Just a FYI to the residents of Lucerne. As one of the customers of the California Water Services Co., we received several “free” toilets the company gave us to replace older toilets.

The toilets are manufactured by Caroma, an Australian company. They were given to us to save water and are dual flush and do save water in that respect.

However, what I have found out the hard way that there is a $5 washer (seal) that allows the units to leak a gradual stream of water. It is such a invisible leak that it may not appear to be a big deal, but it does leak constantly, 24/7 and has been doing so for an undetermined length of time. Both toilets in my home were leaking.

Granted, these commodes are about 3 years old and “possibly” a normal toilet would start to leak as well. But parts are readily available in any hardware store to correct any problems. The seal for this had to be tracked down by calling the company representative in British Columbia. The representative at the company pointed out that the seals routinely fail after about three years. Planned obsolescence at its best.

To all concerned: The seal is for the M5 toilet and has a PN of 750017. I had to contact Cal Water to get the phone number, which is 604-430-2020 or 1-800-605-4218 and push the extension for Debbie Foley. She mailed me three of the replacement seals that fixed the leaks.

Cody Fincher lives in Lucerne, Calif.