A contractor recently installed a new toilet in the in-law’s house. They’re in their 90’s and lean back against the tank. The tank rocks a little bit, and leaks.
Are the tank bolts supposed to be tightened enough to crush the rubber gasket and make the tank rest on the ridges of the stool? I’m a little nervous, don’t want to break anything.
Replies
Good question. I do know that if you turn the screws 1/16 turn too far, you will hear a pop as the china cracks ... not a good sound.
Have you considered wedging some very dense foam between the tank and the wall?
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Thanks, I did stuff a piece of styrofoam packing material behind the tank as a temporary fix. This one got pretty tight as I tried to bolt it down, so it looks like blocking it between the tank and wall will be the only way to go. Just for laughs, I asked the plumbing guru at HD, he said just finger-tight on the nuts was fine............ ??
Yes, the "tank bolts" should be tightened until the flush box makes contact with the commode base.
With your heart in your throat, tighten them progressively, over an hour or two. Gently wiggling the full flush box may help it to settle evenly.
Once contact is made, re-insert the spacer you fashioned.
Practice...'till you can do it right the first time.
Thanks for the info. I assumed the ridges were cast into the bowl for a purpose. That's one big, thick gasket (soft rubber ring). The technique of tightening over an hour or two sounds reasonable - - wish me luck ;-)
Turn the water off first.
Sissy
I hold a deep socket in my hand and run the nuts down about as tight as I can with out using a ratchet or a wrench. That has always worked for me. I have had to go back and retighten after a few months if the nuts loosened as the gasket took a set. A little vaseline on the gasket never hurts either.
I would avoid Vaseline. Many elastomers are not resistant to oil and will break down or become brittle when exposed.
This is how NOT to do it. - lol
I wouldn't want to get close enough to that to take a picture ;-(
Shoot, that was nothing. Check out the before & after pics of the flange. The left bolt slot was shot and I had to jury rig (cut down) the repair ring since there wasn't enough gap between the slab and the flange to slip the entire ring in.
Luckily, the bathroom was on a slab and was rarely used - lol
Oops, I renamed these pics wrong.
Edited 10/16/2005 8:49 am by Dave45
Pew, stuff a rag in that hole!
Grunge on. http://grungefm.com