for a septic system.
Last edited by Terry; 03-28-2009 at 06:20 PM.
I just installed my sixth Cadet 3 toilet and was careful to note details suggested by some of the posts in this thread.
The toilet had a few defects:
1. The toilet seat bolt holes were 5 5/16 inches apart instead of 5 1/2 inches apart. I've been buying the toilet seats with the nickel plated hardware lately and this kind of seat isn't forgiving as to the spread on the holes and it barely worked with this defect.
2. The American Standard logo near the toilet seat bolt holes was somewhat askew. Enough that I would have noticed it even if I hadn't been looking for defects. Probably enough to annoy somebody that was looking for perfection in their house furnishings but possibly nobody else.
3. There was an inch long thinset like material along the rim of the bowl. It seemed similar to what somebody had noted above. A Scotch bright pad removed almost all of it.
4. There was a very minor defect along the front or the rim. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been looking at the overall quality.
Overall, I suspected that the person who had speculated above that American Standard might be selling seconds to the box stores might be right. The defects weren't major but I would have expected a routine quality inspection to have detected them and caused this toilet to be rejected.
I also was very careful to note how difficult it was to attach the tank. I looked at the instructions (no particular help), I made sure the tank gasket was installed properly and I very carefully tightened each side a little at a time. I eventually got to the point where I was tightening the bolts but I couldn't see that the gasket was continuing to be compressed. So like in the past I left a narrow gap between the tank and the bowl that was a little less than a 1/16 of an inch. It might be possible to eliminate it completely but you need to be prepared to really tighten the bolts.
I believe Ian Gills has the High Performance Luxury Edition Cadet 3
Take a look at this thread...
http://www.terrylove.com/forums/show...454#post149454
Akin to this:
Hey those AMC's hauled @ss back in the day, we thought it had to do with the wraparound panoramic glass.
Anyone got the glass for the right rear, I had to break in to get my boom box, putting garbage bags over the hole every time I get on the expressway isn't working out real well.
Hi all, first time poster after reading through this thread:
Just had the cadet 3 (2 piece- round front) installed and noticed that the water level in the bowl itself (is that term "water spot"? it's not the water level in the tank) is quite a bit lower than I am used to in other toilets we have around the house (also American Standard). Seems like the water just barely covers the "hole" and comparing to the other picutre on page 2 of this thread it definitely is much much lower. I was wondering if that is normal for the cadet 3? As a total novice, I understand there is no way to adjust that level and am I basically stuck with this very lower water spot, being that my cadet 3 might have a defect? Otherwise, if flushes and refills very well.
Thanks in advance.
Last edited by hsedin; 03-31-2009 at 03:26 PM. Reason: content
It sounds like the toilet is not refilling properly. Your water spot should look something like this:
If not, the toilet is not refilling properly. Look for the white tube in the picture below. It must be inserted into the overflow tube (the large white tube with the blue top) and not kinked. When you toilet flushes, a stream of water comes out of this tube when the tank is refilling to refill the bowl. Watch a flush with the lid off to be sure this is happening.
Last edited by Tomw; 03-31-2009 at 06:23 PM.
Thanks a million Tomw- indeed the white tube was NOT inserted into the overflow tube, now my toilet's water spot looks pretty much like the picture as shown (still a tad lower from what I can see).
I noticed that according to the instructions- the water level should be 3/8 (?Inch) below the over flow tube. Mine was installed (by what I now realize is an amateur "plumber" about 1 inch below. I tried to turn the Water Level Adjustment rod but it seems like the top end of it is clamped and won't budge, do I need to move it "out" of the top clamp?
I wasn't realy sure what the instructions meant by turning the rod and moving the FLOAT CUP up or down (please pardon my stupidity), do they mean while I turn the rod, I have to move the cup up (as I want a higher water level) at the same time?
Thanks again in advance
This adjustment is really not critical - you just want to make sure that your level is not so high that it overflows into the overflow tube (in this case, your water will never shut off) or too low and getting an inadequate amount of water for your flush. The 3/8" adjustment American Standard suggests is most likely the level that will give you exactly 1.6 gal (or 1.28 gal) depending on which toilet you have. Right now, you are getting a little less water, but if you are happy with the flush performance - why fool with it?
If you want to adjust it, you just grab the adjustment knob with your fingers (it is knurled) and turn it. It has click detents, so it will not turn easily. Be sure that the adjustment is not at one end or the other of the adjustment range (you should be able to see threads on the adjustment screw). Once you hit the end of the adjustment range, you will not be able to turn it further without breaking something. If you turn it clockwise, it will raise the water level.
Don't worry about what the float is doing while you adjust it, it will not matter. Flush the toilet and make sure the level is where you want it.
Nice to see demand for the luxury race spec. version is still going strong.
It's more for the North-East professional really and not for those of us out in Flagstaff, AZ still using the "dunny".
My Cadet 3 just will not die.
It continues to amaze me.
Last edited by Ian Gills; 04-02-2009 at 12:33 PM.
What happens in the dunny stays in the dunny.
I'm amazed at this too. This worked for years without a problem.
That's my younger brother Shannon.
Both the outhouse and the Cadet 3 work well. I give them the same rating.
The quality is bout the same.
Last edited by Terry; 04-04-2009 at 12:06 PM.
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