Hello All and especially I hope Piglet John?
Got an elderly relative with an elderly lever action (not close coupled) toilet (30 plus years old) and I had to replace the syphon. I installed a standard syphon as new, except it leaks from the joint /outlet at the bottom of the cistern, now matter how tight the plastic lock nut. I had replaced the original rubber washer with the one that came with the new syphon (1.5 inches), but I have a suspicion that it isn't exactly the same size as the perished original which is slightly larger. It might just be squashed, but it seems slightly bigger. Like that one, it seems to have had a flange on one side whereas the new one was flat on both sides. In design it (the original) looks like the one in the photo attached. Perhaps that means the new ones don't fill the hole in the bottom of the cistern fully? I took the original washer to two plumber's merchants who didn't recognise it and couldn't supply an identical replacement. I took their advice and doubled the new washers, but it still leaks - and not by a little bit either. Any advice? Is it a historic washer? Are there some makes of cistern with weird washers? Can I get one, what should I ask for? Or should I try a doughnut - is that possible? Many thanks in advance.