American Standard Cadet 3 Three Toilet consumer product review

**davesyo** · 04-04-2009, 06:35 PM

I installed an american standard champion toilet for a lady last week and I don't see where it flushes any better than the cadet. I also think I may like the flapper flush vs the champions flush tower for some reason.

**Dunbar Plumbing** · 04-04-2009, 06:54 PM

That roof actually will last through winds better, and longer than the garbage asphalt shingles they sell and put on roofs these days.

Between that mold that grows on them along with the damn "no glue" backsides that allow them to break off,

It's no different than the job security ploys we are all victimized by. Damn I know I'm getting old; everything a damn conspiracy to get my money.

**Terry** · 04-05-2009, 11:53 AM

The Champion I installed did poorly with the water level adjusted down.

Not really an adjustment, the mechanism started to wear a little and less water was dropping from the tank.
It wouldn't flush a hot dog before the tank was finally replaced.
It was an object of derision until it was replaced.

It was funny though, you would go into the bathroom, and a hotdog would be sitting in the bowl, and sitting and sitting.

**Tomw** · 04-05-2009, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Terry

The Champion I installed did poorly with the water level adjusted down.

Not really an adjustment, the mechanism started to wear a little and less water was dropping from the tank.
It wouldn't flush a hot dog before the tank was finally replaced.
It was an object of derision until it was replaced.

It was funny though, you would go into the bathroom, and a hotdog would be sitting in the bowl, and sitting and sitting.

Wow! That's quite a story.

Grading the best toilets, the ones that work!

**Terry** · 04-05-2009, 02:28 PM

Yes, it was funny.
I think it was Brian's idea to put the hot dog there.
I'm surprised his German Shepard didn't find it there.

He's now living in Ellensburg and doing remodel work.

**Tomw** · 04-05-2009, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by Terry

Yes, it was funny.
I think it was Brian's idea to put the hot dog there.
I'm surprised his German Shepard didn't find it there.

He's now living in Ellensburg and doing remodel work.

Just curious - Why would you replace the tank? That seems pretty drastic.

**Terry** · 04-05-2009, 02:53 PM

Just curious - Why would you replace the tank? That seems pretty drastic.

Remember, we are talking American Standard.
Nobody had parts for American Standard, not even the suppliers.

**davesyo** · 04-05-2009, 05:55 PM

Does anyone know if any of the kohler toilets at home depot flush just as well as the cadet or did I make the right choice buying the cadet ?

**Terry** · 04-05-2009, 06:47 PM

Well, I wouldn't have bought either the Cadet or the Kohler.
But then I'm a plumber.

I already have to get rid of the Kohler I installed for my daughter.
I installed the Toto in her main bath, and now she wants the rest of the toilets changed out to Toto.
But if you are a gambler, which I'm not, you should be fine.

**Dunbar Plumbing** · 04-05-2009, 08:39 PM

An AS Cadet 2 flapper cost me $15.83 last week. F'n ridiculous.

**Reader Review** · 04-07-2009, 08:52 AM

Hello, I'm having a slight problem with the installation of my new American Standard Cadet 3 toilet. The holes for mounting the tank on the bottom of the tank seem to be spaced slightly wider than the corresponding holes on the back of the bowl. When I mount the tank the screws holding the tank become towed in a little bit. This causes the 1/2" head on the screws to sit at an angle on the rubber washer sealing the hole. The screw on the right of the tank dosen't seem to lean so much and seals okay. The one on the left leans 10-20 degrees and prevents the washer from sealing. I've tightened the screw as much as I dare without breaking something. It still leaks. I drained the tank and completely removed and repositioned it with the same result. Anybody else had this problem? Why would the holes not be the same width apart? Could this be a defect with this particular toilet? Surveyor

http://www.terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28061

I had this problem once, years ago. The wrong bowl in the right box.

It could also be a defect when Juan was drilling the holes lol (too much tequila)
Krow

Return the toilet, get a new one, and check at the store that it will work.
What you have is defective and should not be installed.
Terry

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

**jadnashua** · 04-07-2009, 04:29 PM

They aren't known for their quality control...take it back and try again, or pick a different brand altogether. Without measuring, you don't know if the tank is off or the bowl is, so you may need to take both back unless you want to make two trips...one to measure what they have to find somethign that will fit, and another to bring back either the bowl or tank. Course you could hump both pieces back...

**Noddaplumber** · 04-07-2009, 07:53 PM

I'm no expert on toilets, if anyone hasn't figured it out by my user ID.

Anyhoo, I had a Cadet 3 installed last month and a Champion 4 installed in January. I love my Champion 4. It's the best toilet I have ever seen, IMO. I hate my Cadet 3. It's tiny, puny, and the itty bitty tank sits on rubber gaskets so the whole thing rocks terribly. The flush is pathetic too. I keep an auger by the commode in case it clogs up.

Toto offers an amazing product line from what I hear. But I can't afford to spend a mortgage payment on a toilet right now. In a couple of years when I remodel, I want Toto products in both bath rooms.

Just an opinion from an average home owner.

**J_Tay1981** · 04-18-2009, 07:35 AM

Some of the early posts on this thread for the American Standard Cadet 3 questioned its long-term reliability. In all honesty, isn't a toilet a fairly simple device? What all can go wrong on one? The Cadet 3's on other sites appear to have generally favorable customer reviews, and since they seem to be a redesign of the Toto Drake models, wouldn't they be fairly comprable?

Is it the quality of the porecelin manufacturing that is suspect, the gaskets/innards, etc.? If it's just the gaskets or valves, couldn't I just swap them out for a Korky or other after-market system that is fairly high quality? Would I really have to open each box at a Lowes to check the quality on these guys?

**Terry** · 04-18-2009, 09:07 AM

Would I really have to open each box at a Lowes to check the quality on these guys?

The other forums are mainly homeowner postings.
Here, you have professional plumbers giving input.
That being the case, we see all of the brands, all the time.
We have personal experience, it's not a once in a lifetime buying experience.

No. You do not have to check the box as a home owner.
Home owners have all the time in the world, and they will take several trips back and forth anyway to get things they don't have or forget.
You are making the trips anyway.

A plumber expects to do things only once.
For us,
It matters.
Would you be willing to pay a plumber for multiple trips until he finally gets it right?