American Standard Cadet 3 Three Toilet consumer product review

14" roughness...

It's good to know that the wall isn't adding stability, but scary to think that a heavy porcelain tank is only supported by those 2 bolts... Especially in earthquake country! If I had small kids, it would be a definite NO. Hmm, are 2 grown men equivalent to a toddler? LOL!

I called my local Lowe's, and the price they offered for the Cadet 3 in 14" was only about fifty bucks more than their current shelf price for the 12 inch standard... PHEW!!! Looking online, the 14 inch was DOUBLE the price of the 12!!!

The salesman REALLY tried to push the "comfort height" ADA taller toilet, but we all have short legs, and it would NOT be helpful to have a taller toilet. The body is more efficient on a shorter one, so thankfully we didn't have to go there!

I guess I'll HAVE to special order, but the guy at Lowe's says he locked in that price for me for 48 hours. I guess I can live for a few more days with what we have.
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OH! Does anyone know if the special coating on the Cadet 3 is all through the inside as well as the outside? Apparently we are having to replace this toilet because of hard water build up over 35 years reducing the pipe size!

(We measure the water here on the Mohs scale, it's so hard! LOL, and LA claims to have the 3rd best water in the nation? Haha, maybe BEFORE it goes through the ancient pipes!)

Since the bowl on the 14" cadet is the same as the 12"
you may as well go with the cheaper of the two.

Unless you switch brands, the bowl is just going to be sitting out a long way from the wall.

I need two 14" toilets and was going to buy the Cadet 3's until I read this thread. I need all the room in front of the toilet I can get as the bathroom is a 5x8. What Model Toto's are the best choice for a 14" rough in? I also see that there might be an issue with the location for the water supply line for one of these Toto's. I have an older American std, round front 12'" now in one bathroom and it sits well away from the wall. I have a shelf unit covering the area but would really like to get one that sits closer to the wall......and elongated.....What Toto do you suggest Terry that fits my "low budget" nature......LOL

Rich,
The 14" rough-in information is here

14" Rough-In Information

Thanks for that info Terry it is very helpull. I think I will buy 2 Toto Vespins........

My Cadet 3 has just been too much work to own to buy another.

The really cheap fill valve when bad after less than six months. I didn't
feel too bad about that because the thing was pretty scary anyway---
I'm partial to Fluidmasters. I just regretted not having done the job
when the toilet was new and dry, as the mechanism had "failure"
written all over it.

But now I'm getting the flush valve leak issue.

Finding a replacement may entail taking time off work, since neither
Lowes nor Home Depot bother to stock the OEM parts for what they
sell. They'd probably rather just sell you a whole new toilet, anyway.

I did try buying the Korky replacement, but it's enough narrower than
the 'ears' on the flush seal/overflow assembly that it may or may not
seat in the proper position to avoid leaking

Too bad Fluidmaster doesn't seem to make the whole of the flush
mechanism for a 3" toilet.

Also too bad nobody sells just the rubber gasket for the flapper.

The only way a toilet should consume this much time is when you're
sitting on it and reading. And darn it, I want "standard" (not "American
Standard" parts that I can pick up in any store.


The black rubber on the Cadet 3 Flapper starts to blister, this one is six months old.

They are all relatively standard and easily found. I pimped my Cadet 3 big time using only parts from the big box store. A Korky fill valve and flapper, a new handle. They were all there.

Stay away from the original flapper. That was the only design flaw and one I can happily live with now I have discovered Korky replacement parts.

It goes like a dream.

AS Cadet 3 two piece standard height

I installed one of these in my small bathroom, replacing a round bowl Eljer. Installation was a snap. Turned on the water and was amazed at how fast it flushed and refilled, and quietly, too. At first you may think something is wrong because you don't have the typical swirling water in the bowl when you flush it, but it's been about two weeks and this unit has taken everything that we can give it without a problem. Cost out the door with wax ring and slow-close seat: $***.** I highly recommend this unit.

Cadet 3 cleaning

I have not had any problems keeping this unit clean. I put a Clorox hockey puck in the tank and have yet to have to scrub the bowl, although I will give it a polish once a month. If you are having problems with waste stains on the sides of your bowl, drink more water and practice centering yourself on the seat.

jdatbs77 said:

I have not had any problems keeping this unit clean. I put a Clorox hockey puck in the tank and have yet to have to scrub the bowl, although I will give it a polish once a month. If you are having problems with waste stains on the sides of your bowl, drink more water and practice centering yourself on the seat.

Click to expand...

The added chlorine in the water from these hockey pucks is very detrimental to the service life of rubber parts in the tank. In fact they are so bad for the parts that using them voids the warranty on every major brand of toilet that I can think of....

I would suggest immediately removing the hockey puck from the tank is your best course of action and if you must use a bowl cleaner install the Fluidmaster Flush~N~Sparkle system. The cleaner bypasses the tank and goes directly to the bowl so damage to the rubber components is averted.

Click here for information on the Fluidmaster Flush~N~Sparkle system

Terrible experience with what should be a great toilet.

At the beginning of June I purchased a Regular 12" rough Cadet 3 - 2 piece toilet from Lowe's in Toronto. When I got home I realized that the
tank was not lined (and the bowl was already installed) so I returned the tank to Lowe's and got a Lined Tropic Cadet 3 Tank from Home Depot
(Lined Cadet 3 tanks not stocked by Lowes I think. I realize none of the above is American Standard's fault).

The bowl did not sit evenly on the floor (previous American Standard Marina toilet was fine) and required a large amount of torque on the
bolts to stabilize. The toilet bowl loosened frequently and wobbled and require re-tightening to the closet flange.

The Tropic Cadet 3 tank flushed well but the handle often got stuck down (flapper open), causing the toilet to run. Also the valve that lets water into the tank sometimes got stuck down, causing water to run out the overflow.

After 3 weeks of trying to adjust the tank I returned it to Home Depot and purchased a normal Cadet 3 Lined tank. This tank works well and has
none of the above problems.

One week after installing the new tank, the toilet was wobbling more and started to leak between the bowl / wax ring / floor. I removed the
tank and toilet and set it on several different flat surfaces. The toilet wobbled on all surfaces, including the poured concrete slab in
the return department at Lowe's. After some arguing about not taking used toilets I finally exchanged the initial Cadet 3 12" regular height
round front bowl for another one at Lowe's.

The new bowl which I installed, sits perfectly on my bathroom floor but seems oddly shaped and requires much more water to flush properly than
the previous bowl. I had to increase the water level in the tank to max and shorten the flush chain in order to get it to empty "solid" waste.
The main hole where the flush water enters the bowl at the bottom is not symmetrical, the exit hole at the bottom where the wax ring goes is not round
and one edge of the bottom of the toilet is a smooth curve while the other side is bumpy. Also the wholes around the rim of the bowl that wash the bowl are very uneven (by water flow pattern, have not seen them first hand).

Is it normal for a toilet bowl to be so misshapen? It seems to affect the performance of what was supposed to be an efficient toilet. I have
been through a total of 5 pieces and 3 installs to get a stable toilet and do not want to have to do it again, but the toilet seems to need a
lot of water to flush and does a much worse job of flushing than I was accustomed to with the previous bowl (still not bad in the grand scheme).

Can / should I get a new bowl? Do properly made Cadet 3 Bowls exist? My two were made in the Dominican Republic. The Tanks made in Mexico. This entire experience has been an exercise in frustration.

I have installed many American Standard products in the past, most recently a Colony fit right toilet that was perfect out of the box and a
morning vessel sink and Marina (I think) acrylic tub and not had any problems. (I did have a warranty request for a part for a marina toilet,
but it turned out to be debris in the fill valve)

I was shocked that the Cadet 3 was so much worse than the Colony.

Bad Cadet 3 experience

About a month ago, a toilet flooded our house (partial clog and stuck flapper) causing over $50,000 of damage. The plumber said that this was an older toilet that was made shortly after the 1.7 GPF law, when they didn't know how to make them with any amount of force.

So my wife and I set out to buy three toilets to replace our older flood-prone toilets. We got three Cadet 3 Flowwise toilets from Lowes and installed one.

I am sad to say that on the third flush of solid waste, the darn thing clogged requiring a plunger. And not to be graphic, but it really wasn't that much to flush.

We had a plumber at our house today to install a WaterCop valve and had him look at our toilet line and he said that everything is clear. His verdict was that the Cadet 3 just wasn't a good toilet. We did get the 1.3 GPF Flowwise model which may make a difference.

Anyhoo... we are returning the toilets to Lowes and I just purchased three Toto Drakes.

Cadet 3, Toto Drake, or Kohler?

I was seriously considering installing a couple of American Standard compact Elongated Cadet 3 toilets in my house which will be a very pleasant upgrade from a couple of terrible peerless toilets, but now I'm hesitant after reading quite a few of the posts in this forum and speaking to a plumber the other day. A local plumber said he was not a big fan of the American Standard Cadet and preferred the Kohler Cimaron. My 3rd toilet in the house, which I'm not replacing, is a Kohler that was in place when I bought the house 8 years ago and it has been great compared the the sorry Peerless toilets. I was leaning toward the compact EL Cadet 3 due to space and budget contraints as well as Home Depot's in store ratings on performance.

From what I read on this thread, it seems as though the Toto brand is the toilet preferred by many plumbers as well as homeowners. What really puzzles me is that if that is the case then why would it be that my local home improvement centers don't appear to carry the Toto brand? (Lowes & Home Depot in Atlanta). I did some research and I can order the Toto Drakes from a local supply house at a reasonable price. I would probably end up spending and extra $100 per toilet.

I'm a DIY type of guy, and although this is my first time replacing toilets, I have already pulled the old toilets to be replaced, because I just had new bath floors installed, and will likely install the new toilets myself so if I have to make minor repairs to the toilets down the road it's not a big deal as I've done this over the years for all the toilets in the house.

Should I spend the extra money for the Toto Drakes or just go with the A.S. Cadet 3 compacts? They both seem to be about the same length which is a very important consideration in my small bathrooms. Also, are the Totos easier to install in tight spaces?

Stephjam said:

What really puzzles me is that if that is the case then why would it be that my local home improvement centers don't appear to carry the Toto brand? (Lowes & Home Depot in Atlanta).

Click to expand...

It's not that they don't want to carry it (i get calls every day from big box stores) and we don't want to sell to them.

The negatives from selling to big box stores outway the benifits and Toto is doing quite well without those sales.

mrobrien said:

We got three Cadet 3 Flowwise toilets from Lowes and installed one.

I am sad to say that on the third flush of solid waste, the darn thing clogged requiring a plunger. And not to be graphic, but it really wasn't that much to flush.

Click to expand...

Not to disagree, but my experience is quite the opposite. I installed a Cadet 3 Flowise (1.28 gallon/flush) elongated, standard height, which has a 3" pipe to 4" toilet flange.

I have one user that creates really hard, very large diameter (like 2 inches) waste and relatively long as well on a regular basis that would clog my previous toilet (1986 vintage) 2 out of 3 times.

Another user fills the bowl on occasion with a large amount of waste (but not so hard) as well.

Add to that the typical variety of things that have to flushed.

While this is not a scientific sampling, I'd say it gives a good variety of test flushes to the Cadet 3 Flowise, which has yet to clog for me over it's 2 month usage so far.

Assuming a good toilet unit (and I understand why a plumber goes with a Toto if it eliminates callbacks), for an individual DIY-er, I believe the Cadet 3 Flowise is a good, cost-effective choice. (Less than $275 from Lowe's)

miracj said:

Not to disagree, but my experience is quite the opposite. I installed a Cadet 3 Flowise (1.28 gallon/flush) elongated, standard height, which has a 3" pipe to 4" toilet flange.

I have one user that creates really hard, very large diameter (like 2 inches) waste and relatively long as well on a regular basis that would clog my previous toilet (1986 vintage) 2 out of 3 times.

Another user fills the bowl on occasion with a large amount of waste (but not so hard) as well.

Add to that the typical variety of things that have to flushed.

While this is not a scientific sampling, I'd say it gives a good variety of test flushes to the Cadet 3 Flowise, which has yet to clog for me over it's 2 month usage so far.

Assuming a good toilet unit (and I understand why a plumber goes with a Toto if it eliminates callbacks), for an individual DIY-er, I believe the Cadet 3 Flowise is a good, cost-effective choice. (Less than $275 from Lowe's)

Click to expand...

Just a thought: I believe that Toto makes toilets that cost as much as or less than $275 (the Dalton, perhaps?) that would be of higher quality than the Cadet 3.

Of course, I don't really know what I'm talking about, since I've been learning about toilets for less than a week now. But based on my research. . .

I believe that Toto makes toilets that cost as much as or less than $275 (the Dalton, perhaps?) that would be of higher quality than the Cadet 3.

Click to expand...

That's a fair statement.
I sell the Dalton round front with high bowl for $185
I had one installed in the home for a while.
It worked well.

I don't recall spending nearly $300 on my Cadet 3. Perhaps half of that?

But then again, it has been so reliable for so many years that perhaps prices were cheaper way back then.

Oh, I remember the "good ol' days" when gas was nearly 4 bucks a gallon. Sigh.

Terry said:

I sell the Dalton round front with high bowl for $185

Click to expand...

The $275 was for a bone (not white) color, Cadet 3 Flowise (1.28 gallons, not 1.6 gallons) elongated, standard height. The item was in the catalog, but not in the store, so it needed to be ordered, but not special ordered. Total cost was $263+tax. No shipping expense.

Are we comparing apples and oranges?

I sell the Bone Toto Dalton comfort height for $202
The Bone Toto Drake RF for $279

Are we comparing apples and oranges?

Click to expand...

Not really.
Toto and American Standard are not in the same class.
If you look at the toilets we are throwing away, and returning for problems, that pile would be American Standard.
The fact that you found one that wasn't defective doesn't mean much.
You were lucky.
Maybe you should buy a lottery ticket today.