Gerber Toilet Replacement Parts

Gerber Toilet Replacement Parts

Toilets are a huge part of our everyday lives and we hardly ever cast a thought to them – That is until they start leaking. It’s understandable, but in terms of true necessity, toilets are the most integral part of a home.

If you’ve ever been to Africa and had to stay a few nights out in the wilderness then you might know about their lack of toilets. In the case that you have experienced such things then you would understand the blessing it is to have a modern toilet that has flushing capabilities.

Anyway back to the topic at hand – On any given day in a public restroom, the toilet will be used upwards of 100 times if it is in a busy area and if it is located in a more crowded area it can be used over 500 times. This means that the flushing mechanism is going to take a lot of strain, and of course with constant use, the overall lifespan of certain parts goes down by a large percentage.

If the toilet is stationed at home then it is fairly okay to say that the toilet won’t need to be repaired as often, but as we all know, these things just happen anyway. So whether at home, work or public; a toilet is going to be needing maintenance at some point. So I’ve carried out Gerber toilet reviews to identify what replacement parts are good or bad for repairs and maintenance.

Which parts might need replacement?

There are two different types of toilet mechanisms on the market today. Gravity assisted and pressure-assisted. We will be considering the gravity-assisted system; the pressure-assisted mechanism still uses gravity, but it is mainly the pressure that makes the toilet function. So some of the parts that I will talk about will be suitable for use in a pressure-assisted toilet but due to the special equipment used in this type of system, parts are not as readily available, so I’ll have to cover these parts in more depth in another article.

The replacement parts I’ll cover are as follows:

Let’s get started.

Gerber Toilet Replacement Parts

Toilet Wax Rings

When a toilet is mounted onto the whole where the sewer pipe is located there is usually space between the toilet and the floor which needs to be connected with something. The toilet is bolted down with a flange and a wax ring is placed above that. This wax ring is primarily used to prevent the odor from the sewer pipes coming up through the floor.

It is made of wax which makes the connection airtight, hence preventing the odor from leaking out of the drainage. The wax ring is often coupled with a floor seal which seals the toilet from water splashing out of the floor.

There is normally quite a large gap between the floor of the bathroom and the toilet, which is increased even more when a bathroom is tiled. The toilet has to sit at the level of the tiles and so the space between that and the actual floor is quite big. So you might have to use multiple wax rings to make up the distance, otherwise, there will be leakage.

Gerber wax rings are very affordable and are of high quality, so if you ever find yourself with some strange smells in the bathroom, the problem likely lies underneath the toilet. Wax ring replacement is quite a difficult task, so it might be a good idea to call up a professional plumber to get the job done properly.

Toilet Floor Seals

This type of part is quite self-explanatory; it seals the toilet to the floor. There is a gap, as mentioned earlier, that needs to be carefully sealed. The wax ring deals with odor leaking out, and the floor seal prevents water from getting all over the floor. If you’ve ever had a problem in the bathroom whereby the toilet is leaking dirty water all over the floor, then it is probably a floor seal that has been damaged.

Floor seals can be damaged by a loose toilet mounting; so if the toilet is not bolted down properly or if the toilet becomes loose after a while, then this will cause the seal to move out of place, as well as the wax ring for that matter. This problem will also need to be addressed by a plumbing professional because it has to be carefully resealed.

These floor seals are not usually broken so you might not need to replace the part, but if it does get damaged to the point of breaking then Gerber has a lobby of different options that will be more than enough for a home setup.

Toilet levers

The toilet lever… This is the main culprit for toilet replacement out of all. It is the only part of the toilet that is subject to forceful movement mechanics. It carries the load when the handle is pushed as well as the load that is required to pull up the flush valve and flapper.

These parts are made from plastic and so they can’t be expected to withstand a hurricane of pressure but if they are yanked on aggressively then they will break quite easily. So as a piece of advice, go easy on the handle cause you might save having to replace the lever behind it. Many toilet brands these days manufacture their toilets with push-button flushing triggers because of this reoccurring problem.

However, if you have a standard lever system then Gerber parts are a great choice and they are made with stronger synthetic materials than what your toilet probably came with. This replacement part is very easy to change out on your own and they are rather inexpensive.

Toilet Handles

This part and the seat are the two replaceable parts that you can see from the outside, so for the most part everyone will know what it’s used for. Handles are strong and don’t break easily, however, with that being said, there are moments of brilliance where a child maybe gets an idea to rip the handle off for fun, and in so doing creates a lovely problem for the parents to have to fix. Trust me it happens!

The handle can be replaced without any hassle, but just make sure to buy extra rubbers otherwise the tank with start dripping through the handle zone.

Toilet Flush Valves

These valves are the pride and joy of flushing, so if your toilet ever has a problem with flushing then it’s probably the flush valve. The flush valve connects to the lever, which, when activated, pulls the valve open allowing water to flow into the bowl. The valve might develop a problem around where it connects to the leaver; it can sometimes get snapped and then when the handle is pushed, the lever is no longer attached to the valve.

This is easily solved by reattaching the connector using a piece of string or by buying a new valve, the only problem with the second option is that the valve comes as a unit, with the flapper and seal all attached so it might be unnecessary to replace the whole bunch at once.

Toilet Flappers

Flappers are like the plug on a sink, it traps the water in the tank. When opened the water can flow out. The flapper is connected to the valve and is triggered via the valve being opened. If the flapper develops a leak you’ll know because water will be flowing gradually into the bowl. Gerber can replace the whole valve or just the flapper itself, depending on the design of the toilet.

Flappers are sometimes connected to the lever itself which bypasses the valve, and so the flapper becomes the point of contact. It is often connected with a chain for extra strength, although sometimes the chain can rust and break. Flappers have rubber seals that block the flow of water effectively, but if water starts leaking into the bowl it may mean that you only have to replace a rubber instead of the whole flapper.

Toilet Fill Valves

A fill valve regulates how much water goes into the tank from the mains water supply. The tank will start filling after it has been flushed, and when the water level reaches its mark the fill valve will shut, stopping any more water from flowing into the tank. If this valve malfunctions then the tank will fill too much and the water will leak out of the overflow valve which creates a huge waste of water.

The fill valve sometimes has a buoy or a ball of air attached to a rod. It floats on the surface and when the ball reaches a certain high the rod pushes a switch that closes the valve. These units have to be replaced as a whole unit and are pretty simple to install.

Toilet Flanges

A flange is used to connect the toilet to the floor. These are bolted down into the floor through the toilet. The wax rings and floor seals are built up on top of the flanges. If the gap in the floor is too big then the flange might become loose and cause problems will the rings and seals.

If this happens, you might want to consider adding another flange or two. Again, for this type of part replacement, it might be best to use a plumbing professional to do the repairs. Flanges need to be made out of stainless steel otherwise they might rust underneath the toiletry and become weak. If they are made from cheap materials they will also be generally weaker and will be prone to damage.

 Toilet Seats

In many cases, the toilet seat might crack or become loose, which is very uncomfortable to sit on, so a replacement might be in order. People tend to go for Gerber wooden seats which are more elegant and durable. The problem with plastic seats is that they are more prone to becoming brittle over time, whereas wooden seats stay strong forever, but be careful of buying a joined wooden seat, this is an off-cut make of seat and is very weak, Gerber doesn’t sell these but double-checks anyway.

Toilet Hardware

This includes plastic washers, steel O-rings, nuts and bolts, and other small bits and pieces. These parts will need replacement only if they are of low quality, to begin with. These small bits, if used on the outside, are coated with paint or galvanized to prevent rust and corrosion and if they are used inside the tank with water then they are most likely plastic. When searching for replacement parts then make sure that they are rust-resistant otherwise you will have to replace them over and over again.

Gerber hardware is galvanized or made with bronze coating, so it’s very resistant to corrosion and will be tough and durable. The price is a little higher due to the higher quality but it is definitely worth the extra cost because it will last for a long time.

Wrap Up

These Gerber toilet replacement parts cover most of which you would need to repair a gravity-assisted toilet. They are quite easy to maintain and repair yourself, apart from only a couple of things that might need a trained plumber. The prices of such spare parts are fairly cheap and they are easy to source. They can be delivered to your door through the online delivery service.

Toilets need to be looked after well because if a problem develops it’s a mission to sort out. Especially when a leakage breaks through and saturates the entire bathroom floor. Plumbing jobs can also be quite expensive when done through a professional plumbing service.

Sometimes there’s nothing that you can do to stop a problem from occurring; sometimes the people who installed the toilet just did a bad job, but regardless, now you know which parts are used for what, so that you can identify which things need replacing.

If you’ve read this far then it probably means that you’ve got a problem that needs fixing pronto! If that is the case then I hope this has been informative enough to show you what needs to be done, and maybe you can do it yourself. Don’t just leave it to create constant frustration in your life. Get it sorted out to get rid of one extra unnecessary worry.