New Caroma Avalon toilet set isn't sitting quite flat

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timmmay

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#279596 25-Oct-2020 19:43

I replaced our eight year old Caroma Avalon toilet seat with another same make / model today. The soft close had worn out on the old one. Old one was installed by the bathroom company, worked well.

Small problem: when the seat goes down one side hits the toilet bowl, but the other is 3-4mm in the air. It touches when you sit on it, but I've obviously done something wrong and don't want to end up with it damaged as it's being bent or twisted. It's a slightly more complex system than average, most toilet seats screw on easily, this one has a bit more to it.

Any suggestions? I know it's a long shot, I'll call the company Tuesday to ask them, but though I'd give it a shot here. I can post a (clean) photo but thought I'd not unless someone thought it worthwhile.

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#2591876 25-Oct-2020 20:25

Is it bolted down in the right spot? Sometimes if it's been boolted slightly out of place, the seat won't sit right on the rim.

From a bird's eye view, see if the gap between the edge of the rim and the edge of the seat is the same on both sides. If not, loosen the bolt/screws, move it to the right spot, then retighten

timmmay

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#2591922 25-Oct-2020 20:49

Thanks for the thoughts @nickb800 . From birds eye view it looks symmetrical, and feels symmetrical too.

I used the screw / bolt things from the old seat because the instructions were so confusing I couldn't work out what they were trying to say, so I think that part should be ok. That should help me have it in the right place. But I'll take the little cover off again tomorrow and see if I can spot anything not quite right.

I will have my wife have a look as well, to see if anything doesn't look straight / square / aligned / etc.

Bung

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#2591925 25-Oct-2020 21:05

What part were you confused about. I was going to suggest that if the bends in the hinge part that fits into the seat weren't equal it could hold the rear slightly tilted and to try using the hinge posts from the old seat but that seems what you are doing. The fitting into the bowl that takes the screws shouldn't need replacing.

timmmay

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#2591926 25-Oct-2020 21:17

The confusing parts were using terms I didn't understand (toggle?) and having diagrams that were to focussed and showed no context. The initial part was saying push something through somewhere, snap something off, etc. I gave up on that and used the fixings already there.

Then I put it together, and the toilet seat say in the wrong place. I had the hinges on backwards - they fit fine. Swapping them was easy enough, just had to take it all off.

I'll have another look tomorrow for symmetry. If that doesn't help I'll call Caroma, then last resort pay a plumber $120 for 5 minutes to fix what took me an hour or so.

Clima

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#2591928 25-Oct-2020 21:25

all else being equal -has it got all the buffers? Is it faulty and got a twist?

timmmay

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#2591935 25-Oct-2020 22:03

It has all the little pads. I can't see any twist, had a look at it next to a ruler earlier, but I'll have another look tomorrow.

Froglotion

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#2591951 26-Oct-2020 00:23

On my seat the seat clicks down on to the posts at the back. Not something simple like one side pushed all the way home while the other isn't?

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timmmay

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#2591954 26-Oct-2020 06:56

Froglotion: On my seat the seat clicks down on to the posts at the back. Not something simple like one side pushed all the way home while the other isn't?

Unfortunately not, thanks.

Clima

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#2592019 26-Oct-2020 14:57

The seat is presumably attached by two "bolts" one on each side at the back.
If one side of the seat or a back corner is now raised it suggests that the bolt on that side is too high.
If the seat is raised on a front corner then the opposite bolt is too low.

timmmay

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#2592139 26-Oct-2020 18:09

I had another look today, pulled it off, checked everything, put it on again. Same problem. So I put the fixings from the old seat back on, same problem. I was about to put the old seat back on when I noticed that the pads on the old seat are uneven - one side's pads are quite thin, the other quite thick, matching the side of the new seat. This suggests to me the seats are both fine, and that the toilet itself is not properly level. Changing the toilet isn't worth the bother.

I'll call Caroma tomorrow. I think the best option would be to try to get thinner rubber bumpers / pads for the side that touches now, or thicker pads for the side that doesn't touch.

It could still be something else, but this makes sense.

MikeAqua

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#2592638 28-Oct-2020 09:35

Leave it up. Problem solved.

Mike

timmmay

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#2592648 28-Oct-2020 09:58

Caroma tell me that the seat has been redesigned and needs larger buffers (rubber bits), which they're sending to me. I'm not sure this is quite accurate, as the seat is identical to the old one, but I'll give it a shot.

Bung

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#2592659 28-Oct-2020 10:22

Do you have a builder's level to check across the hinge point and across the top of the bowl to see if it is level. A straight edge and a level app on your phone could substitute. Normally I'd expect the top to be flat even if the base needed bedding in silicone to stop any movement.

timmmay

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#2592668 28-Oct-2020 10:52

Bung: Do you have a builder's level to check across the hinge point and across the top of the bowl to see if it is level. A straight edge and a level app on your phone could substitute. Normally I'd expect the top to be flat even if the base needed bedding in silicone to stop any movement.

I have a short level that has a bubble in it. The floor is close to level but not perfect, and the base is even, so the toilet won't be 100% level. However, the seat is relative the the toilet position so I wouldn't think that would be the problem.

Bung

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#2592692 28-Oct-2020 11:22

You aren't really testing for level, you are trying to find out if the hinge locations and the points on the rim where the buffers touch down are on the same plane. Without the metal fittings can all four buffers sit on the rim with the back of the seat held an equal distance above the toilet?

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