I found the problem is that after you flush, the water level is the bowl is getting less and less, so when it reaches the point that almost no water, and you flush again, it will splash!! How do I fix the water level problem in the bowl, please help!!!
American Standard Cadet 3 Three Toilet consumer product review
- Thread starter LaNor
- Start date
I found the problem is that after you flush, the water level is the bowl is getting less and less, so when it reaches the point that almost no water, and you flush again, it will splash!! How do I fix the water level problem in the bowl, please help!!!
my experience...
After reading through this very long thread about one toilet, I decided to try the cadet 3. Heeding the warnings here, I inspected the toilet before I bought it and also grabbed a better seat before I left the store. The install went really fast, other than I put the bowl on and tightened the bolts then remembered I had jammed two rags in the drain to keep the gases from escaping. Luckily I had also purchased a backup wax ring, so that was an easy fix. After putting it together, I only needed to make a slight adjustment to the water filler thingy to get the tank to the right height. I still cannot believe that the little wimpy flush can get rid of everything, but so far it has. Leaving out descriptions, I have put down with one flush what would have been a 2-flusher with my old tank (an old pink 70's 4 gallon monstrosity).
So for what it's worth, I give the thing 5 stars. I lucked out with a level bowl, good finishing on the ceramic, a non-cracked wax ring, good flapper, and all of the parts were there. I am, however, going to get a Toto when we remodel next year and pout the Cadet in our spare bathroom. Not that anything is wrong with the cadet, but Terry speaks so lovingly of the Totos and I think it just looks a little bit nicer than the Cadet.
Question: I found that my rough-in was 13". Is there anything I can do about the 2.5" gap behind the toilet. An adjuster cap or something that will allow the toilet to sit back closer to the wall? our bathroom is small and every inch counts.
thanks to everyone!
PS: I consider myself a nerd/geek and I thought I would never be surprised at what geek-dom I might across. I have to say, you are all toilet nerds, especially that British guy who pimped-out his cadet 3. I mean that with respect, as a fellow nerd, but I think that I have now truly seen everything.
After reading through this very long thread about one toilet, I decided to try the cadet 3. Heeding the warnings here, I inspected the toilet before I bought it and also grabbed a better seat before I left the store. The install went really fast, other than I put the bowl on and tightened the bolts then remembered I had jammed two rags in the drain to keep the gases from escaping. Luckily I had also purchased a backup wax ring, so that was an easy fix. After putting it together, I only needed to make a slight adjustment to the water filler thingy to get the tank to the right height. I still cannot believe that the little wimpy flush can get rid of everything, but so far it has. Leaving out descriptions, I have put down with one flush what would have been a 2-flusher with my old tank (an old pink 70's 4 gallon monstrosity).
So for what it's worth, I give the thing 5 stars. I lucked out with a level bowl, good finishing on the ceramic, a non-cracked wax ring, good flapper, and all of the parts were there. I am, however, going to get a Toto when we remodel next year and pout the Cadet in our spare bathroom. Not that anything is wrong with the cadet, but Terry speaks so lovingly of the Totos and I think it just looks a little bit nicer than the Cadet.
Question: I found that my rough-in was 13". Is there anything I can do about the 2.5" gap behind the toilet. An adjuster cap or something that will allow the toilet to sit back closer to the wall? our bathroom is small and every inch counts.
thanks to everyone!
PS: I consider myself a nerd/geek and I thought I would never be surprised at what geek-dom I might across. I have to say, you are all toilet nerds, especially that British guy who pimped-out his cadet 3. I mean that with respect, as a fellow nerd, but I think that I have now truly seen everything.
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urdrwho
Member
Just came back from Lowes - cadet 3 - I think it will be
Man reading some of the warnings you would think we are talking medical equipment. Such as warnings that you may need to adjust the chain as a reason to pass on a certain toilet or tighten the handle.
Take note of the Toyota recall, the Lexus maker, it has grown to 9 million cars worldwide. Can you get a a toilet that didn't fire 100% correctly, yep. You can always take it back for another. A five minute drive for me.
Will it last a while? I don't know but my toilet in the basement is 35 years old.
In the future, will I need to replace some of the internals, yep, I can do it and not worth blinking an eye.
As a DIY guy, it is worth the risk.
Man reading some of the warnings you would think we are talking medical equipment. Such as warnings that you may need to adjust the chain as a reason to pass on a certain toilet or tighten the handle.
Take note of the Toyota recall, the Lexus maker, it has grown to 9 million cars worldwide. Can you get a a toilet that didn't fire 100% correctly, yep. You can always take it back for another. A five minute drive for me.
Will it last a while? I don't know but my toilet in the basement is 35 years old.
In the future, will I need to replace some of the internals, yep, I can do it and not worth blinking an eye.
As a DIY guy, it is worth the risk.
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Joe the Plumber
Pluumbing, of course
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Hyundai and KIA
I think that was what you meant.
The Cadet is the KIA and Hyundai of the toilet world.
Great if you work at McDonald's and can't afford steak on Friday.
I think that was what you meant.
The Cadet is the KIA and Hyundai of the toilet world.
Great if you work at McDonald's and can't afford steak on Friday.
DGH
New Member
I have a 20 year old American Standard 3.5 gal toilet at my cottage which I am now using by manually pouring a pail of water into the toilet tank. The reason is because my water source is a water pipe into the lake and the foot valve is frozen.
There is presently no running water. I plan to replace the entire water pipe, along with a new AS Cadet 3 toilet in May.
If I install the Cadet 3 toilet now, is it acceptable to continue to manually fill the tank of the new toilet with a pail of water, without doing any damage to the internal mechanisms? I prefer to install the Cadet 3 right away but I don't know if this will harm the fill valve, flapper, etc.
This is my first post written after reading all 292 posts on this thread to make sure my question has not already been answered. My cottage is a waterfront cottage on Lake Simcoe, north of Toronto (Ontario, Canada).
There is presently no running water. I plan to replace the entire water pipe, along with a new AS Cadet 3 toilet in May.
If I install the Cadet 3 toilet now, is it acceptable to continue to manually fill the tank of the new toilet with a pail of water, without doing any damage to the internal mechanisms? I prefer to install the Cadet 3 right away but I don't know if this will harm the fill valve, flapper, etc.
This is my first post written after reading all 292 posts on this thread to make sure my question has not already been answered. My cottage is a waterfront cottage on Lake Simcoe, north of Toronto (Ontario, Canada).
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
You won't hurt the toilet by filling it up that way. Keep in mind, just filling the tank won't fill the bowl to the proper level, so you'll need to add some there as well. Just don't pour it too fast into the bowl, or it will attempt to flush, and you'll have to start over.
I'd think twice about choosing another AS product, though. If you get a good one, you may be okay, but it seems the odds aren't in your favor.
I'd think twice about choosing another AS product, though. If you get a good one, you may be okay, but it seems the odds aren't in your favor.
My review of the Cadet 3 Right Height EL ADA toilet. (Bowl is 3016, tank is 4007, rough-in 12")
I couldn't believe how much time I took reading reviews to select a toilet. Long story short, after weighing many pros and cons, I decided to give this model a try. If it works well, I'll install them in my other 2 bathrooms. I bought the bowl and tank separately (vs the all-in-one box) from Home Depot. Installed one last night. No troubles. Checked for poor finish. I did see one spot on the bowl missing a bit of porcelain, but minor in an unnoticeable spot. I couldn't really check the trapway for glazing, but did notice it felt rough (glazed but bumpy) on the top side reaching in from the bowl. Bottom was smooth. I noted the level of the old toilet and it was off a tiny fraction. Installed the new one and it is off a bit more, but certainly acceptable. No trouble getting the tank firmly fitted to the bowl. Solid with no rocking. I used a socket wrench and felt like I could easily have tightened more but noticed the tank was touching the bowl in the back and front so I stopped.
It wasn't too clear (to me anyway) what the water level in the tank should have been. I ultimately figured it was the bottom of the blue top on the overflow tube. I gave it a flush. Seemed to work fine. The adjustment instructions said if it "fails to siphon" to adjust the chain. I don't know what it was supposed to look like or if it was siphoning, but I did move the chain 2 notches to take up a bit of slack and it did seem like there was a little more force on the flush.
I tried the pepper test and wasn't too impressed. It took 3 flushes to remove it all. I'll be checking to see if any holes are plugged at all.
That said, it has been put through its paces to perform its actual purpose. All 3 of us have tried it and reported success.
I was a bit surprised to see the tank is 1.5" away from the wall. Spec sheet says 1" +/- 1/4". With my 12" rough in, not sure why I'd be that much more off, but again, not a big deal.
All in all after reading all the frightening stories about poor quality of products, I'm please to say "so far so good".
I couldn't believe how much time I took reading reviews to select a toilet. Long story short, after weighing many pros and cons, I decided to give this model a try. If it works well, I'll install them in my other 2 bathrooms. I bought the bowl and tank separately (vs the all-in-one box) from Home Depot. Installed one last night. No troubles. Checked for poor finish. I did see one spot on the bowl missing a bit of porcelain, but minor in an unnoticeable spot. I couldn't really check the trapway for glazing, but did notice it felt rough (glazed but bumpy) on the top side reaching in from the bowl. Bottom was smooth. I noted the level of the old toilet and it was off a tiny fraction. Installed the new one and it is off a bit more, but certainly acceptable. No trouble getting the tank firmly fitted to the bowl. Solid with no rocking. I used a socket wrench and felt like I could easily have tightened more but noticed the tank was touching the bowl in the back and front so I stopped.
It wasn't too clear (to me anyway) what the water level in the tank should have been. I ultimately figured it was the bottom of the blue top on the overflow tube. I gave it a flush. Seemed to work fine. The adjustment instructions said if it "fails to siphon" to adjust the chain. I don't know what it was supposed to look like or if it was siphoning, but I did move the chain 2 notches to take up a bit of slack and it did seem like there was a little more force on the flush.
I tried the pepper test and wasn't too impressed. It took 3 flushes to remove it all. I'll be checking to see if any holes are plugged at all.
That said, it has been put through its paces to perform its actual purpose. All 3 of us have tried it and reported success.
I was a bit surprised to see the tank is 1.5" away from the wall. Spec sheet says 1" +/- 1/4". With my 12" rough in, not sure why I'd be that much more off, but again, not a big deal.
All in all after reading all the frightening stories about poor quality of products, I'm please to say "so far so good".
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DGH
New Member
Thank you jadnashua for your comment about choosing another AS product. I ordered a TOTO C454CEFG#01 Gwyneth Elong toilet, ADA, with CEFIONTECT, on Friday and it arrived this morning. I will have it professionally installed this weekend. I was able to purchase it at wholesale price which ended up being CDN $90 less than the US$ retail price shown on the TOTO website. I made a mistake and ordered the TOTO SS154 seat which retails for CDN $123 in Ontario. Thank God I also paid the wholesale price for the seat.
What switched me from a new AS toilet to the TOTO Gwyneth toilet, was a visit to the public washroom of a local (very large) grocery store. In the handicap stall was a TOTO 2-piece ADA Drake II (same model I bought) and I was able to flush it a couple of times to witness and evaluate the flushing technology. That sold me on the Gwyneth: seeing is believing.
A suggestion for anyone considering a TOTO: visit the washroom in a commercial establishment such as a shopping center or a hospital and see if there is a TOTO toilet in the handicap stall.
What switched me from a new AS toilet to the TOTO Gwyneth toilet, was a visit to the public washroom of a local (very large) grocery store. In the handicap stall was a TOTO 2-piece ADA Drake II (same model I bought) and I was able to flush it a couple of times to witness and evaluate the flushing technology. That sold me on the Gwyneth: seeing is believing.
A suggestion for anyone considering a TOTO: visit the washroom in a commercial establishment such as a shopping center or a hospital and see if there is a TOTO toilet in the handicap stall.
simonkenton
New Member
Thank you, Terry, and everyone else for this great forum. Great to have access to such a wealth of information.
My Mom is 81 years old an on Social Security. She needed a new toilet. She really does pinch her pennies.
I took a deep breath, and decided to go with the Cadet 3 ADA, rather than the Drake.
I bought the toilet at Lowes for $203 out the door. I took the toilet home and inspected it, having read many reports on this forum of quality control problems with American Standard.
I could see no problems with the toilet. I noticed that the tank and bowl were both Hecho in Mexico.
I installed the toilet yesterday. The installation was a snap, took less than an hour.
I wasn't sure about how tight to make the tank to bowl bolts. I tightened them down snug. There was still some wiggle in the tank, and the tank was not setting on the bowl, about 1/8 inch gap.
I turned on the water. The thing flushed fine, and did not leak. I was scared to tighten the nuts any more, I didn't want to crack the tank.
I just put a shim behind the tank, between the tank and the wall. That put an end to the wobble.
My mom likes the looks of the toilet, and it flushes everything we have put in it.
But, the thing sprays onto the seat. No matter how you flush it, it will spray out 3 or 4 little bitty drops of water [or whatever] onto the seat.
If you flush it while sitting down, it will spray water onto your butt!
My mom is not wild about this, to say the least.
I came onto the Terry Love forum last night and searched "Cadet 3 spray."
I saw that this is a chronic problem with this toilet, happens with many of these toilets, and nothing can be done about it.
My girlfriend is right now bringing up here a shiny new Toto Drake ADA, about $360 out the door in Atlanta, no seat.
My girlfriend and I have 5 rental houses, and a couple days ago, we were talking about replacing 3 or 4 of our toilets with the Cadet 3.
Now, No Way, Jose.
I have seen the light.
Goodbye, Mexican Standard, hello Toto.
I will give a report on the Toto tomorrow, but, I will be massively disappointed if it is not a great toilet.
I can see why so many plumbers do not want to mess with the Cadet 3. Just think, if you installed five of these in a week, you get callbacks on 2 of them because they spray, you are wasting serious time taking these mediocre toilets back to Lowes.
My Mom is 81 years old an on Social Security. She needed a new toilet. She really does pinch her pennies.
I took a deep breath, and decided to go with the Cadet 3 ADA, rather than the Drake.
I bought the toilet at Lowes for $203 out the door. I took the toilet home and inspected it, having read many reports on this forum of quality control problems with American Standard.
I could see no problems with the toilet. I noticed that the tank and bowl were both Hecho in Mexico.
I installed the toilet yesterday. The installation was a snap, took less than an hour.
I wasn't sure about how tight to make the tank to bowl bolts. I tightened them down snug. There was still some wiggle in the tank, and the tank was not setting on the bowl, about 1/8 inch gap.
I turned on the water. The thing flushed fine, and did not leak. I was scared to tighten the nuts any more, I didn't want to crack the tank.
I just put a shim behind the tank, between the tank and the wall. That put an end to the wobble.
My mom likes the looks of the toilet, and it flushes everything we have put in it.
But, the thing sprays onto the seat. No matter how you flush it, it will spray out 3 or 4 little bitty drops of water [or whatever] onto the seat.
If you flush it while sitting down, it will spray water onto your butt!
My mom is not wild about this, to say the least.
I came onto the Terry Love forum last night and searched "Cadet 3 spray."
I saw that this is a chronic problem with this toilet, happens with many of these toilets, and nothing can be done about it.
My girlfriend is right now bringing up here a shiny new Toto Drake ADA, about $360 out the door in Atlanta, no seat.
My girlfriend and I have 5 rental houses, and a couple days ago, we were talking about replacing 3 or 4 of our toilets with the Cadet 3.
Now, No Way, Jose.
I have seen the light.
Goodbye, Mexican Standard, hello Toto.
I will give a report on the Toto tomorrow, but, I will be massively disappointed if it is not a great toilet.
I can see why so many plumbers do not want to mess with the Cadet 3. Just think, if you installed five of these in a week, you get callbacks on 2 of them because they spray, you are wasting serious time taking these mediocre toilets back to Lowes.
I have installed two Cadet 3's the first one I noted no problem of consequence but it was in one of my rental houses and I probably wasn't as picky as the one I installed in the master bath at my house yesterday.
The only "Quality" issue that I noted was that the bolt holes where you bolt the Bowl to the flange on the floor were off a bit and the commode sat a bit clockwise from where It should be. it was minor and I just twisted it where it should be, the bolts were a bit slanted but I considered it ok and tightened them down.
I wasn't happy with two things:
1. The amount of water in the bowl after flushing was too low, it lets "Stuff" land on the ceramic and not in water, which is not the way a toilet is supposed to work. (IMHO)
2. There wasn't enough water in the tank for a proper flush.
I cured both of these by taking a 1" coupling and sliding down over the top of the fill tube
thereby adding about 3/4 of a gallon of water when the tank fills. I'd rather have a commode that works as it should VS saving .0001 cents worth of water.
Although TOTO's are great toilets (for non clogging) we have 3 at work and they flush so violently that if your sitting down when you do a flush, you'll get your bottom washed with dirty water. So no TOTOs for me.
Before the "Fix" the water level was just at the square part of the flush way/trapway
The only "Quality" issue that I noted was that the bolt holes where you bolt the Bowl to the flange on the floor were off a bit and the commode sat a bit clockwise from where It should be. it was minor and I just twisted it where it should be, the bolts were a bit slanted but I considered it ok and tightened them down.
I wasn't happy with two things:
1. The amount of water in the bowl after flushing was too low, it lets "Stuff" land on the ceramic and not in water, which is not the way a toilet is supposed to work. (IMHO)
2. There wasn't enough water in the tank for a proper flush.
I cured both of these by taking a 1" coupling and sliding down over the top of the fill tube
thereby adding about 3/4 of a gallon of water when the tank fills. I'd rather have a commode that works as it should VS saving .0001 cents worth of water.
Although TOTO's are great toilets (for non clogging) we have 3 at work and they flush so violently that if your sitting down when you do a flush, you'll get your bottom washed with dirty water. So no TOTOs for me.
Before the "Fix" the water level was just at the square part of the flush way/trapway
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wgzn
New Member
i bought 2 and installed 1 of the cadet 3s today. i was kind of dissapointed when we removed it from the box. it looked kinda smallish. but so far the one seems to work just fine. doesnt seem to "spray" but the cheapo plastic seat is horrible! i cant believe they would bother including this piece of junk. so add the cost of a decent seat to whatever you pay for the cadet 3.
im going to hold off installing the second one for a couple of days and see how the first one performs under normal "loads" ; )
im going to hold off installing the second one for a couple of days and see how the first one performs under normal "loads" ; )
Ballvalve
General Engineering Contractor
This seems like the place to ask the question is the AS 3 the most for the least? What would you buy for a rental cheap that works good, sprays your butt, but is reliable on flush and repairs??? Thanks
You "want" the toilet to spray your butt?
I sell the Cadet 3, Toto Dalton and Toto Drake for rentals.
None of these should be spraying your butt.
I sell the Cadet 3, Toto Dalton and Toto Drake for rentals.
None of these should be spraying your butt.
simonkenton
New Member
Although TOTO's are great toilets (for non clogging) we have 3 at work and they flush so violently that if your sitting down when you do a flush, you'll get your bottom washed with dirty water. So no TOTOs for me.
As Terry said, the Toto Drake does not wash your bottom with water.
Like I said above I got one for the express reason that the Cadet 3 sprayed. It didn't spray much but my mom didn't like it.
I flushed the Drake twice while sitting on it, no spray on the butt.
Also I scrutinized the seat after flushing the Drake four or five times, not the slightest drop of water on the seat.
As Terry said, the Toto Drake does not wash your bottom with water.
Like I said above I got one for the express reason that the Cadet 3 sprayed. It didn't spray much but my mom didn't like it.
I flushed the Drake twice while sitting on it, no spray on the butt.
Also I scrutinized the seat after flushing the Drake four or five times, not the slightest drop of water on the seat.
Ballvalve
General Engineering Contractor
What I meant is that I dont care if it sprinkles your butt. Just the best flusher for the least money, ugly and loud okay too.
One of my workers says his home depo no name for 69$ complete works great.... is it possible? Has a plastic tank lid.
One of my workers says his home depo no name for 69$ complete works great.... is it possible? Has a plastic tank lid.
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wgzn
New Member
words dont exist to express how much i HATE my cadet 3s!
i find them small, poorly designed and the seats are like tupperware. the flushing is quick and reasonably effective. but the way they initially "erupt" scares the bejezzus out of me. and the rapid flush and lower water use doesnt effectively "wash" the bowl. i find myself having to brush the bowl after most uses.
im starting to think the more "efficient" toilet thing is just a load of bullcrap. they arent more efficient or better designed. theyre just SMALLER. i say bring back my old toilets. its not more efficient if i have to flush twice or more to get the job done...
i find them small, poorly designed and the seats are like tupperware. the flushing is quick and reasonably effective. but the way they initially "erupt" scares the bejezzus out of me. and the rapid flush and lower water use doesnt effectively "wash" the bowl. i find myself having to brush the bowl after most uses.
im starting to think the more "efficient" toilet thing is just a load of bullcrap. they arent more efficient or better designed. theyre just SMALLER. i say bring back my old toilets. its not more efficient if i have to flush twice or more to get the job done...
simonkenton
New Member
My Cadet Three Elongated bowl 1.28 GPF - aka "The Splasher"
Hi all,
Just wanted to add my own experience with this model. Saying that it splashes does not adequately convey the actual behavior. To say that it erupts and projectile sprays is a bit over the top (... pun intended), but is more accurate than merely saying that it splashes. Unless there was a significant amount of toilet paper in the bowl, spray would hit the seat, the floor, the wall beside the toilet. Truly disgusting not to mention unsanitary.
I called the manufacturer who suggested that I make sure that all of the holes under the rim were clear (they were). I adjusted they water level via the float height in the tank. I made sure it was perfectly level. All to no avail. The manufacturer said that I should return it to the point of purchase. The seller was very nice and ended upon simply issuing a credit to my charge card without even having me bring the unit into the store.
I have no idea if the problem is due to quality control issues with this model or if there is something with my particular plumbing, but I did want to add my experience to the mix.
For the record, the replacement unit is a Kohler Cimarron, 1.6 GPF which does not "erupt" upon flushing and is quite serviceable.
Hi all,
Just wanted to add my own experience with this model. Saying that it splashes does not adequately convey the actual behavior. To say that it erupts and projectile sprays is a bit over the top (... pun intended), but is more accurate than merely saying that it splashes. Unless there was a significant amount of toilet paper in the bowl, spray would hit the seat, the floor, the wall beside the toilet. Truly disgusting not to mention unsanitary.
I called the manufacturer who suggested that I make sure that all of the holes under the rim were clear (they were). I adjusted they water level via the float height in the tank. I made sure it was perfectly level. All to no avail. The manufacturer said that I should return it to the point of purchase. The seller was very nice and ended upon simply issuing a credit to my charge card without even having me bring the unit into the store.
I have no idea if the problem is due to quality control issues with this model or if there is something with my particular plumbing, but I did want to add my experience to the mix.
For the record, the replacement unit is a Kohler Cimarron, 1.6 GPF which does not "erupt" upon flushing and is quite serviceable.
Ballvalve
General Engineering Contractor
Sounds like the poor mans "wash-o-let" free butt and wall washing on every flush, even if cold water.
I found this thread after I Googled Cadet 3 splashing. After all the work of putting it in, I was dismayed to read comments like this. I guess I should have read before I bought.
Anyway - after reading this thread, I made 2 adjustments. I didn't notice the valve not being inserted into the overflow tube in the tank... took care of that. Also adjusted the water level to roughly the bottom of the blue cap on the overflow tube.
Doing these two adjustments made the splashing go away. In retrospect, I guess I'll spend the extra dough for a Toto next time, but at least the toilet is usable and normal now.
As well, like several others have mentioned, I was very concerned while tightening down the upper tank and trying to reduce wobble. That rubber gasket has got to be at least twice as thick as it needs to be. It doesn't feel right reefing on a bolt that's through porcelain. I still have about an 1/8" gap between the bowl and the tank, and that's about as far as I dare tighten. However, there's not much wobble any more, so I'm leaving well enough alone.
I have to say that my capacity for amazement was exceeded when I saw this forum and the vitriol with which people talk about their toilets. That dude Ian expresses feelings for his toilet that I usually reserve for my car, my guitar, or my wife!
. I laughed out loud when I saw Terry's post satirizing it.The information in this thread was very useful to me, but with all due respect, I hope that this is my first and last post, haha.
coreyinoz
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