Over 60 Years Later, Delany Urinal Flushometers’ ‘Rubberflexer’ Is Still an Industry Leader

We can only imagine you’ve seen your share of leaks in your time in the field. Pipes leak behind walls, fittings fatigue and fail, and fixtures can leak due to damage resulting from abuse.

Leaks can be costly. When not caught and repaired quickly, leaks can incur property damage when the water is absorbed by drywall or carpeting. That doesn’t even mention the expense of repairing the broken fixture.

Flushometers are not exempt from this and often leak as a result of hard use, abuse, or the natural aging and failure of internal components. Leaks from the cap and the flushometer handle are not uncommon.

But one manufacturer has changed all that - well, changed some of it, and it’s not news, either. For over 60 years, Delany urinal flushometers that feature a “Rubberflexer” in the handle have been leak-free and counting, at least at the handle assembly. Here’s what you need to know.

Why Flushometer Handles Leak
From the outside, flushometer handles look like bombproof steel rods. In a sense, they are, but only the handle component. On the inside, there is a sensitive, interconnected network of parts, often including springs, a seal, and a rod that connects to a piston that allows the flushometer to release and fill up with water.

On their own, these parts will break down over time, but as you know, some users are rougher on plumbing equipment than on others. Users bang, slam and kick flushometer handles, often with reckless abandon. This can fatigue internal springs and damage seals, resulting in leaks around the flushometer handle.

Internal seals can also be leak when debris interferes with them, or when chemicals present in water (like chloramines) wear them down. Fortunately, Delany urinal flushometers which feature a Rubberflexer have solved these problems.

What Makes Delany Urinal Flushometers’ Rubberflexer a Game-Changer
Delany urinal flushometers’ Rubberflexer is a rubber seal that is durable, chloramine resistant, easy to replace, and most importantly, guaranteed never to leak.

It is also the industry’s only non-spring loaded handle assembly to date, and instead of using a spring to hold the assembly in place, the Rubberflexer consists of a rubber seal that can flex with the handle (hence the name) allowing water to flow through the handle pad. The pressure of the water keeps the Rubberflexer sealed against the inside of the handle pad, preventing leaks.

It sounds simple, but there are actually a few key features that make the Rubberflexer even better than it sounds on paper.

Chloramine Resistance
The first thing you may have thought when you heard that a rubber seal could be the solution to leaks around a flushometer handle was “chloramines will take that seal out in no time.”

It’s a valid concern. Chloramines accumulate in chlorine-treated water over time as a result of the natural breakdown of chlorine. It’s a known fact that chloramines can degrade many polymers, including rubbers, causing them to shrink, dry out, and even crack. In short, they can cause leakage.

But the Rubberflexer is made from ethylene propylene diene monomer, better known as EPDM, which was specifically used for its chloramine resistance. The EPDM Rubberflexer is not only resistant to chloramines that occur naturally in water, but it’s also resistant to high and low temperatures as well. As an elastomer, it also has high tensile strength and is resistant to tearing, making it ideal for this type of application.

Not Spring-Loaded
Most flushometer handles are spring loaded. The spring holds everything semi-rigid inside of the flushometer handle and keeps it in the proper position. With enough abuse, the spring behind the works of a flushometer handle can fatigue. This is the reason that some flushometer handles droop even when no one’s touching them. A fatigued spring can also allow a flushometer handle to leak.

But the Rubberflexer is not only not spring-loaded, it lacks a spring entirely. The flexible rubber assembly holds itself in place and creates its own seal against the handle pad, preventing leaks. There is no spring to fatigue, eliminating another possible point of failure.

Maintenance Happens (but the Rubberflexer Makes It Easy)|
While Delany urinal flushometer Rubberflexers are leakproof, they are not utterly impervious to damage. However, and despite the fact that it might sound like a criticism that EPDM can eventually break down over time, this actually works to the Rubberflexer’s advantage, as well as to the advantage of Delany urinal flushometers that contain it.

This is because the Rubberflexer is nearly as easy to replace as it is to maintain and it is significantly easier to repair or replace than the handle assemblies of many other competitors.

Contact Us for More Information!
Delany’s history of producing high-quality commercial plumbing parts extends beyond the Rubberflexer and includes other highlights like the field-adjustable regulation screw, Mashaerator, and more.

Their externally adjustable flushometers and the internal flush valve components they contain have continuously set the standard in the commercial plumbing industry.

We carry those parts and parts from countless other leading manufacturers. If you’re having trouble finding the Delany urinal flushometer parts you need, get in touch with us at 1-833-251-4591.