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Check It Out !!! Thanks for the video. Needed a quick reminder. We think the toilet is well worth the minor inconvenience of the valve. I have ordered another to keep on hand, from Amazon.
Wish I had seen video before I bought the home depot one. No worries having my wife buy 2 backups from your amazon link. The problem was exactly what you said mine had the bubbles.
Thank you for sharing this video. I just called American Standard customer support and was able to get a free gasket replacement. All they asked for was the model number inside the toilet tank and purchase date, no receipt needed it. 10 year warranty per customer service. Also looks like it’s a red gasket now they have re-engineered it.
Sir I cannot thank you enough! Our water bill was over DOUBLE last month. I did have to carefully use a pair of pliars to get the black plug started. My old gasket had 13 bubbles on it. New gasket is installed and my problem is fixed! An eight dollar fix I cannot thank you enough!
Thank you! After replacing the flush handle, the Champion was still very hard to flush, then I saw your video! I ordered the American Standard gasket and O ring, and successfully replaced them while watching your video. It flushes easily once again!
No more American Standard products for me. This is the first American Standard toilets we have bought and is the last. Never before had a toilet that had to be fixed so often. In our next house, within the next year, it will be Kohler or another brand, but never American Standard again. This is a valuable video, thanks for posting it!!!
Brilliant! Was about to replace the whole flush valve (remove the whole tank!), and felt the seal, and found one big and 5 small bumps. Relaxed the seal - about the same 2 minutes that it took here! - the ghost flushes have stopped!
Excellent video!! i searched many times here on youtube in search of a fix for this part! i thought that i was gonna have to disassemble the tank from the toilet for repairs! Thanks to your video, alls i have to do is order from american standard! the hardest part in finding your video was knowing the terminology that got me here! Thanks so very mucho! Once again, you and RU-vid have save me the cost of a professional!!!
Thank you! This simple fix was what I needed. I've changed 30 ballcock assemblies and just bought a replacement without looking at the toilet. Once I lifted the lid, I had quite the surprise with the newer valve. (DUH, I know...) Returned the other item and bought the gasket only and fixed the leak in 1 minute. You're a champ, mate!
OMG Thank you thank you thank all it took was a hundred videos to finally find yours that actually worked. My bf thanks you and your camera guy was great. Have a blessed day
Thanks, fixed my issue. Amazing how American Standard managed to use a gasket material that can't hold up to such a simple environment like a toilet bowl. There's zero UV light, the temperature is cool, and it's not having that much pressure exerted on it. Yet, the god forsaken things can't last past a couple of years. I swapped mine out and it had two water-filled "blisters."
Good analysis, friend. You'd think the "engineers" could have figured out how to not make this thing leak. Glad I don't own this toilet (it's my parents'). It's freakin' 2019. I mean, we put a man on the moon 50 years ago, but can't make a toilet that doesn't leak??
It will fix it! If, for some reason, it still leaking check out my other video, it’s title is “still leaking? Here’s how to fix it! American Standard Champion 4”
It took two weeks after I contacted them for American Standard to get the replacement gasket to me. Installation was a snap thanks to your video. Sure enough, the old gasket had three bubbles in it. I have two American Standard Champion 4 toilets. The first one was purchased in 2011 and has not started leaking yet. The second purchased in 2012 started leaking a few months ago. So my experience has been a little better than yours. I do agree with your assessment that these are awesome toilets. I may replace the gasket in the older toilet just to be ahead of the game. I think this is a design flaw and American Standard should offer free replacement parts regardless of whether or not you have your receipt. I did have my receipt, but how many people save their receipts for 10 years? Thanks for taking the time to post this video. Oh, and thanks to Ben also.
Excellent video. Just one pointer for you if you read the American standard literature they tell you not to use the chlorine pucks inside the tank, as it will distort your washer
Thank buddy. I’d be in the shower and the water would kick down a little. Blamed family members for running water until nobody was home. Ice machine got the blame for a while then until it was too frequently. Sure enough mine just had about 5 bubbles. Thanks again.
Thanks man, I agree, great toilets. Only had mine about a year and a half. Started ghost flushing. I open it up and it isn’t like the older toilets. I did feel the flapper gasket and noticed the blister. Figured I’d better watch a vid on it so I didn’t break it. Glad I did. Easy peasy! Thanks.
In short, thank you, and I would like American Standard (or someone) to try popping the air bubbles with a safety pin, and check if that fixes the leak at least temporarily. If so, then that information should be posted prominently. A new seal purchased from Lowes hardware shop (American Standard brand, says 5 year warranty, $8) solved my problem. The package of the new seal did not have a diagram showing that the top screw comes out (this is a suggestion for American Standard) and so I could not figure out how to remove the old seal, and found this video very useful. I had 2 new of these American Standard Champion toilets installed 3 years ago, and one of them started leaking 6 months ago. I found around half a dozen air bubbles in the old seal, a few as big as a quarter inch diameter. After replacing the old seal, I popped the air bubbles in the old seal (after removing it) with a safety pin and the surface became flat again. I thought I would try this on my other toilet, but, surprisingly, the seal of the other toilet had zero air bubbles. So, I left it as it is. I am disappointed by this design of the toilet tank by American Standard. Have they not tested the seals they install for quality control? It is clear from my two toilets that some installed seals are prone to air bubbles and some are not. They should find a way to avoid installing defective seals. If I had known this problem that the seals need replacement every 3 years, I would have installed a different toilet instead of this American Standard. The extra $50 or $100 might have been worth all this trouble.
Thank you for this video. Your tip on aligning the slots with corresponding tabs in the two units solved my leaking problem I had after installing the new gaskets.. Thanks again it worked!
It took a while for American Standard to send my replacement in. So in the mean time, what I did was puncture all the bubbles I saw or felt and it helped out A LOT!
Thanks for the video. Champion 4 is a good toilet but gasket leak seems to be a design flaw. Seal was easy to change but unscrewing the lock nut may require a tool for leverage.
Thanks for the video supper helpful. I found that the bubbles only form on the bottom so I popped them all and flipped the gasket over and seemed to have solved it. It may only work for a while but it’s extending the life of the gasket.
THANKS! Your video hit the spot! While I didn't buy a new gasket yet, I got the old one off the flapper. Then counted over 15 water pouches that were keeping the flapper from SEALING! Then came the FUN! Popped those pouches (look like blisters) with a safety pin, dried off, and reinstalled. BINGO, the flapper now seals, and no constant off and on running water! Seems FIXED for now. But REAL JUNK too! AND TO THINK, everybody could have bought a toilet brand that day at LOWES. HEAR THAT America Standard? WE Should be given a lifetime of FREE gaskets too, even when you can't find your receipt. The problem is NOT going away either!
jp2059 that must be frustrating. Make sure you watch the other video I have posted on this toilet. I go through detail on how to align the two green “clamshell“ pieces...
@@checkitout2468 Hey thanks so much for that 2nd video of lining up the notches. I'll be trying to do this fix next couple of days. Very informative. Lowes where I bought the champion 4 gave me free new blue seal from fluidmaster. Interesting that my plumber said I should call American standard and get them to send me a CANISTER what ever that means. Called American standard and they said they would so I'm waiting. In mean time I will try replacing seal and see if that works. Amazing to me the such a large company would continue to sell this product with known flaws. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again !!
Loosening the black thumbscrew: BEFORE YOU USE THE BRUTE-FORCE APPROACH by using pliers (which almost never ends well), pour hot water over the top of the thumbscrew. I heated 8 ounces of water in a measuring cup for 2 minutes in the microwave. Hot tap water wasn’t hot enough. After slowly pouring the hot water over the top of the thumbscrew, it loosened rather easily with my 65 year old hands. Not surprisingly, the installing plumber originally torqued it down so hard as to necessitate a $175 call back. Yes, 2 clicks when you retighten is enough.
Worked like a charm. Excellent video. I used the HD one, but I’ll take your advice and order a American Standard for a few months down the road. I’m a new subscriber!!!
I am disappointed that American Standard changed the very common flapper design with their leaky one. As I recall, it was even priced above average and now I know that there was a hidden gasket subscription. Maybe I should check RU-vid for repair videos before buying something.... The video was just what I needed though, thanks!
After watching this video, I ordered 3 gasket kits for my exactly-the-same-age toilets (over 4 years old). One has begun ghost flushing, and I found the blisters you describe. Oddly, it is the toilet with the middle amount of use, of the three. The other two appear to still be perfect. While waiting on the new seals, I took the defective seal off, and used a straight pin to pierce each blister. Water squirted out of some of them, but I pressed on each one, and emptied a drop of water from each blister. This made the defective seal look and work, perfectly. Perhaps the manufacturing process leaves some specks of very hydroscopic material (curing agent?) in the gasket, that slowly absorbs water, inflating the blisters. I'm going to wait a while before replacing the seal, to see if new blisters appear. By the way, all the nuts were way over tightened, at the factory, and I was afraid they would break, if I turned them hard enough to come loose. I poured a cup of hot water, over the top of the valve and this softened the plastic enough to get them past the first click, without breaking.
My toilet was running constantly and made my water bill go up $30 dollars. I found the bubble just like you said and I pierced it with a needle. Water shot out of the gasket and it now seals good as new. I’ll wait awhile before I buy a new gasket to see if this is a solution for me.
Excellent tutorial. My wife has been after me for weeks to fix the slow leak but I hate plumbing. After watching your video and a quick trip to Lowe’s I had the problem painlessly solved in minutes! Thanks
American Standard sent me a kit to replace all the hardware inside the toilet, but it does include these two gaskets. They did not ask me for proof of purchase and did not charge me. The thumb screw was supertight, but I managed to loosen it with a plyers. I don't see any bubbles on the removed gasket, and I don't see the tiny gasket at all so I'm going to look back on where you found yours. Ah, it's on the thumb screw, and I removed it easily with some tweezers. Incidentally, the replacement kit does not have the thumb screw so it would likely not possible to replace the large gasket. Fortunately, for now, I'm only replacing the gasket. My replacement gaskets (both large and small) are red not clear as you show. OK. The gasket and O ring are replaced. I hope I'll stop losing 5 to 7 gallons a day from the leak.
A suggestion from American Standard is to thread some metal washers through the chain so they add weight to the top of the green plastic. It's a temporary fix until the new gasket arrives. My green plastic top is all one piece so I have to loosen it from 'under' the green cap.
I have the 4215A toilet and the unit that contains the seal does not have the adjustable screw at the top , it is closed. What I found is that you have to remove the clip , hold the shaft and unscrew the unit. Once you have the unit off you can then turn the top part ( see arrow on the top) andf it will seperate so you can replace the seal. Then reasemble by lining up the spaces on the side , turning it to fit and screw the unit back on to the shaft. I did not see any other videos with this demonstration. I was about to replace the entire unit. aaarrrggg so frustrating, no I am not a plumber :)
Thanks for a great video! I've replaced several of these gaskets over the 11 years that I've owned two of the Champion 4's. Thanks to your video, this is the first time I've replaced one myself. They ARE awesome toilets otherwise. American Standard has never charged me a cent for any of the replacement gaskets. (Love your cameraman.)
Yo ! You have to mention the grooves running along circumference, on the top AND bottom, of the blue gasket !! The person who engineered this set-up should be smacked !
Just in case anybody needs a temporary solution, if you find that your silicone valve has bubbles, carefully take a pin or needle and pierce the bubbles to release the water that is trapped. I did this for mine just now and it is no longer leaking. I'm still going to order a replacement part, but this will hold me through until I receive the part.
I just ran into this issue after 5 years. But I don’t put in any toilet tank pucks or blue junk, this is per not voiding manufacturing warranty. Used this video to see how to remove the seal. My seal has no bubble and I let soak in hot dawn water for 15 minutes. Cleaned all contact areas, flipped the seal and fixed. Tank cleaners will deteriorate the seals/gasket.
We have a brand new American Standard Champion 4 toilet. It has had Phantom Flush since we put it in. We watched your video. The problem is the green part you put the new gasket on does not have the black nut as shown in your video. It has a green part to hook the chain that looks like it is permanently molded to the large green circle. Have you seen one like this? If so, how do you take it apart?
That pile of stuff in the bottom right of your toilet tank is what is causing those gaskets to where out so often. I have been a plumber for 35+ years and those tablets they sell that are supposed to clean your toilet automatically have a dye in them, which is what makes them a pretty color in the bowl water. That dye breaks down the rubber in a short period of time. Stop using those tabs in the tank and you will find that those gaskets will last for years rather than months
I bought 3 of these toilets based on Consumer Reports and all 3 are leaking. I lost my receipt and have to pay American Standard for replacement parts. Now I don't trust American Standard or Consumer Reports. Thanks for posting this video. Great explanations and video positioning.
Hafeez Jaffer If you don’t have your receipt, purchase the ones on Amazon. Go through the link I have in the description. Some on Amazon are the real thing and some are knock offs. The link I have on there will take you right to the real one. It’s less expensive than if you go through American standard and you’ll get it faster. Good luck with it.
In fairness to Consumer Reports it would be prohibitively expensive to test toilets long enough for a flaw like this to show up. American Standard should do the right thing and offer free replacement parts.
I would call AMer. Std back and point out that it is a well documented problem online about the blistering/bubbling of the gasket material and you want to talk with a CSR supervisor. As to a receipt, unless you paid cash for 3 toilets, go back thru your checks or credit card statements and find the check or expenditure. with that you can get a copy of the check or a record of the charge.
Try 4months…. Bought in June 2024 started ghost flushing last week…..August 2024…. They could surely make a better gasket…. It is a American Standard gasket…. I just bought it….
Hey, American Standard….fix the damn bubble problem of your gaskets. Use better material….jeeeeezus! Your overpaid design engineers trying to save 10 pennies ??? my whole life i had American Standard products and Never a problem…..but when you designed the low flush units….they are NOT HEADACHE PROOF. Your crappy gaskets that develope air bubbles suck….. real rubber will not get air bubbles.
Thanks! I installed two toilets (by a plumber) 3+ years ago; one leaked, the other is still fine. Got a 2-pack of the seals at Amazon for $8 (I have prime). Quick fix in 10 mins. The only part that takes a little courage is the first twist of that top nut. I felt that I would snap it (but didn't). After that, easy peasy. I counted 13 bubbles on the old seal. I'll just keep a few seals in my shop, and replace as often as I have to, no big deal. Our municipal water has a lot of chlorine in it, I wonder if that's the reason. Cheap fix for an otherwise great toilet.
