How to replace Kohler Canister flush valve

[@daletherail]

Your video is the only one I found showing how to replace the canister base. A lot of people have trouble with this as I discovered in chat groups. Even the instructions that come with the kit says the base replacement is difficult. I replaced the base because all three "tabs" were broken off. I found one of them in the water passage just below the canister. I ended up making a tool so I could push down and turn at the same time. I lubricated the base and gasket with olive oil. I was just about to give up when the base finally snapped into position. Thank you for the video.

[@Fred-si5bn]

Apparently you are not the only person that had trouble seating the flush valve. I like the olive oil idea.

[@JTBurke]

This is a very helpful video to know what to expect when doing this repair. We had a leaky toilet and the cause was the bottom of the canister was missing two of three plastic tabs, and the gasket was corroded. Likely due to years of use. It was no longer able to seat properly and form a watertight seal. I decided to replace the fill valve, too, while I was at it to just sort it out entirely for years to come. One thing I noticed about the replacement flush canister was that the 'freeboard' (height from bottom of toilet to where water will spill in to the bowl for the flush) is much higher on the replacement valve. 1/4" on the old canister, 1" on the new one. This means less water per flush. I am not sure if I purchased the wrong part, or if Kohler has changed the design. This seems to be the part fo my model of toilet. I'm not happy with the less powerful flush. I could not reuse the plastic part with the lower height because that was the part that was broken. The dish soap as lubricant did not work. But I came back to these comments and found the tip suggesting olive oil. This did the trick almost immediately. This leads me to believe that squeezing the gasket isn't the difficulty, but rotating the part is the challenge. I also folded up a towel between me and the plastic so I could put my full weight pressing down on the plastic to squeeze the gasket so the part would rotate without hurting my hand. After everything was installed it took me quite a few flushes, and adjustments to the new fill valve, to get the water to the right height on the refill of the tank. As a DIY fix, it was pretty easy to accomplish. This video will show you what to expect and how to manage it.

[@Fred-si5bn]

Glad it helped. Thanks for the additional tips. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@Jumb09678]

This helped me, all I needed to replace was the main part of the middle cannister. The seal was almost all gone and the top yellow piece was broken off. Thank you.

[@Fred-si5bn]

glad it helped.

[@craighunter7350]

Fred, thank you for the video. You made putting in the base look so easy, just a little plumbers grease, twist and snap in place. Well you are a very lucky man. The only plumber I know who has faced this problem said after trying for an hour, he just replaced the toilet. I worked on mine an hour before I called Kohler, their tech said everyone has a hard time and his only suggestion was soak the gasket to make it softer then use dish soap to make it slippery.

[@Fred-si5bn]

That is interesting. Note to self, avoid this toilet model in the future. I cleaned the base of the toilet tank top and bottom. I used the plumbers grease on top and bottom of the base seal. I had to apply a lot of downward pressure while twisting it into place. The seal is kinda soft and thick. Hope this helps others.

[@nickatnite68]

Thanks for your video. Just a tip for anyone replacing this unit and having trouble with the base/gasket. You must take off the upper cylinder portion or you will never be able to get enough leverage to flatten out the gasket where it meets the bottom of the toilet tank. If you turn the whole unit upside down, you'll see a middle tab holding together the upper and lower pieces. Turn the upper middle part 90 degrees so the tab can disconnect from the base/gasket. Using silicone plumber's grease (Amazon for less than $5), make a bead all around the bottom of the gasket and then spread it with your finger so the entire bottom of the gasket is covered. You do not need dish soap as per the instructions. Line up the tabs of the base so they fit inside the tank opening at the bottom (mine is triangle shaped). Now the important part - put your hand palm down across the top of the base unit and press straight down with all your body weight. While pressing down as hard as you can, try turning it to lock the tabs underneath the ceramic tank bottom. I was able to do this rather quickly, which surprised me given all of the horror story posts. Once seated, line up the tab from the top portion that you disconnected earlier, insert, and turn 90 degrees so it locks. connect the chain to the flush lever and you should be good to go. Really must push down with your whole palm or it will not work. I tried grabbing it around the edges and just could not get enough downward pressure to compress the gasket. Good luck and happy flushes!

[@Fred-si5bn]

Thanks for the tip. There were a lot of comments about the base gasket and twisting the canister in place. Having done it once and used plumbers grease I didn’t have trouble, so I could not give good feedback. Cheers.

[@allenb4113]

Good comment... I'll just add that I used a healthy layer of dish soap between the base and the gasket (per the instructions) as well as a layer of soap at the bottom of the gasket where it comes into contact with the tank. I applied pressure to compress the gasket a bit and it turned fairly easily. I think it's worth noting that it's important to carefully line up the tabs with the corners of the triangular hole--which you can't see from above once you place the new base down--and to be aware of how much you're turning it. Ideally, you will turn it 60 degrees, so the tabs will be centered on each side of the triangle.

[@petermarinelli8107]

Great video and comments. I tried installing the base via the replacement kit instructions but I couldn’t compress the gasket. Tried for about 20 minutes before I decided to seek help via KZbin. I took everyone’s advice except the lubrication tips. The new gasket is very dry. I soaked it in warm water for about 10 minutes and now I was able to compress it more with my fingers after it was saturated. Also noticed the gasket and base flange are tapered slightly. You can see the gasket fits better when you slip it over the base flange. Try flipping the gasket to other side to see the difference. On my next attempt I pressed it down and turned the base flange to lock it in just like the video! Thank you everyone!!

[@piinksunflwr]

This was such a useful step by step. Thank you!

[@mpfoote]

Thank you for making this video. Just ordered the parts from Amazon and they are actually arriving today.

[@onlinepaydays]

Thank you so much for this. Mine just started acting up, and i noticed that the whole damn canister lifts up and off the bottom of the toilet tank. It's missing 2 of the 3 tabs, which I'm not sure how that even happens. So I'll verify toilet model number as per your instructions here, order the parts and get it done. Thanks again for this video. I couldn't find any other video on doing the 1-piece toilet. All others are/were the 2-piece setup. Thanks again!

[@onlinepaydays]

Your toilet model is actually 3810. I have the same one. Just ordered the parts and thanks again!

[@Fred-si5bn]

Just caught up to this comment. There are 2 opposing tabs at the bottom of the flush valve that hold it down. (1/4 turn locks it in place) Many people comment that those tabs break off. Also had a lot of comments that it is difficult to get the new one back in place. I didn’t have that problem. Someone commented that I am lucky. Which is possible since this is the first and only one I’ve done. I used a liberal amount of plumbing lubricant on both sides of the gasket and on the opening of the toilet tank that I cleaned on both top and bottom. I applied quite a bit of downward force and turned it into place. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[@onlinepaydays]

@@Fred-si5bn thank you for the reply. Yes, I will be doing the same thing; applying a lot of plumbers grease. And yes, the tabs on mine broke off. So when you flush it, the entire canister lifts up and off the base of the toilet tank. Conversely, it doesn't seal, so water is constantly running to refill the tank. So for now, just have it turned off until the parts arrive tomorrow.

[@payasoinfeliz]

super helpful. could not find the right part but looks like what i need. need to replace flush valve for one piece gabrielle toilet. the bottom triangle part that locks under the tank snapped off on my old one, so the whole thing tipped over and can't hold water in the tank.

[@Fred-si5bn]

Glad it helped

[@newpylong]

I just got a kohler 2 piece with a canister flush and man i love it compared to the flapper it replaced.

[@taipeiiia7613]

This video is so helpful. Thank you so much. But I have a tough time locking in the gasket at the bottom. Where do you put the Plumber's grease?

[@Fred-si5bn]

Apply the grease to the seal at the bottom of the flush valve.

[@ChimChim812]

This a great video and super helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to put this out there for those of us technically challenged people 🙂

[@Fred-si5bn]

Glad it helped.

[@davidmauricio8886]

Thanks for the video. All the tabs were missing on mine. I wonder what causes that.

[@alejandrocuadros8691]

Your video helped me a lot. Thank you very much Fred. Do you have the parts or link of the parts you ordered in amazon? It is unreadable the tank number. Your toilet is the same as mine. Thanks again.

[@Fred-si5bn]

Glad it helped. Can you get to the description of the video? If not I can send them a little later.

[@Fred-si5bn]

a.co/d/dlnc003

[@Fred-si5bn]

a.co/d/8ZxbUBJ

[@Fred-si5bn]

Those were the parts for my toilet. Make sure your plumbers grease is silicone based.

[@steveschmoe6870]

@@Fred-si5bn This looks like the fill valve instead of the flush valve

[@cherylb1025]

My problem is ghost flushes. Do I have to replace all of this?

[@Fred-si5bn]

Sorry for the late reply. Like I said in my video, I am an oldtimer. My experience is that you can replace one piece at a time or invest an hour and the extra money to do it once and forget about it for at least 3 to 5 years, depending on your water quality.

[@nickatnite68]

My ghost flushes were caused by a leak at the bottom of the canister - either the black spongy gasket went bad or one or more tabs broke off where it connects to the toilet tank. It can also be caused by a breakdown of the yellow gasket where the canister sits - mine looked OK. I replaced the flush valve (the part with the float where the water comes in) but in hindsight it was probably not the source of the problem.

[@Salemwitches]

In the center of that canister, is there supposed to be a screw that holds It in? Mine has one and it rusted and broke and now my whole canister doesn't fall back into place after flushing

[@Fred-si5bn]

I replaced the entire canister and the canister seat. It comes in a kit. I will find the part number and send it to you.

[@Fred-si5bn]

This is the part I used. The model of the toilet is In the toilet tank on the back right side. You can search the kit to make sure it fits. a.co/d/8roUhVc

[@Salemwitches]

@Fred-si5bn yes that's what's in mine. $600 toilet and they make a crap plastic mechanism with a screw that rusted and broke. Unreal! Ty for your assistance.

[@marchie886]

Thank you Fred

[@Fred-si5bn]

I hope it helped.

[@laynechuckyqueen3735]

Is there a link to that part that's difficult to put in at the bottom? I keep ordering the wrong part

[@Fred-si5bn]

a.co/d/gnQTpkz Check the number in the back of the toilet tank to be sure it fits.

[@Fred-si5bn]

Identify the toilet here, by entering the model number from the inside back of the toilet tank. scout.kohler.com/search-by-type This is the parts manual. once you have your model, you can match the parts and order from Amazon. I hope this helps you. chrome-resources.kohler.com/webassets/kpna/brochures/Toilet_ServiceParts_Brochure_FINAL.pdf

[@jimsoeder7784]

Excellent !

[@steveschmoe6870]

I didn't know how far to twist the gasket holder before trying to pull it out. I may have broken two of the triangular tabs, or they might have already been broken. But, what a cheap piece of breakable plastic to use on such an important part of the system. I'm first trying Loctite plastic bonder on the two broken tabs to see if they will hold. Otherwise, I wait a few weeks without a toilet for the part from Kohler.

[@Fred-si5bn]

It’s flimsy. But shouldn’t break. There was no stop. If you turn it too far it will pop out. Just turn a 1/4 turn. If it breaks on the way don’t worry. You replace with the new one.

[@steveschmoe6870]

@@Fred-si5bn I've tried a few bonders, but one tab keeps breaking off. I may try an Epoxy plastic bonder next. I'm thinking that if the new part tabs break just as easily on install, I'll try shaving off some of the gasket thickness. To install, I have to sit backwards on the toilet seat, so I cannot put more than say 1/2 my body weight into the press.

[@ilovesleeping8944]

Link to the parts please

[@Fred-si5bn]

a.co/d/6ymZKtp water inlet

[@Fred-si5bn]

a.co/d/6ymZKtp

[@Fred-si5bn]

I used the part number that was stamped in the toilet tank to validate fitment.

[@upstateplumbing9995]

Plumbers grease might not be good for the gasket

[@Fred-si5bn]

Hi, thank you for the feedback. I know it petroleum based lubricants are not recommended because the gaskets are typically rubber based and petroleum will swell and deteriorate the gaskets. Do you have any alternative suggestions? I suppose soap and warm water may work.