A Review of the "Champion 4" along with a Fix to the Poor Bowl Fill Problem
First I'll cover the bowl fill problem resolution.
I discovered this fix while discussing this issue in a separate thread started by “larrymcg” but I think it will help more people here.
If you have a Champion 4 toilet and you think the bowl is not filling completely after a flush, check for one of these inside the fill tube.
It’s a flow restrictor and it was inside the rubber fill tube where it connects to the fill valve. It was hidden about a half inch inside the tube so you might not see it. Try squeezing the tube to see if it’s there. Removing the restrictor corrected the bowl fill problem in my Champion 4.
Before I start the review, I want to say that I really wanted a Toto based on all the positive reviews here and I would have bought one too if I could get one "off the shelf" locally at a plumbing supply place (Note: It turns out I could have – see more later). I found a few plumbing supply showrooms where I could order a Toto and get it in a few days (or weeks depending on color) but the show rooms didn’t stock anything. So I took a chance with a Champion 4.
Now my initial review of the Champion 4.
I bought the champion 4 elongated “Right Height” at Lowes about 2 weeks ago (late January 2010).
The packaging used for these is terrible. Look for a sealed box then open and inspect it at the store before you buy or at least before you leave the parking lot.
The first thing I noticed was that the inside of the trap seemed rough. I was as if it was not glazed properly but that wasn’t the case. It was just some substance that had to be cleaned off. The glaze was fine. This was not how it should have been sold and I could easily see someone rejecting it or returning it based on that crud on the surface in the trap. After it was cleaned off, the glaze in the trap seemed fine. Maybe it was remnants of some polish they didn’t remove. As Terry consistently says, their quality control and workmanship are lacking.
The elongated “Right Height” bowl is very big and you’re going to need all of the 12” rough-in space for it to fit. If you’re rough-in is any smaller than 12”, you may not get it to fit.
It does take some fineness to attach the tank to the bowl and avoid the “tank wobble” that many complained about. You must tighten the bolts, alternating sides, until the tank hits the tabs on the bowl. In my case, the front tabs contacted first but that's not tight enough. As you continue to tighten, the tank will then start to level itself out as it begins to come in contact with the back tabs. Don’t tighten it any more than that. Does it seem like you’re going to crack the tank or bowl? Yes it does. Will it crack? It shouldn’t unless you tighten it beyond the point where the tabs make contact.
The included seat is flimsy and makes the overall feel of this toilet feel cheap even though the toilet itself has a very solid feel. Other than the flimsy feel, the seat works fine but I’m going to replace it with something better soon.
Adding to the cheap feel, is the chrome plated plastic flush lever. Not only is the handle plastic, but the actual lever is too. This results in a slightly springy feel to the flush because the plastic lever bends as you push the handle down. Eventually there is enough force to pull the flapper up. I don’t like the feel. I could live with it but I replaced it with a metal version I got online for about $16 (it’s the one AS sells for the original champion). I like the feel much better but obviously there’s no real performance benefit. By the way, the flush demonstration video on the American Standard website is misleading. It shows the inside of the tank during a flush and clearly shows the lever as being metal.
In my opinion, if a company wants to impress consumers, all the components that we have direct interaction with on a daily basis (Seat, Flush handle etc) should be designed to look and feel substantial. This is not the case with the Champion 4. I’d pay more if they offered better parts. Maybe they cheapen the ones that they sell at Lowes and Home Depot.
Speaking of Lowes and Home Depot, their part numbers for what seems to be an identical Champion 4 Toilet kit are different. At Lowes the part number is “2793.000.020” which I can’t find on the AS website. At Home Depot, the part number is “2586.000.020” which I can find on the AS website. I’ve looked closely at both in the stores and can’t see any difference at all. Does anyone here know why there are different part numbers?
Results: There's no doubt that it has a powerful flush. Everything seems to be working very well. But…
I don’t like the “Right Height” ADA size. I don’t know why this is such a big trend but I don’t like it. So, I moved it to my son’s bathroom (where it replaced a clog prone Mansfield installed by the builder 10 years ago).
Since I knew I wanted a standard height toilet and would have to order it whether it was a TOTO or a Champion 4, I decided to get the Ultramax in Sedona Beige because I thought the master bath deserved a more stylish one piece in off white. I decided to checkout one last Plumbing Supply Showroom near where I work that was listed on Toto's website. They had several Toto’s in stock including an Ultramax in Sedona Beige! I would have preferred the Eco-Ultramax because of the water rebates being offered but there were none in stock and the order would have taken 3 to 4 weeks.
The Toto Ultramax is everything people here say it is. The Toto workmanship is amazing. The included seat is far better than the included seat on the Champion (though it does make creaking sounds). Here’s something surprising, a Toto Ultramax is much less expensive than the 1-piece Champion 4 (which doesn’t even include a seat).
I hope to report back on their performance after a year or so to see how they both hold up.