How To Fix The Diaphragm In The Flushometer On A Urinal
Restroom trailers are essentially mobile restaurant-styled bathrooms that have running water and flush toilets and urinals in them. However, this also means that you are going to have to address the type of plumbing problems that happens in restaurant bathrooms. Every once in a while the diaphragms in the flushometer on the urinals get plugged and the water going to the urinal won't shut off. You need to fix or replace the diaphragm as quickly as possible to conserve the limited supply of fresh water in the trailer. If you are new portable toilet trailer business and don't know how to fix the diaphragm, here is how to do it.
Turn Off Water
You need to turn off the water before you open the cap for the flushometer on the urinal to avoid spraying water all over the inside of the portable bathroom. On the left side of the urinal where the water pipe comes out of the wall and into the urinal piping system is the housing that contains the water shut-off valve. Pop the cap off at the front of the shut-off valve housing unit with a thin flathead screwdriver. Underneath the cap is a slot for the flathead screwdriver. Insert the screwdriver into the slot and turn right until the water stops flowing into the urinal.
Remove Flushometer Cap
The cap for the flushometer is on top of the big round metal piece above the flush handle. Take a wrench and unscrew the nut holding the cap down. You should use a strap wrench to remove the nut to avoid scratching the stainless steel finish. A strap wrench has a nylon strap that won't scratch the nut as you remove it. If you don't have a nylon strap wrench, place a rag between the teeth on the wrench and the cap to prevent making unsightly scratches. Remove the cap to expose a plastic cap. The plastic cap is removed by sliding the tip of the flathead screwdriver underneath its edge and popping it up. Underneath the plastic cap is the flushometer housing.
Clean Diaphragm
Lift the diaphragm out of the top of the flushometer housing. There is a little hole on the outer edge of the diaphragm. The flushometer won't turn off if the hole is plugged. You can unplug the hole with a thin wire. Insert the wire into the hole and push the material out that is plugging it up. Be careful not use a piece of wire that will make the hole bigger. If you accidentally increase the size of the hole, you'll need to replace the diaphragm.
After you clean out the hole, or purchase a new diaphragm, place it back into the top of the flushometer housing and put the housing back into the top of the urinal. Replace the caps and turn on the water. Press down on the flush handle and wait to make sure the water turns off. The urinal is ready for use once the water shuts off.