novice question about toilet tank bolts/hardware

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cjs1996

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Hi,

I've got an older Crane toilet and the tank rocks slightly (no leaks though), I can see that one of the tank bolts is loose. Instead of just cranking the nuts down, I was thinking about going ahead and replacing the tank to bowl gasket, as well as the tank bolt hardware, and giving everything a good cleaning with the tank off.

My question is about the tank bolts: Should there be two nuts on each tank bolt, or is one sufficient?

The reason I ask is because I just installed a Toto Drake in another bathroom, and there were 2 nuts for each tank bolt, so it went like this (from top to bottom):

tank bolt head
rubber washer
bottom of tank
regular washer
nut (#1)
bowl
regular washer
nut (#2)

So I actually tightened the first washer & nut (#1) onto the tank which compressed the rubber washer before I even sat the tank on the bowl. Once I sat the tank on the bowl then I installed the second washer and nut (#2) which held the tank in place.

(BTW - I notice that the Drake manual on this website differs from mine in that it doesn't show this second set nut on each bolt.. not sure why)

My existing Crane toilet only has one nut on each bolt:

tank bolt head
rubber washer
bottom of tank
bowl
regular washer
nut

Is this standard? Seems to me that the additional nut between the tank and bowl would be less likely to leak, since even if the bottom nut works loose, the rubber washer is still held tight.

Is one way better than the other? Should I look for a tank bolt kit with 2 sets of washers nuts on each bolt? Or does it even matter?

Thanks,
Chris
 

Jimbo

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It seems that many of us prefer the your method number 1. The nut on the underside of the tank can safely be snugged up to ensure a good squeeze on the bolt washer. If the only nut is on the underside of the bowl top, it is hard to tighten that sufficiently, although it is often done, especially seen on older toilets, apparently with success.

fluidmaster-bolts-package.gif
 
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Shacko

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tank bolts

cjs1996 said:
Hi,

I've got an older Crane toilet and the tank rocks slightly (no leaks though), I can see that one of the tank bolts is loose. Instead of just cranking the nuts down, I was thinking about going ahead and replacing the tank to bowl gasket, as well as the tank bolt hardware, and giving everything a good cleaning with the tank off.

My question is about the tank bolts: Should there be two nuts on each tank bolt, or is one sufficient?

The reason I ask is because I just installed a Toto Drake in another bathroom, and there were 2 nuts for each tank bolt, so it went like this (from top to bottom):

tank bolt head
rubber washer
bottom of tank
regular washer
nut (#1)
bowl
regular washer
nut (#2)

So I actually tightened the first washer & nut (#1) onto the tank which compressed the rubber washer before I even sat the tank on the bowl. Once I sat the tank on the bowl then I installed the second washer and nut (#2) which held the tank in place.

(BTW - I notice that the Drake manual on this website differs from mine in that it doesn't show this second set nut on each bolt.. not sure why)

My existing Crane toilet only has one nut on each bolt:

tank bolt head
rubber washer
bottom of tank
bowl
regular washer
nut

Is this standard? Seems to me that the additional nut between the tank and bowl would be less likely to leak, since even if the bottom nut works loose, the rubber washer is still held tight.

Is one way better than the other? Should I look for a tank bolt kit with 2 sets of washers nuts on each bolt? Or does it even matter?

Thanks,
Chris

You have to go with the manufactors installation unless you find that something won't work, they are not the same. Luck.

..........................................................................
"If all else fails, read the directions"
 
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