Anyone have brilliant idea on how to make a flapper bracket for a crane tank with the built in overflow (cast in ceramic at back of tank)? You probably know that crane quit making them and i can't find one at our local antique plumbing specialists or online.

the bracket bolted to the tank bolt but i've never seen one, this one was missing when I came along and I've been replacing with the retrofit kit that sticks on with sticky donut but they don't last long. Owner doesn't want to replace toilet because it's turquoise and we can't find colored toilets anymore.

I was thinking if i could bend a U shape brass sheet and fasten w/ tank bolt, drill two holes thru the vertical legs of the U, run a bolt horizontally thru the holes, that bolt could act like an axle that a standard flapper could hinge on.

any better ideas?

fluidmaster makes a glue on flapper assembly.
it might work for you?

Thanks Packy,
That's the one i've been using for the past several years,
they last from 1 week to 1 year then come loose,
getting frustrated after the 3rd or so one i put in the other day is off already

i was wondering about trying to glue it with silicone, you think that would work?

Are you drying the tank's bottom with a torch first?

using a torch on virtuous china? Pretty brave. I think a hair dryer would be safer. Instead of silicone, has anyone tried Gorilla Glue for applications below the water line? That might hold it in place forever.

If I was going to glue inside the tank, I would use 3m Marine Adhesive. It's suitable for below waterline.

[solutions.3m.com]

Our sponsor may have what you need, I found this [www.plumbingsupply.com] but I don't know if it will help. There aren't many Crane toilets around this area and I haven't run into one like you describe before. apologies in advance.

NO problem doing it. You can see when the water has evaporated and the warm china lets the epoxy putty adhere better.

The OEM post is an "L" shaped piece of plastic with a "T" top which fits into the slot on the crane flapper. The original Korky universal flappers had that slot between the ears which was cut off when it was not needed.

Thanks for all the responses.
Yes I did dry it completely with a hair dryer, not a torch
Left the dryer hang in the tank for a couple hours on low to make sure the ceramic was internally dry as well as on the surface.
Washed the surface with alcohol per the directions on the fluidmaster kit

I can still get an after market flapper with the slot, but don't know exactly what that original l shaped bracket looked like, so was thinking of using the flapper that comes with the fluidmaster and it has a hinge style design, thus my thoughts above about making an axle for it to rotate on, if that was clear. I took the rubber flapper off the plastic housing to confirm that it does seal with the ceramic surface and it seems to work fine if i can just get it held in place with some bracket

Will look for that marine adhesive, maybe that's the ticket, would be easier than making a bracket but might be hosing myself in future if it failed and then might be hard to completely clean off if had to retry something else.

I'm amazed that no plumbing company makes colored toilets anymore, with all the variety of everything these days you can only get white!(kohler has a couple off-white/brownish or grey or black but thats about it)

Steve (CA), have you used that 3m adhesive? says 5day cure time and 30hr fixture time. fixture time says you can still adjust or move in that period. So would I need to wait for 5 days to refill and use the toilet?

hj (AZ)
re your comment::

"The OEM post is an "L" shaped piece of plastic with a "T" top ,"
you don't happen to have a pic of that piece? probably not, but just asking in case...

also do you know of anyone who still makes that? as far as i know it is not available anymore.
if i could see one i thought i might be able to make one out of brass if i can't buy the plastic piece.

Actually, as of the last time I checked a couple years back, you can still get colored toilets. Regular colors are about 3-5 times the price of white, and a custom color was about 8 times the price on the model I was pricing for a woman.

I've used it several times for adhering trim tile in showers. It's extremely tough when cured. Where did you get those figures from? I'm seeing different ones.

I will check with one of my sources Monday to see if they have a picture or still have one of the original pieces.

Get a white tank and have it refinished to match.

Steve(CA)
I found those stats on [www.rshughes.com]

at the bottom of page there are specs and if you hover over cure time and exact fixture time it defines those terms

on the 3m site [solutions.3m.com]
there's a mention of
Skin Time >48 Hour, 60 - 120 Minute
Tack Free Time 1 Hour, 48 Hour

not sure if tack free means you can submerge or not and not sure what 1hr, 48hr means unless it's between 1 and 48 hours or from 1 to 48

The 3m 5200 "blue" tube is a slower cure than the 5200 Fast Cure(red tube).

thanks again everyone, I emailed 3m to ask about time to submerge under water.
hj(AZ) thanks, i'll check back monday to see if you can find a pic.



Edited 1 times.

If you know the model number of the toilet, do a web search for the specs. I found a bunch in a pdf file archive that may have measurements, part number, and picture of what you are looking for.

HE would need a complete toilet because a "regular tank" will NOT attach to the Crane bowl.

Paul48 (CT)
get a new toilet and have refinished to match
that's an interesting idea, never knew you could do that!
I'll try to google it but do you know what kind of company refinishes ceramic toilets?
i can't imagine how that could be done other than painting with some kind of epoxy?

I would imagine the same company that refinishes a bath tub, could refinish a toilet. I've seen adds for bath tub refinishing that says they can match the color of existing fixtures.

The company I have used did repairs, but I don't know if they would do an entire fixture or how much it would cost, although based on what a small repair costs, I would think it would be astronomical.

just maaaaaybe if you sent a polite request you might get a reply ?

[www.craneplumbing.com]

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Call Customer Service
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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



Edited 1 times.

One ption that mighe work would be to install the Eljer "touch flush". I anchors under a tank bolt just like the Crane did. The only thing you would have to check is whether the opening is round and smooth enough for a tank ball, since the Crane flapper sealed to the flat surface. If you do it, stick the tank ball from the mechanism in the hole and turn on the water to see if it holds.

consider using a Case flush valve from our sponsor

[www.plumbingsupply.com]

Wouldn't work, because the toggle would interfere with the tank to bowl gasket. Whatever he uses has to be ALL inside the tank.

hj
re: eljer flush mechanism.

That's what the local plumbing specialty shop has shown me a couple times, but I don't recall if I tried that round ball and found it did not work, or if I just "knew"(assumed) by looking at it that it would not seal to the edge of the flat machined surface of the tank hole. it certainly looks like it would want a spherical surface that matched the sphere of the ball perfectly in order to make a seal. but maybe i should be more open minded and give it another try.

steve (CA)
re: the 3m sealant. I got some and hope it will work. reading the tube itself has me worried becauase it only mentions fiberglass and gelcoat as materials it will adhere to, nothing about ceramic or plastic(the plastic of the toilet repair device, i'm not sure what formulation it is or if it's hard to adhere to...some plastics are, like polyetheylene nearly impossible to glue to.

all i can do is try, but if it doesn't work it may be a pain to remove all traces of the sealant from the tank surface i'm guessing- in case i have to try yet another idea.

bernabeu (SC)
thanks for the suggestion contacting crane
of course they are now american standard,
that said, i have been in touch with them and am trying to find a model number on the tank or tank lid. will be interesting to see if they can come up with anything after so long.

If it isn't feasible to keep fixing, go get yourself a new Toto Drake and enjoy the quiet, trouble free flushes

If it seals to the circumference of the hole, that is all that is necessary. Even in "tapered" opening it will only seal to a single point, where it makes contact.

It is a Crane Oxford combination, but I am guessing the model number was 3-100.

KCRoto (MO)

If it isn't feasible to keep fixing, go get yourself a new Toto Drake and enjoy the quiet, trouble free flushes

ahhh how i wish i could do that! alas she will never give up her precious turquoise toilet...it matches her indian jewelry lol

Author: hj (AZ)

It is a Crane Oxford combination, but I am guessing the model number was 3-100.

the guy at am std said model# would be on underside of tank lid, that number is 5147, the back inside of tank is 5223, neither "say" model, just that number stamped into the clay, but theres' not other numbers so guess that's one or the other, have to call am std tomorrow and see if that helps

just maybe they could find the 'drawing' for the part you need so you could get it made

'pretty pretty please could you help me out, my wife ......................... '


do it by mail to the engineering department with pictures and a gift certificate to starbucks

$20 may get you results

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

All my parts company could come up with was a picture of the toilet and an OEM flapper.

Hi, I also am in need of the bracket that holds the flapper to a Crane Oxford toilet. I have 5, I also love the colors! 2 of mine are in use and I need 2 more. My husband is also going to try to make some since we can't find them either. I posted a pic on Flickr, I don't know how to link it. Just type in Crane oxford flapper.
Morgan

[http://i1378.photobucket.com]

Hopefully this one works!



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I might be able to send a picture of one of these brackets. I have one but need another one for my other toilet. The replacement was made of plastic but the originals were cast in brass I think. appears to attach under the left toilet tank bolt with a flat on one side angles up about an inch and T (s) off to accept a crane flapper valve with a slot in it. Crane may make one but haven't been able to find one yet either.
Any luck yet?