American Standard Champion toilet Review and comments. Rated #1 by Consumer Reports

[Andrew21]

If you have galvanized wood screws for the flange, they should be fine.
As long as the wax is sealing, they shouldn't be getting wet anyway.

Thats the problem. There are NO screws/nails holding the flange in place!

[Andrew21]

Thanks everyone! Just called the customer service department and they wanted a model number!?! WTF? So I told them the tower thingy I had and she knew right away what I needed. I'll keep you guys posted. thanks


Parts for the Champion 4

[glundy]

I am still interested in a one piece champion 4 toilet.

Are they still available and are they finally fixed.

[Redwood]

I am still interested in a one piece champion 4 toilet.

Are they still available and are they finally fixed.

Why?

Thats debatable!


I'd rather have a root canal sans novacaine than install one.

[kingsotall]

Why?

Thats debatable!


I'd rather have a root canal sans novacaine than install one.

You have earned AS's coveted Mega Plumber award.

[Dunbar Plumbing]

I got a call today that my customer picked up 3 AS 4's for me to install this week, all at one house.


They'll have the new ones next to the old ones, the husband is going to get the old ones to the garage. It don't get much better than that.


I tried reworking 3 peerless toilets they had, big mistake even though it was a simple setup. Parts even from the mfg. didn't make the difference.

AS 4's are real heavy, like pick up a pack of preparation H suppositories at Walgreens heavy.

[master plumber mark]

It's simple. Smart plumbers don't install a beast like the Champion.
The Champion was one of the hardest installations ever for a toilet.
You would have to be some kind of masochist to want to install them for a living. They are way too heavy for a two piece toilet, and like you mention, the tank bolts are very hard to get at.
Other brands are much easier to install.

They are horrible to fool with and you must , absolutely must get a deep socket set from Sears that will go up into the tiny slot that they provide for the nut and bolt to sit into.. I have a couple kits with the screwdriver handle..with me at all times...




But wait.... the real fun is going to be in 5-10 years from now when those nuts totally rust and freeze solid due to condensation and you will never, ever be able to get that tank apart again.....

I cant see how it will be ever be possible, no way ...no..how





Rugged, if you have not done that job jet, go get the deep socket set with the screwdriver handle shank in 1/4 inch at SEARS for about 25 bucks......

it will save yourself a lot of crying and knashing of teeth...





y

[Reader Review]

I had purchased a "water saver" toilet in many years ago when they first came out. I was never satisfied with its flushing ability. Three years ago I bought an American Standard Champion "right height" elongated bowl
toilet and installed it myself. The DIY installation was not too
difficult. A problem was with the thick rubber gasket that fits between the tank and the bowl. I tightened the nuts under the edge of the bowl pretty tightly, but the tank still leaned toward the wall. I was afraid that I had done something wrong. I called the American standard help line. They said to tighten until the "piers" on the back come into contact with the bowl. I didn't have enough nerve to tighten that much. I was afraid that I'd crack the bottom of the tank, but I did tighten enough that the tank is almost vertical. I've never had a leak between the tank and the bowl.
About a year and a half later the flush valve seal( used instead of a
flapper) began leaking water slowly into the bowl, causing unexpected filling in the middle of the night. I went over to Home Depot and picked up a replacement seal for around four dollars. It was a snap to replace. That's more of a maintenance item. I have not had any trouble with it in any way in the subsequent year and a half.
Now, as for the performance.
Pros:
The elongated bowl and the "right height" (which is similar to the height of a kitchen chair) are a perfect combination for adults, especially larger, taller, or older adults.
I had researched the flushing abilities of all of the models of the big brands before I made the purchase, so I was not surprised that it had a powerful flushing action. It was the only one I saw that could flush 1000 grams of material consistently. Some of the "standards" only
require about half that much. It is absolutely amazing. I've seen
low flows, three and one half gallon , and even five gallon flush models, but I've never seen any gravity toilet perform so well with respect to flushing action. It doesn't swirl. In an instant everything is just gone as if the bottom fell out of the bowl. American Standard says that you can throw away your plunger. I haven't thrown mine away, but it's somewhere in a storage shed away from ready access which would not have been the case prior to the Champion being in the house.
Cons:
The top of the lid isn't flat, so it's not the best place to put something like a box of tissues without first putting some kind of non-slip covering on the lid.
The flushing mechanism is a little larger than others, so there's a
little more resistance when you push down on the handle. As you push
down hard, when the flush valve releases it seems to be sudden and there is an unexpected noise. It could be that the lever attached to the handle comes up so suddenly that it actually bangs the bottom of the tank lid with considerable force.
The water level in the bowl is not as quite high as with most toilets which might contribute to slightly less than ideal bowl cleaning during the flush.
Brass bolts and nuts to connect the bowl to floor were not included. No seat either. That may be typical of all manufacturers.
Somewhat pricey. Would I purchase it again? Absolutely. I'd rather have a plumber install it, though, if I had the choice. Messing with that wax ring is nasty and is never confidence- inspiring. If you install any toilet there's a risk of making a mistake with that part of the job. A bad seal at the floor with the possibility of rotting floors is a reason to consider a pro.
The Champion is worth much more than it's price because of it's
reliable performance. LB

[Tomw]

I installed a Champion 4 toilet in my house about 6 months ago.

When I set the toilet on the wax ring, I didn't notice it being particularly difficult, but I am not familiar with many other toilets and their relative weights. I had installed Kohler Wellworth lite 3.5 gal flush toilets about 15 years ago, and it was not much harder. My guess is that the Champion weighs more because of the 2 3/8" trapway - a good tradeoff in my opinion.

I had read about the recessed screws in the tank and someone posted to use a 1/2" deep socket. I tried this when installing the tank and it was simple and easy. I followed the directions to center the tank on the bowl and tighten the screws evenly and had absolutely no problems. The gasket that goes on it is incredibly thick and compresses a lot. I can see how it would be very difficult with the chintzy wrench they supply with the toilet.

I have been using the toilet for the last 6 months without a single clog. It has incredible flushing power and it amazes me every time I flush because is uses so little water and yet has so much force. In fact, I have lowered the water level on the Champion as low as it will go to conserve water. The toilet is also very quiet - the whole flush is over in a couple of seconds and the refilling of the tank is pretty quiet.

The toilet wash function works very good - it is a very shot duration intense whirlpool of water that effectively cleans the bowl. The everclean anti microbial surface probably helps in this regard also - water still beads on the surface after 6 months with no cleaning.

I installed AS Cadet 3s in my other two bathrooms. They are the one-piece, ADA height, 1.28 gallon, watersense, elongated version. They also have exceeded my expectations. I would rate the Champion as the better of the two models in raw power, but the Cadets have never clogged either. My water bill has been almost halved.

I have had no problems with the quality or reliability of any of my AS toilets (so far). If I have a flapper problem with the Cadet 3, I will take 5 minutes and replace it, but I honestly don't believe that it will be necessary.

The flush tower on the Champion 4 has been redesigned, and I am not expecting any problems with it either. It has a 10 year warranty that covers all parts of the toilet including the internal parts.

I installed a Toto S300 washlet seat on the Champion (it would not fit on the Cadet 3 one-piece toilets that I have.) In order to install this seat, the holes for the seat have to be exactly the right dimension or it will not install. It installed perfectly on my Cadet 3 and Champion toilets. I had to remove it from the Cadet 3 because the base of the seat just barely contacts the bevel in the ceramic that goes up to the tank.

All in all, I am absolutely thrilled with the performance, price and quality of the 4 American Standard toilets that I have installed, but the Champion 4 is my favorite by a small margin.

[Redwood]

Thing is Tom they had to go with a 10 year guarantee after the performance of the champion 1, 2, & 3....

When You build junk you have to sweeten the pot...

[maddog]

OK - time to pile on. After changing out the flush valve to the new and improved Champion 4 flush valve, I thought my troubles might be over. It's been working great for almost a year until recently - when I hear the Champion topping itself off. In less than a year, with soft water and no chemical hockey pucks in the tank, the seal has developed blisters that cause it to leak. I turned it over, but the other side blistered also. It took about 3 weeks to get a replacement from American Standard - of course the big box and local plumbing supply shops don't carry the seal. I was about to order some seals from Locke Plumbing when it finally showed up. I've read that the Cadet 3 flappers also blister. I hope Korky or someone starts making replacement seals soon, because the AS seals are crap.

[Reader Review]

I purchased three American Standard Champion Toilets in 2004 as part of a house renovation project at our Richmond, Virginia home. The toilets were purchased through Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., 2501 Shheila lane, Richmond, at a cost of $248 each. They were installed by the contractor for our house addition. The toilets are 1.6-gallon per flush "water conserving" toilets, as mandated by federal law and federal regulations pertaining to energy conservation.
My wife and I first noticed increasing water usage in 2007, and by Christmas
2008 one toilet of the three started refilling and "running" constantly. I replaced rubber "o" rings with $3.oo parts from Lowe's, but this did not reduce the leakage. Shortly thereafter, the first of three flush tower units broke in half, and became inoperative. We now have two out of the three toilets in our house {$320,000 assessed value} inoperative. After the first tower broke, I went online to find what I could about replacement parts, and discovered a huge volume of consumer complaints about the Champion toilet line. In short, the product design was defective, and untested at the time of sale to consumers.
I have written Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., as well as American Standard, requesting replacement of the toilets. Although we submitted warranty cards at the time the toilets were purchased, we have received no notices of product design defects. An American Standard Consumer Products Representative, contacted by telephone, acknowledged that the company was aware of the product design defects, and was offering replacement towers, to be installed by consumers at their expense. However, replacement towers were not immediately available because of consumer demand. I have waited for a month for replacement parts, with two of three toilets out of service.
I am currently waiting to see whether either Lowe's or American Standard will honor either the express ten-year warranty against defects in the flusihing components of the Champion toilet, or will honor an implied warranty of fitness for the product. I have also written to the United States Federal Trade Commission, requesting that they consider requiring a recall of the Champion toilet line as in violation of federal standards, US CFR 305.16 et seq., which they are mandated to enforce under Section 304 of the Federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
As I have received no responses in writing to my letters of April 9, 2009, I would caution consumers against any purchase of American Standard products.
Charles Ware
Richmond, Virginia

[kingsotall]

Best of luck to you with your endeavor.

[Redwood]

Phew... These Am. Std. customers are a happy lot arem't they?

[stoke]

The comments here seem to be from 2004 to 2006. My supply center tells me that AS has now solved these problems. Does anyone have any experience with the newer flush system.