I could not find videos showing how to replace a canister flush and flow valve for a Kohler 1.28 gallon 1 piece toilet. This is the first video I created, hope it is helpful
Fred, thank you for the video. You made putting in the base look so easy, just a little plumbers grease, twist and snap in place. Well you are a very lucky man. The only plumber I know who has faced this problem said after trying for an hour, he just replaced the toilet. I worked on mine an hour before I called Kohler, their tech said everyone has a hard time and his only suggestion was soak the gasket to make it softer then use dish soap to make it slippery.
That is interesting. Note to self, avoid this toilet model in the future. I cleaned the base of the toilet tank top and bottom. I used the plumbers grease on top and bottom of the base seal. I had to apply a lot of downward pressure while twisting it into place. The seal is kinda soft and thick. Hope this helps others.
Your video is the only one I found showing how to replace the canister base. A lot of people have trouble with this as I discovered in chat groups. Even the instructions that come with the kit says the base replacement is difficult. I replaced the base because all three "tabs" were broken off. I found one of them in the water passage just below the canister. I ended up making a tool so I could push down and turn at the same time. I lubricated the base and gasket with olive oil. I was just about to give up when the base finally snapped into position. Thank you for the video.
Thank you so much for this. Mine just started acting up, and i noticed that the whole damn canister lifts up and off the bottom of the toilet tank. It's missing 2 of the 3 tabs, which I'm not sure how that even happens. So I'll verify toilet model number as per your instructions here, order the parts and get it done. Thanks again for this video. I couldn't find any other video on doing the 1-piece toilet. All others are/were the 2-piece setup. Thanks again!
This helped me, all I needed to replace was the main part of the middle cannister. The seal was almost all gone and the top yellow piece was broken off. Thank you.
Thanks for your video. Just a tip for anyone replacing this unit and having trouble with the base/gasket. You must take off the upper cylinder portion or you will never be able to get enough leverage to flatten out the gasket where it meets the bottom of the toilet tank. If you turn the whole unit upside down, you'll see a middle tab holding together the upper and lower pieces. Turn the upper middle part 90 degrees so the tab can disconnect from the base/gasket. Using silicone plumber's grease (Amazon for less than $5), make a bead all around the bottom of the gasket and then spread it with your finger so the entire bottom of the gasket is covered. You do not need dish soap as per the instructions. Line up the tabs of the base so they fit inside the tank opening at the bottom (mine is triangle shaped). Now the important part - put your hand palm down across the top of the base unit and press straight down with all your body weight. While pressing down as hard as you can, try turning it to lock the tabs underneath the ceramic tank bottom. I was able to do this rather quickly, which surprised me given all of the horror story posts. Once seated, line up the tab from the top portion that you disconnected earlier, insert, and turn 90 degrees so it locks. connect the chain to the flush lever and you should be good to go. Really must push down with your whole palm or it will not work. I tried grabbing it around the edges and just could not get enough downward pressure to compress the gasket. Good luck and happy flushes!
Thanks for the tip. There were a lot of comments about the base gasket and twisting the canister in place. Having done it once and used plumbers grease I didn’t have trouble, so I could not give good feedback. Cheers.
Good comment... I'll just add that I used a healthy layer of dish soap between the base and the gasket (per the instructions) as well as a layer of soap at the bottom of the gasket where it comes into contact with the tank. I applied pressure to compress the gasket a bit and it turned fairly easily. I think it's worth noting that it's important to carefully line up the tabs with the corners of the triangular hole--which you can't see from above once you place the new base down--and to be aware of how much you're turning it. Ideally, you will turn it 60 degrees, so the tabs will be centered on each side of the triangle.
Great video and comments. I tried installing the base via the replacement kit instructions but I couldn’t compress the gasket. Tried for about 20 minutes before I decided to seek help via RU-vid. I took everyone’s advice except the lubrication tips. The new gasket is very dry. I soaked it in warm water for about 10 minutes and now I was able to compress it more with my fingers after it was saturated. Also noticed the gasket and base flange are tapered slightly. You can see the gasket fits better when you slip it over the base flange. Try flipping the gasket to other side to see the difference. On my next attempt I pressed it down and turned the base flange to lock it in just like the video! Thank you everyone!!
Just caught up to this comment. There are 2 opposing tabs at the bottom of the flush valve that hold it down. (1/4 turn locks it in place) Many people comment that those tabs break off. Also had a lot of comments that it is difficult to get the new one back in place. I didn’t have that problem. Someone commented that I am lucky. Which is possible since this is the first and only one I’ve done. I used a liberal amount of plumbing lubricant on both sides of the gasket and on the opening of the toilet tank that I cleaned on both top and bottom. I applied quite a bit of downward force and turned it into place. Hope this helps. Good luck.
@@Fred-si5bn thank you for the reply. Yes, I will be doing the same thing; applying a lot of plumbers grease. And yes, the tabs on mine broke off. So when you flush it, the entire canister lifts up and off the base of the toilet tank. Conversely, it doesn't seal, so water is constantly running to refill the tank. So for now, just have it turned off until the parts arrive tomorrow.
Sorry for the late reply. Like I said in my video, I am an oldtimer. My experience is that you can replace one piece at a time or invest an hour and the extra money to do it once and forget about it for at least 3 to 5 years, depending on your water quality.
My ghost flushes were caused by a leak at the bottom of the canister - either the black spongy gasket went bad or one or more tabs broke off where it connects to the toilet tank. It can also be caused by a breakdown of the yellow gasket where the canister sits - mine looked OK. I replaced the flush valve (the part with the float where the water comes in) but in hindsight it was probably not the source of the problem.
Hi, thank you for the feedback. I know it petroleum based lubricants are not recommended because the gaskets are typically rubber based and petroleum will swell and deteriorate the gaskets. Do you have any alternative suggestions? I suppose soap and warm water may work.
super helpful. could not find the right part but looks like what i need. need to replace flush valve for one piece gabrielle toilet. the bottom triangle part that locks under the tank snapped off on my old one, so the whole thing tipped over and can't hold water in the tank.
