Cistern help please

[newhome]

Since I have so far failed to get a plumber out here and I have a number of jobs that need doing I thought that I had better try some of them myself. This is way out of my comfort zone so I’ll be needing quite a lot of help ?. As I don’t know what anything is called I am going to try it @Onoff style with photos. 

 

So first up I have a cistern in the loo downstairs that won’t stop running and need to fix it. I am going to attempt to remove everything in one of the ensuite bathrooms that aren’t used to begin with to practice on before tackling the downstairs one. This is what I have when I’ve removed the flush plate and the first panel. I assume that I now need to remove the next white panel so do I just unscrew the 2 things either side? Then what? 

 

 

 

[PeterW]

The two white threaded bits

 

turn 90 degrees and they should pull out, then the plastic plate will follow

[newhome]

Thanks! Too impatient to do it one at a time so now it’s buy one get one free . 

 

I think there are 2 different issues. When I flush the upstairs one it stops quite happily so the issue it has with not stopping the water 100% must be to do with the flush mechanism not being attached / working properly when connected. This is what I have, and all quiet on the Western front. 

 

 

 

Downstairs however with everything disconnected the water continues to run through the cistern. If I pull up the bit circled quite hard it stops but as soon as I let it go it continues to run. 

 

 

So setting aside reattaching the upstairs one for a mo, how can I fix the issue with the one downstairs please? 

 

 

 

 

 

[Onoff]

What make are they?

[PeterW]

34 minutes ago, newhome said:

Thanks! Too impatient to do it one at a time so now it’s buy one get one free . 

 

I think there are 2 different issues. When I flush the upstairs one it stops quite happily so the issue it has with not stopping the water 100% must be to do with the flush mechanism not being attached / working properly when connected. This is what I have, and all quiet on the Western front. 

 

 

 

Downstairs however with everything disconnected the water continues to run through the cistern. If I pull up the bit circled quite hard it stops but as soon as I let it go it continues to run. 

 

 

So setting aside reattaching the upstairs one for a mo, how can I fix the issue with the one downstairs please? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right

 

circled bit is the float on the fill valve so that “shouldn’t” have anything to do with water leaving the cistern. 

 

The silver knob coming from the back - try turning it clockwise towards you and see if the water stops. 

[Jeremy Harris]

4 minutes ago, PeterW said:

 

circled bit is the float on the fill valve so that “shouldn’t” have anything to do with water leaving the cistern. 

 

 

Unless the cistern is actually over-filling and the overflow is down the pan, as is often the case.  In that case it may well be something as simple as the fill/float valve not being adjusted properly, so screwing the circled bit clockwise "should" cause the valve to shut off at a lower level and stop the overflow.

 

Alternatively, the valve could just have failed and be letting by, in which case the best bet is to replace it.

[ProDave]

4 minutes ago, PeterW said:

 

Right

 

circled bit is the float on the fill valve so that “shouldn’t” have anything to do with water leaving the cistern. 

 

The silver knob coming from the back - try turning it clockwise towards you and see if the water stops. 

I think the cistern is continuing to fill, and then overflowing down the flush pipe.  Turn that bit Peter circled clockwise until the water stops.  You might need to then experiment with it a bit as it sets how full the cistern will fill before the water stops.

[newhome]

6 minutes ago, PeterW said:

The silver knob coming from the back - try turning it clockwise towards you and see if the water stops. 

 

Yep, water stops. 

[newhome]

11 minutes ago, Onoff said:

What make are they?

 

A crap one!  @PeterW said he thought they were Abacus I think. 

[PeterW]

Ok

 

so the isolator works, turn the silver knob 45 degrees til water starts flowing. 

 

Now give the circled bit 2 full turns anti-clockwise. 

[newhome]

7 minutes ago, PeterW said:

 

 

so the isolator works, turn the silver knob 45 degrees til water starts flowing. 

 

Now give the circled bit 2 full turns anti-clockwise. 

 

Done that but the cistern refills and starts overflowing again. Not sure if it's relevant but there are some bubbles flowing up from within the cistern. 

 

 

[PeterW]

The two rectangular levers - pull the right hand one up and let it flush and see if it settles the fill down again

 

[newhome]

Nope. As soon as it flushes even with the tank then empty it is letting a small trickle of water out into the bowl somehow when the flush stops. When it refills the trickle becomes a flow and it continues to fill. 

 

Does the silver knob just determine how fast the water flows in? 

 

[PeterW]

Yes. The white bit is the screw that controls the float that sets the water level. 

 

Could be a cistern flush seal that’s gone. I think they are a Siamp flush unit ... 

[newhome]

Thanks. Do I have to take the thing out somehow to check? I've found some 'instructions' but it's just a collection of crap photos and doesn't state a make anywhere. 

[Onoff]

There's a few Siamp & Abacus videos on YouTube. For example:

 

 

 

[newhome]

2 minutes ago, Onoff said:

There's a few Siamp & Abacus videos on YouTube. For example:

 

 

Thanks. I found that one but wasn't sure how relevant it was for a wall hung affair. Is it pretty much all the same and should I start unscrewing it? 

[PeterW]

Its not the inlet valve you need - start with the flush valve..

 

Turn the silver valve off and then take hold of the thing with the two plastic rectangles by the tube, and turn it clockwise a quarter turn and it should pull up and out. Check the seal carefully for nicks or lumps

[Onoff]

12 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

Thanks. I found that one but wasn't sure how relevant it was for a wall hung affair. Is it pretty much all the same and should I start unscrewing it? 

 

Just a random example that there are some videos for the make.

[newhome]

23 minutes ago, PeterW said:

take hold of the thing with the two plastic rectangles by the tube,

 

So the thing with the 2 plastic rectangles goes inside a larger tube further down. Is it the tube going into the larger one that I need to remove or the actual larger one? ?

 

[PeterW]

The larger tube is a complete assembly - should come out in one go

[Nickfromwales]

Take pics for what came from where. 

The main flush assembly quarter turns like changing a lightbulb. 

[newhome]

Just now, Nickfromwales said:

Take pics for what came from where. 

The main flush assembly quarter turns like changing a lightbulb. 

 

Thanks. I've managed to get it off (arms now look like I've had a fight with a bramble bush - I won't be giving up the day job ). I can't get the unit out though as it seems too long to get through the small hole . 

[Nickfromwales]

It all comes out. That's the design. 

Have a single voddy and then revisit it. 

[newhome]

1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said:

It all comes out. That's the design. 

Have a single voddy and then revisit it. 

 

If I have a voddy it’ll be coming out in bits!   

 

I’ve been googling but have ended up on the Screwfix forum where people are being called knobs for fitting a wall hung one to start with. And all the videos I’ve found are for installation not maintenance. In the gerberit video looks like the bits that stick up unclip to make it shorter. Is that what I need to do?

 

These bits.