I have a Balterley syphonic toilet which has lost its suction.
I am told that it is probably the 'syphonic bomb' which needs replacing but I am understand that these are no longer in production. Is this correct and if so could anything be done to mend the existing toilet.

b clark, April 2006

a new syvac aspirator comes with the bomb washer and will fit a thomas dudley S7 flush syphon. Not all aspirators fit all types of syphon, so if you're not sure, buy them together. Syvac about £15 and a tenner for a new syphon. Toolstation do both. Toolstation also do a universal aspirator washer.

plumb bob, April 2017

I need to replace the gasket between the cistern and the pan. My loo has 'Standard' on it, in a different font to Ideal Standard. There is the large hole for the conection cistern to pan, with a small hole for the rubber fitting to assist the dual-siphonic action, 1-2 cm away. Most normal seals for the larger hole overlap the smaller one.

chris, May 2012

I have the same toilet/problem as b.clark. The syvac unit does not fit the balterley cistern flush unit pipe. The syvac is too big a diameter. Any one know if Balterley are still going, and an address/tel. no.?

Steve N, October 2009

There's a company in Bracknell called Toolstation, they have the Syvac Syphonic Aspirator for £13.66.

Adrian, January 2009

Go to www.brokenbog.com - they have parts for most discontinued bathroom lines, from 'syphonic bombs' to complete bathroom suites. I should know, I run the company!

Sam Powell, November 2007

Go to www.brokenbog.com - they have parts for most discontinued bathroom lines, from 'syphonic bombs' to complete bathroom suites. I should know, I run the company!

Sam Powell, November 2007

Having inadvertently allowed small peices of soap into the cistern, my syphonic toilet didn't work properly. I dismantled the system etc.; removed the soap, and reassembled. The toilet still didn't work properly, not enough water came into the pan and the suction was insufficilent to make it work. I read the description of the syphonic toilet on this website, dismantled again and re-assembled still without complete success. After disantling again I realised that the rubber disc must be firmly presssed over the hole leading to the outlet chamber; re-assembled with complete success. Not being a plumber by trade, I hadn't realised the significance of the tight seal required by the disc over the hole and think this should be emphasized to D.I.Y. people like myself. Incidentally, I went to two plumbers merchant stores for help. The first said syphonic toilets are illegal (?) and were out of production. The man in his thirties in the second store said "he had never heard of them"!

A.J.Wallace, 38, Bents Crescent, Dronfield, Sheffieldll, S18 2EY, March 2007

There's a rubber seal which will probably need replacing, and to do so you will have to remove the cistern. There will be an air extractor (aspirator) fitted in the cistern's outlet which is basically a small tube over which the water flows. Ordinary washdown close-coupled WCs don't have this, of course. At the end of the small tube there should be a rubber disc, say 2" in diameter, which is meant to separate two chambers in the pan section. The end of the tube is meant to just penetrate the area between the two traps, so that air is drawn out on flushing, hence the syphonic action. It will become obvious when you take it all apart. You may have to use a little ingenuity and lateral thinking, but it's only a piece of rubber or PVC which can easily be fabricated. Hang in there! Syphonic WCs are worth fixing! Much better than washdowns for many reasons. You won't find a new one, other than at a supplier of discontinued bathroomware, and these guys charge stupid money (up to £1k for a bog) because it's normally the insurance companies that pay. (The flushing volume argument doesn't wash, because with a modern WC you have to flush at least twice to clear the waste and keep the drain flowing while it does so.) Good luck...

Rich, September 2006