READER SOS: Spare parts for loos

You can get spare parts for just about everything these days, but Miss Thrifty reader Emily has a wee problem. (Did I just write that? Oh dear, I think I did.) Her question:

Please help Miss Thrifty – moved into a lovely new house a couple of months ago and smashed the cistern lid on the first night. Any bright ideas on where to buy a new lid? Really don’t want to have to replace the whole toilet!!!

Time to reach for the Thrifty Rolodex… I called Steve, the UK’s leading toilet spare parts supplier, to see if he could help.

Steve sighed and said that despite stocking just about every toilet spare part you can imagine, from conical sealing washers to Wirquin Jollyflush outlet valves, he no longer stocked replacement cistern lids. Apparently he’d had to pack them in industrial quantities of bubble wrap and would spend sleepless nights  worrying about smashes and breakages in transit.

However he did provide some excellent advice for Emily:

1. If you know who manufactured the toilet, you are halfway there. If the manufacturer’s name isn’t on the outside of your loo, check the underside of your broken cistern lid (if you still have it) and the back inside wall of the cistern itself – manufacturers’ names and codes can often be found in these places.
2. Next, search for the nearest stockist and pay them a visit. They are unlikely to have a replacement cistern lid in stock; however, they should be able to order one in for you.
3. Alternatively, contact the manufacturer directly.
4. If all else fails and you don’t have a clue who made your loo, take a picture of the inside of your cistern and send it to [email protected].  Steve – aka the Loo Detective – says that he likes  a challenge!

Thanks Steve! And Emily: let us know how you get on…

Image credit: Andrew Mason.