- Interesting point about raising the water level—never tried that myself.
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“bumping it up just a bit made the half flush way more effective”
- Wondering, did you notice any issues with the full flush after tweaking it?
- I’ve messed with the float before, but sometimes it just ends up making both flushes kinda mediocre.
- Curious if there’s a sweet spot or if it’s just trial and error depending on the model...
- Anyone ever swap out the flush valve for a different type? Seems like some brands are just stubborn no matter what you do.
I’ve had a few toilets where no amount of float tweaking made the half flush work right—just ended up with weak flushes all around. Sometimes it’s just the design, honestly. I did swap out a flush valve once for a universal one and that actually helped, but it was a bit of a pain to install. Some models just don’t want to cooperate, no matter what you try... trial and error seems to be the name of the game.
Honestly, some dual-flush toilets just have lousy half-flush designs. You can mess with the float and chain all day, but if the internal geometry isn’t right, you’ll always get a weak flush. I’ve had better luck swapping out the flush valve entirely, but yeah, it’s a hassle—sometimes you’re fighting against cheap plastic parts that never seal right. If you’ve already tried the basics, it might just be a limitation of that model. Not every fix is worth the headache.
If you’ve already tried the basics, it might just be a limitation of that model. Not every fix is worth the headache.
That’s pretty much my experience too. Some of these dual-flush setups just aren’t engineered well for half-flush. Have you checked if the seal on the flush valve is actually making full contact? Sometimes it’s not even the float or chain—it’s a warped gasket or a cheap valve seat. I’ve swapped out parts before and honestly, sometimes it’s just throwing good money after bad. Ever notice how some brands just never get it right, no matter what you tweak?
Yeah, I hear you about the brands—some just seem cursed when it comes to dual-flush. I’ve had a couple units where no amount of fiddling with the chain length or float height made any difference. The half flush was always weak, like it barely moved anything. Sometimes it’s a design flaw, sometimes it’s just cheap materials that warp after a year or two.
I’ve noticed that even replacing the seal or valve doesn’t always help. Once, I swapped in a universal flush valve and it actually made things worse. Ended up just replacing the whole toilet after a few tenant complaints. It’s frustrating because you want to save water, but not at the cost of double flushing all the time.
Do you find certain brands hold up better over time? I’ve had decent luck with Toto, but some of the budget options from big box stores are just not worth the hassle. Wondering if you’ve found any models that actually deliver a reliable half flush, or if it’s just hit or miss across the board.
