Do You Have An Exploding Toilet?

The last thing you want when nature calls is to be worried about your toilet exploding on you, or under you, as it were, but that’s exactly what happened to three hundred and four people using toilets with a flushing mechanism built by Flushmate.

The problem is that this flusher actually pushes water down out of the tank and into the bowl to flush, where a normal toilet lets gravity do the work. The result is a sudden pressure that the porcelain can’t handle, leading to an explosion.

Thankfully, there have been no fatalities reported in relation to the issue, but fourteen serious injuries have resulted, including lacerations requiring stitches.

You can spot these toilets by checking your brand and when your toilet was built. American Standard, Crane, Eljer, Gerber, Mansfield and Kohler have all released toilets with Flushmate mechanisms, so open your toilet up if it’s made by one of those manufacturers and check the date. The code goes MMDDYY, for month, day, year. Anything between October 14, 1997 and Feb 29, 2008 may qualify you for a recall.

This graphic was brought to you by Spartan Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning. Spartan has been serving the DC area for almost half a century, sending the “spartan man” whenever you are in need of plumbing repair. 

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