Cadet 3 tank problems

**jafriede** · 02-16-2011, 07:12 PM

I have installed 2 Cadet 3 toilets in the past with no problems and have been very happy with their performance. Moved into a new house about a year and a half ago and decided to change the 1997 Gerbers that clog at least 3 times a week. I bought the Cadet's from a local plumbing wholesaler in hopes of a little better quality than what gets shipped to the big box stores. The first thing I found out was that the bowls are now called "Flowise" to accommodate 1.28 gallon tanks as well as 1.6. I have the 1.6 gal tanks.

After getting the bowl set, I installed the tank. The first thing I noticed was that the pre-installed bolts didn't quite line up perfectly with the holes in the bowl. If one bolt was relatively square with the hole, the other would be cocked enough inboard such that the head of the bolt would not set flat against the rubber washer. After messing around to get a happy medium, I decided to turn the water on. Within seconds, water was dripping out around one of the bolts. I tried the tank from the other bowl and it looked a little better but still leaked (this time on the opposite side).

I am not a plumber but have installed at least a half dozen toilets and have never had a problem like this. Any ideas???

Thanks!

**jadnashua** · 02-16-2011, 07:31 PM

AM STD QA/QC strikes again. If you get a good one, you are okay...if you don't, you don't. Take it back and exchange it. Good luck, you may have to do it more than once. You might measure the bowl, too, to see if the holes in it are symmetric, it could be bad, too.

**Gary Swart** · 02-16-2011, 11:28 PM

Just a wild guess, but I'd bet you got this at a Big Box Discount store. American Standard has quality control problems as jadnashua alluded to, but rather than trash the bad ones, the sell them at a lower price to the Box Stores. Some buyers have had to return their purchase 3 or 4 times before getting one with no defects.

I bought the Cadet's from a local plumbing wholesaler in hopes of a little better quality than what gets shipped to the big box stores.

**jafriede** · 02-17-2011, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by jadnashua

AM STD QA/QC strikes again. If you get a good one, you are okay...if you don't, you don't. Take it back and exchange it. Good luck, you may have to do it more than once. You might measure the bowl, too, to see if the holes in it are symmetric, it could be bad, too.

It's a shame their QC is not better. I have had good luck in the past. I would have bought the Toto brand but there are no distributes anywhere near me and shipping costs are pretty hefty. If I get a resolution on this I will post it so it may help someone else.

**Gary Swart** · 02-17-2011, 12:51 PM

Many plumbing shops can order a Toto from their supplier even though they do not stock them. It is a mystery to me that although Toto is the largest manufacturer of toilets in the entire world, and are superior performers compared to other brands, many shops do not stock them. It's true in my city also. Fortunately, I live within reasonable driving distance from him. On line buying is not a real good option due to high breakage in shipping single units.

**Ian Gills** · 02-17-2011, 07:21 PM

Very shocked to hear about this. Try another. It will be fine.

I have had no problems in buying my Cadet 3 from a big box store.

Toto will sell them there one day soon as well. In this economy, they cannot afford not to.

A large proportion of the market for toilets must be DIY.

They're not rocket science. And they're not water heaters either.

**Gary Swart** · 02-17-2011, 09:00 PM

I believe the AS Cadet is basically a good toilet. The real downside is that they let many of what should be rejected get to the discount market. Ian obviously was one of the fortunate ones who got a good one. but many of the pros on this forum avoid the AS because a defect unit requires them to spend half a day or more removing it, returning it for exchange, then returning to install the replacement. Sometimes even the replacement is defective. The DIY can spend the time, but for the pro, this is very costly. As for someday Toto showing up in the Box Stores, I doubt it. Toto has grown to be the largest manufacturer in the world without finding it necessary to lower their quality to be able to prices Box Stores are willing to pay. A regular plumbing shop can sell Totos at a competitive price, so for those reasons, I would be surprised to see a Toto in HD, Costco, et al.

**jafriede** · 02-18-2011, 05:24 AM

UPDATE:
I called the plumbing supply store I got them from and talked to a guy who does installs. He said to make sure the tank bolts are tightened to the point where the tank actually touches the bowl. Anyone who has installed these will know you would really have to tighten it to compress the big spongy gasket that much. The two I've done in the past I left a little gap like an 1/8" because I was afraid of cracking the porcelain. I did as he said and so far no leaks. I still don't like the way the bolts are cocked slightly inboard but everything seems to be holding.