Customer Reviews

Brondell PF100-W Simple Flush, Eco-Friendly Dual Flush Toilet Retrofit Kit

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this as a companion to one of my two Brondell S800-EW Swash 800 seats (which we've used for about 9 months and love). It is used on the one potty where 95% of the "half flushes" are needed. It was easy to install and works well, though it took a day or so to get the settings where they worked best for me, but it was time well spent. The water savings is about 40%/flush but since we have a well there's is no dollar amount to go with the water savings. Yet, it IS saving water.

I would like to see it be wireless and possibly integrated with the SW-800 remote.

This unit, like the Swash 800 seats, is very high quality.

I have purchased three of these units for my home. The first one was installed about 6 weeks ago and the other two last week. My first water/sewer bill since this project has dropped $20 and reflects only the first unit. It works as advertised, and has not malfunctioned. It was an easy installation (30 minutes for the first one, less for the other two) that required no real mechanical knowledge. I would readily do it again. Our local daycare is evaluating it for their bathrooms as well. (Not only for water and money savings, but a cool gadget to reinforce potty training!)

Well, I can't claim a 30-minute installation. But once I figured out the correct placement of the various items, it has worked flawlessly. The instructions are clear except in the one area where it is, perhaps, most critical, and that is the positioning of the brass weight --- it must be placed within the large bend of the chain hook that attaches to the flapper valve, to keep the weight close to that part of the valve. Whereas the flapper valve used to be controlled by the level of water in the tank, it is now controlled by the Brondell lift device and the brass weight. That arrangement is critical to closing the flapper valve when the reduced flush mode is selected.

Before I finally figured out the correct placements, I called Brondell's customer service on their 888 number and talked with a friendly, helpful representative. To make sure the product would work properly, he sent me two additional brass weights (of slightly different shape) at no additional charge. As it turned out, I didn't need them.

My rating of Brondell: Quality product and quality service.

Easy to install, works as described. I did run into two problems during install. First, my existing incoming water line was fixed, not flexible, and the valve that comes with this kit requires more clearance, so I had to replace the chrome water line with a flexible one. Second, it was challenging to find a location that didn't interfere with the float in my toilet tank. I found one, but I think I'm going to upgrade to a more modern float anyway. The PF100-W appears to have reduced our water usage by about 10 gallons per day, which exceeds my expectations.

I bought this product and another of the dual flush items about a month or two ago.

I used the other plastic product for a week. It worked, but it just felt too cheap. All the parts were plastic and nothing fit snug. Also, for that item I had to remove the tank from the bowl to install the internal flapper replacement. Not a big deal - but I did not have to do this with Brondell.

Installing the Brondell was a breeze in comparison. I only had to add the solenoid/t-valve unit at the water intake and hang the flapper lifter thing in the bowl. You really only need two tools - one to install the unit (adjustable wrench) and the other to unscrew the battery cap (philips screwdriver). Overall getting the tools and reading the instructions the process took at most 1/2 an hour.

But, the thing I love most is the service. I went on vacation after having the unit only a week and when I came back it did not work. I tried reinstalling and everything I could think of to make it work. Nothing. So I called Brondell and 5 minutes later they figured they knew what was wrong and shipped a replacement solenoid to me. No questions asked - no hassle whatsoever. That to me is well worth the money. They are in California and I am on the east-coast and called them on a Saturday. The replacement was waiting for me when I got home from work on Monday. Excellent service. I will pay more for good service any day. This unit is more expensive and I thought carefully before I bought it. In the end you get what you pay for. It may take longer to pay for itself - but if that is why you are buying the unit then maybe one of the cheaper ones is the way to go. If you want to save water and can afford a little more to spend then this product is well worth it. In my opinion, it is just a better dual-flush solution than those other plastic products.

I installed this product in less than 1/2 hour. It works quite well and certainly saves water. I can't seem to get the light flush part to operate well. I have to hold the button in for a count of about 3 seconds to get the whirlpool actioon. Just a single push won't do it. The buttons take quite a bit of force to push and this could be a problem with people with arthritic fingers.

Without going into too much detail let me just say that, even if you are not into saving water, you will be saving money. Buy one for every toilet in your house.

Rather than repeat what others have stated... I concur with the overall direction of the reviews. It is simple to install (note that the line coming into the toilet needs to be flexible as the solenoid goes inline adding 1-2 inches). The only issue that I had was - well - it just wouldn't work. I was getting a thud with the entire line and actuator in the tank jolting... even got a bubble or two. Hmmmm.... I then noted that it would work fine when the tank was refilling. I emailed support and got a reply that the water pressure is too much for the solenoid to trigger. I cranked down the water pressure via the in-line shutoff valve going from the supply line to the tank and it works like a champ. It does exactly that it says it would do. And great support as others have mentioned as well. I would strongly suggest snooping around for a deal as I would certainly not pay retail or even the price her ($60 at time of this writing).... grab it on sale (got it via Woot!) and you will be even happier. Otherwise if you are looking for pay for it via the savings, you would have to hit that half-flush button a LOT :).

Cheers!

I purchased one of these water flush savers and it worked so well that I purchased a second one.

That should tell you how much I thought about it...

It is a well made unit with very thorough installation instructions.

I am still waiting for my next water bill to realize the impact of the savings..

Anyway, I would highly recommend this unit over the competition-even considering the extra cost..

Installation was easy (20 minutes). It took a day to adjust the proper flush settings. But now it works great.

How much water you will save, will depend largely on your toilet. For example, the toilet in my master bathroom needs less water to create a Whirlpool compared to the toilet in the guest bathroom. So for the first one I'll save probably 70% of water. In the second toilet I'll save around 30%.

After two months of perfect operation, the solenoid in one of the units broke. When I was pushing the button, I heard a noise in the solenoids, but the handle did not raise. I called tech support and they said that they had a problem with some faulty solenoids. Tech support was a great and they sent me a new unit overnight which is now working perfectly.

So in summary, I think this an excellent product with great tech support. The extend of your water savings will depend on the type of toilet you have, but should still should be substantial.

I would strongly recommend this product.