Briggs Vacuity toilet review and comments. Rated #1 by Consumer Reports

**superecho** · 01-02-2008, 09:14 PM

Background: I am a homeowner, and while not a professional, I've managed to do a lot of my own electrical and plumbing most of the time, and this isn't the first toilet i've replaced.

One of my kids flushed a tube of toothpaste down our old 1988 toilet that I hated anyway because it got clogged often, so I headed down to our local (large warehouse-type store) to find a suitable replacement.

Standing there in the aisle looking at all the toilets, it struck me how impossible it was to make an objective comparison between any of the thrones presented. There in the store, you're pretty much deciding by picking the one with the best lies in their brochures. The employee there asked if I needed help, and I told her what I was looking for -- brown (bone, almond, whatever), round bowl, and able to flush a concrete block if possible. Based on the recommendation of the employee there (a whole bowl full of marbles! really!) and the shiny brochure, I purchased and brought home a Briggs Aegis Vacuity toilet.

Brought my new purchase home, pulled the old toilet, wax ring down, bowl down, tighten, tank, lid, water supply, fix the leak, all is good. Where's the newspaper, time to test this puppy out.... and on it's inaugural run, it got it's first clog.

son of a ...

..

what the.. plunger doesn't fit?

Anyway, posted to say thanks for the site and the review of the Vacuity. Dunno why I didn't check the Internet first for this, I would have saved the effort of pulling this one, returning it, and finding a suitable replacement. Speaking of which, anyone in here a dealer for Toto in Indiana?

hj · 01-03-2008, 05:58 AM

Where's the newspaper, time to test this puppy out.... and on it's inaugural run, it got it's first clog.

Newspaper? Why didn't you just use a bunch of paper towels? You must bes like the farmer who called Sears and told them to send him a box of toilet paper. When the person on the phone asked for a catalog number he said, "If I had the catalog, I wouldn't need the toilet paper."

**jimbo** · 01-03-2008, 06:51 AM

I don't think he meant that he FLUSHED the newpaper; he was just reading it!

**superecho** · 01-10-2008, 09:33 AM

Ah, the joys of working on weekends and not being able to get to the plumbing place immediately (I do photography on the side, had a wedding to shoot).

I'd been avoiding using ol' cloggy, but the other day thought, 'maybe I was too demanding on it. Maybe if I used less TP it would be ok'. So, I went and found the newspaper again, did some reading, and then flushed my 'grams' without TP. Clogged. I really didn't think I was that talented.

Fixed that, and later my 7 year old daughter clogged it too. Chip off the ol' block she is.

Today I took the day off work. Is it wrong to be excited to go pick out a new toilet?

**CarlH** · 01-13-2008, 05:19 AM

Originally Posted by superecho

Today I took the day off work. Is it wrong to be excited to go pick out a new toilet?

Or is it excited to not have to continually pull out the plunger? I know that I am pleased to finally be rid of the last of my clog prone toilets. We tend to take for granted something like this that we use so often. This is the only place that I know of where there is so much feedback on the quality and performance of the various thrones that are available.

**superecho** · 01-13-2008, 03:23 PM

Yesterday, I finally got to install my new throne. I started by uninstalling my Briggs, shoving it back into the 2 boxes, and heading back to (large retail home improvement store). Wheeled it in on a cart, and headed over the returns counter. The returns person had to call over a manager, who had to do a bunch of overrides, but they did accept a used toilet for a return. A used toilet that had 4 clogs jammed inside it.

A: Yay, I got my money back!
B: ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Ok, pick up a fresh wax ring, go home. Test fit the bowl, on with the wax ring, bowl down, snug it down. Go get the tank... doorbell rings... Hey, it's my neighbor Mike! Show off new toilet, sand the holes inside the tank, bolts in, tank on, water connected, water on.

Flush

Wow... or as another friend later said, 'That'll suck the hair right off your ass, won't it?'

Didn't get to test it myself until today though. Before I flushed, I admit I hesitated. This one was a guaranteed clog generator in the old toilet. Crossed my fingers, flushed, and I'm pretty sure those grams were in the Ohio river within 5 minutes. I've gotta say I'm very impressed.

**Reader Review** · 07-17-2008, 08:43 PM

We bought a house that has a Briggs (Model 4408?) toilet in the downstairs bathroom. We had to replace the "internals" on it
as it constantly ran. The "flapper" was bad and we had to replace the seal between the tank and base.

To make the toilet flush, we had to hold the lever down to flush. then wiggle or flick it to make the flapper
reseal in the bottom of the tank. Now it works great except that right in the front of the bowl the water is
constantly running into the bowl. Then the tank will fill back up. It takes it about 3-5 seconds to refill the
tank. This is constantly doing this.

One would think when the tank and bowl are filled, it's done. But this leaks out and the tank has to refill.

Has this been another common problem? or are we unique? We have read thru almost everything we can find
on these toilets to try and figure this out. And we are finding nothing.

We are hoping you have heard of this and have an answer for us.

Thank you for your time.

Nick and Sue

**jadnashua** · 07-18-2008, 06:23 AM

In a typical toilet, if the refill hose is below the level of the overflow tube opening, it can siphon, which would require the toilet to refill. The flapper valve may still be leaking. Use some food coloring in the tank, it sounds like you will soon see some in the bowl. This should not happen until you flush. The tank to flapper valve seal may be loose. Normally, to fix this, you have to take the tank off and tighten the big nut on the bottom of the tank.

**Reader Review** · 12-26-2008, 11:43 AM

I would like to post my imput about a Briggs Vacuity toilet----DON'T BE STUPID ENOUGH TO BUY THIS BRAND.
We purchased our Briggs toilet at ******* in Oct. 2008.
Too bad we didn't do more research before we spent $309 on this product! We have had nothing but problems. The toilet has been running at will whenever it feels like it--causing us to not only have a huge water bill but when contacting Don in customer service and trying to get some help with this--we have gotten no where. To say the least that 800 number they give to you to call is a waste of time! Don told my husband he would send a new part--which never happened.

We tried everything we were directed to do with no success. As a last effort, we went back to ******* and bought all new "guts" for the inside of the tank and started over. So far the toilet has become "silent" but we still have to hold the handle down until the toilets flushing process is complete. If this doesn't work our friends at
KOHLER will have some new customers and this toilet will stand by the highway with a sign on it telling people what NOT to buy!
S. Neessen-Grundy Ctr, IA 50638

**Reader Review** · 12-26-2008, 11:47 AM

We have had ours for probably 6 years, just replaced our flapper on our Briggs vacuity toilet because the old one had lost it's flexibility and was leaking. At first my husband bought a universal flapper because he couldn't find a Briggs replacement flapper at the hardware store. That did not work. Very slow flushes left some paper not flushed. We ordered online (not from Briggs), a Briggs replacement vacuity flapper with the white floater thingy. It still is not flushing at optimum as before. Is there something we are not putting back together right? Is there a manual out there. I have tried to email Briggs but have gotten no response. They are only open during the week eastern time. Weekend diy-er's have a hard time with this kind of customer service. I will let the thread know if I get an answer. In the meantime, please help with advice if possible. thanks!
A Farrar

**Reader Review** · 12-26-2008, 11:47 AM

THe toilet seems to work fine but every once and awhile it sounds like its running and then it stops. It doesn't seem to be leaking anywhere but my husband and I can not understand why it keeps doing this. Do you have an explanation? L Courtney Chicago Il

**Reader Review** · 12-26-2008, 11:49 AM

Watch out for ProFlo toilet also. It is the Vacuity with a different name, same manufacturer though. Came across this toilet today at work for the first time. The inner/outer tank leaked and flooded a house out while the poor people were out of town packing to move in. With 3 of these toilets in thier home it is job security for us plumbers . %)!!!!!!!

Tnesst

**Reader Review** · 12-26-2008, 11:50 AM

WE are on our second Vacuity from ******* Home in just over a year. The first one leaked at the horn and could not het a good seal. The store replaced it and we began with the plugs, even small plugs. After snaking and plunging we usually got it flowing, but it was never good. One night we had to call in help, thinking it was a drain issue the "after hours emergency tech" arrived just as it cleared, yup we paid since I let him in due to the cold.

He said "if I knew it was a Briggs Acuity he could have helped over the phone", We were putingFeeling useless and stupid
I would like a permanent fix or a new bowl.......going to your next link on unplugging

thanks

_______________________________________
Rob
Minnesota

**Reader Review** · 12-26-2008, 11:50 AM

Our builder (big name, nationally recognized) uses Briggs in 90% of the homes they build and all I can say is these toilets are junk. As another wrote, no clogs but **frequently** requires a second flush. Boy, is that the truth. When we complained to our builder they told us to consider using single-ply bathroom tissue and don’t use pre-moistened sanitary wipes!!! I’m very sorry but that’s not our idea of any toilet we’d ever welcome into our home, least of all for the guest bathroom.
B Garfield

**Reader Review** · 07-20-2009, 06:15 PM

I have a Briggs Vacuity toilet that worked initially (purchased in 2005 after reading the CU report) but over time has begun to lose its ability to flush completely. It does not evacuate all the water/debris with one flush and consistently requires two to three flushes. After trying all the suggestions that I had searched out to no avail, including removing and replacing the unit, I happened upon a relatively simple solution that I would like to share with others having similar problems. After placing a 15-20 pound weight on top of the plastic vacuum tank, the toilet has flushed completely every time it has been used during the last four weeks. When the weight is removed, the problem returns so I am 100% sure that this is a valid solution. The weight that I used is a combination of 15# of small exercise weight plates and 7# from the tank top. This combination is placed upon a small block of wood in contact with the top of the plastic vacuum tank to make sure that all the weight is being applied to the tank. I assume that what I have done is to improve the seal between the vacuum tank and the discharge chamber so that the vacuum assist has a chance to actually do what it was designed to do.

J Guidetti
Chagrin Falls, OH