Touchless models are decent, but they have their own headaches with sensors acting up.
Yeah, those touchless ones can be a pain. I remember helping swap one out where the sensor would randomly flush in the middle of the night—scared the heck out of the homeowner. Honestly, with half flushes, sometimes it’s just a tiny misalignment inside the cistern. Even a chain that’s a bit too tight or loose can mess things up. Always double-check the install before blaming the parts... learned that the hard way after tearing apart a perfectly good mechanism once.
I get what you’re saying about checking the install, but honestly, I’ve had more luck with touchless models than the old dual-flush setups. The half flush just never seems to clear things out properly, no matter how much I fiddle with the chain or float. Maybe it’s the water pressure in my place, but I end up using the full flush most of the time anyway... which kinda defeats the whole eco-friendly point. Anyone else notice that?
Yeah, I’ve noticed the half flush can be pretty hit or miss, but honestly, I think some models just do it better than others. At my last place, the dual-flush worked great—never had to double-flush. But in my current house, same issue as you... maybe it really does come down to water pressure or even the angle of the bowl? It’s kind of wild how inconsistent it is.
Honestly, I’ve had a few tenants complain about this exact thing. Here’s my quick checklist: 1) Check the water pressure—sometimes it’s just too low. 2) Peek inside the tank and see if the half-flush button is actually lifting the mechanism all the way. 3) Some bowls just aren’t designed for a weak flush, no matter what the marketing says. I’ve even swapped out a “fancy” dual-flush for a basic one and suddenly, no more double-flushing. It’s weirdly hit or miss... sometimes you just get a dud model.
Honestly, the number of times I've had to troubleshoot dual-flush toilets is starting to feel like a running joke. The checklist you mentioned is solid, but I’d add one more: check the little rubber seal or flapper that controls the half-flush. If it’s even slightly warped or misaligned, you’ll get a weak flush every time. Sometimes those mechanisms just don’t seal properly, and water dribbles out instead of giving you a real surge.
I’ve also noticed some models use a cable system for the buttons, and if that cable isn’t tensioned right, the half-flush just barely lifts the mechanism. Quick fix is to adjust the cable length, but it’s fiddly work—definitely not my favorite Saturday project.
Honestly, marketing makes it sound like every bowl is engineered for efficiency, but in reality, some just aren’t up to the task. I’ve swapped out “eco” models for older ones more than once, and suddenly everything works again... go figure. Sometimes “progress” just means more headaches.