Viva flush

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by Jen ddiyiapita, Dec 21, 2020.

  1. Jen ddiyiapita

    Jen ddiyiapita New Member

    Evening all. The toilet flush is giving trouble (for the third time this year...). This time the button often stays pressed down so water runs endlessly into the pan. I want to replace the valve without dismantling the cistern, but I don't really want that brand. I think it's Viva, iirc from when the plumber came. I would like to simply unclip and replace it. Is there a more reliable brand that will fit its cradle?
     
  2. John the plumber31

    John the plumber31 Active Member

    Why don’t you want the viva brand ?
     
  3. Jen ddiyiapita

    Jen ddiyiapita New Member

    It doesn't seem to be all that reliable. At least, as per the Amazon reviews, quite a few of them said that within months their unit developed the exact same problem mine has.
     
  4. Jen ddiyiapita

    Jen ddiyiapita New Member

    Anyway reliable or not, it seems miraculous to me that I press a button and a signal goes down the cable to the valve and it opens the right amount for the flush. Sheer magic. Any explanations welcome. Especially reasonable ones.
     
  5. DIYDave.

    DIYDave. Screwfix Select

    I think you’ve misunderstood the workings of these ‘cable’ style flush valves and rather over complicated your idea of their workings

    It’s a simple cable attached at one end to the push button and other end to the flush valve

    Volume of short/long flush is set by sliding a tab on the flush valve OR may be plastic button that you push into selected holes on valve

    The dual flush buttons are slightly different lengths and pull the cable back by two slightly different amounts

    No signal going down cable or anything as technical as that ! Think more like a bike brake cable - pull brake lever / it operates brakes (ok, many bike brakes are now hydraulic but I’m keeping it simple here)

    Try removing cable from buttons and operate buttons and see if they’re jamming in plastic housing. They have a spring and should depress easily and spring back by themselves

    Possibly hole for button assembly has been cut a little undersized or wonky and buttons are being pinched

    Then manually flush valve several times and see after water has been dumped, does the cistern re-seal and fill without leaking into toilet pan

    Try determine first if a problem with buttons or valve itself
     
    Jen ddiyiapita likes this.
  6. Jen ddiyiapita

    Jen ddiyiapita New Member

    Aha! My Viva button has no spring.
    I got it from an amazing online retailer.
    I will replace the flush valve assembly with another after Christmas.
    I will inspect the old one's workings then too.
    A lesson in plumbing for less than £20.
    Thank you.
     
  7. DIYDave.

    DIYDave. Screwfix Select

    I'm fairly sure that Viva sell the push buttons as a spare part / replacement

    As I suggested, flush the valve several times manually so you can identify where the fault lies
    If its the button assembly, then just replace this item
     
    Jen ddiyiapita likes this.
  8. Jen ddiyiapita

    Jen ddiyiapita New Member

    Not sure that will solve the problem. The plumber put in the entire valve with a lever earlier this year when the button got too stiff to press. Nobody in this house likes buttons, they are a pain with our various disabilities. But the lever as you can imagine was a big fiddle for the plumber and never really worked. Anyway hence I put in the button instead of the lever and then soon afterwards got a replacement - button only - when the valve problem first started.
     
  9. Jen ddiyiapita

    Jen ddiyiapita New Member

    I have now sorted this out. I did not install anything new. Fixing the problem was ridiculously easy, which I did not expect. I simply changed the small flush amount on the valve from minimum to second-from-minimum. A matter of moving the blue switch one notch down.

    The smallest flush uses a bit more water than before, but the button now returns to its correct position after pressing it.

    Magic, for certain.
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2021

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