Vitra Toilet Parts
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Vitra Toilet Parts

It’s 2 AM. The house is dead quiet. Suddenly, from the bathroom, you hear a hiss of water. Nobody is in there. Did someone pull the handle? Is your house haunted?

Before you call an exorcist, relax. You are likely experiencing the "Ghost Flush." It is one of the most common complaints with modern toilets, including Vitra models. While it sounds spooky, it’s actually just simple physics—and a sign that your cistern needs a little TLC.

What is Actually Happening?

Your toilet isn't flushing itself. It is refilling itself.

Here is the breakdown: Water is slowly leaking out of your cistern and into the toilet bowl. It’s usually so quiet you can't hear it. Over an hour or two, the water level in the tank drops just enough to lower the float. This triggers the fill valve to kick in for a few seconds to top it back up. That is the "hiss" or "whoosh" you hear in the middle of the night.

The Usual Suspect: The Flush Valve Seal

In 90% of cases, the problem is the rubber washer at the bottom of the flush mechanism. Over time, this silicone seal can degrade, warp, or get covered in limescale. When that happens, it doesn't create a watertight seal against the ceramic base.

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Water trickles past it, causing the level to drop. To stop the ghost, you usually don't need a whole new toilet. You just need the right Vitra Toilet Parts to refresh the mechanism.

The "Food Dye" Test

Not sure if this is your problem? Try this easy trick.

  1. Take the lid off your cistern.
  2. Put a few drops of dark food coloring (blue or red) into the water in the tank.
  3. Wait 30 minutes. Do not flush.
  4. Check the toilet bowl.

If the water in the bowl has turned blue or red, you have a leak. The seal is failing.

How to Fix It

You have two options here.

Option 1: Clean or Replace the Washer Sometimes, it’s just a piece of grit or scale stuck on the seal. Turn off the water, twist the flush valve to unlock it (most Vitra valves twist out easily), and wipe the seal clean. If the rubber looks bubbled or rough, you need a replacement diaphragm washer.

Option 2: Swap the Valve If the mechanism is old or the plastic looks brittle, it might be better to swap the whole unit. It is surprisingly cheap to do. My Toilet Spares stocks genuine Vitra Toilet Parts, including the exact dual flush valves used in the S20, S50, and Zentrum ranges. Using genuine parts is important because generic ones often don't fit the flushing bridge correctly.

Don't let a leaky toilet keep you up at night (or waste gallons of water). A simple washer swap is usually all it takes to banish the ghost for good.