Cast Iron Porcelian Enameled Toilet Bowl??

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Peterson

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Hi Everyone!

I'm having new flooring put down in the bathroom, and I pulled up the toilet (a 1970's elongated American Standard Cadet) and I noticed all this what looked to be like rust staining on the floor underneath. After scraping the wax seal off of the bowl, I noticed the more of the same rust staining on the underside of the bowl where the seal fits on.

I took the bowl out on the deck and scrubbed the living daylights out of it with lime away, and took a wire brush and managed to scrape off most of the rust marks around the horn of the bowl. After it dried, it looks like the underside of the toilet (where the seal fits on, and where the two holes to bolt the toilet to the floor are) and perhaps the inside of the trapway appear to be porcelain enameled cast iron?? It definately feels like enameled cast iron instead of ceramic. Also, I'm almost positive that the rim of the bowl is enamled cast iron too. The rest of it is definately ceramic. The toilet bowl is heavier than any toilet I've ever lifted.

This rusting is definately not from the flange. The flange is PVC with no rusted parts whatsoever on it. The rusting definately came from the underside of the toilet.

Should I spray some rust-oleum on the underside of the toilet before I reinstall it? I don't want to re-install this toilet, only to risk having it rust and possibly stain the new linoleum.

Has anyone ever heard of a porcelain/ceramic toilet bowl? I thought they were all made out of ceramic.

Many thanks for any advice that you can give me.
 

hj

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cast iron toilet

They have NOT MADE cast iron toilets since the 1920's at least, and ALL of them had wall hung tanks with a flush elbow. In addition, I do not think American Standard EVER made a cast iron toilet.
 

Peterson

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They have NOT MADE cast iron toilets since the 1920's at least, and ALL of them had wall hung tanks with a flush elbow. In addition, I do not think American Standard EVER made a cast iron toilet.

Thank you for the response. That's exactly what I thought.

However, I went out into the garage (where the toilet is currently sitting until the flooring is installed) and with the toilet bowl upside down, I took a screw driver and scraped around and the horn and bolt area is indeed some kind of porcelain enameled metal. It looks like a metal horn was somehow welded into the ceramic of the toilet. It also appears that at least the lower part of the trapway (where it exits the bowl) is enameled cast iron too. I shined a flashlight down the trap way, and I can see a seam where the enameled iron ends, and the porcelain begins.

The toilet is an American Cadet Elongated toilet from probably the early 1970's. There is a date in the tank, but the year is smudged. It is also dated on the bowl, but the year is smudged also. It has a F4049 tank. The tank is definitely porcelain. Interestingly enough, with the toilet and tank out in the garage in full daylight, the bowl definitely has a darker shade of white compared to the tank.

Do you think I should put some rust primer on the underside of the toilet? Like I said, I don't want to risk having it rust over the years and bleed into the linoleum.

Many thanks for any advice you can give me!
 

hj

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cadet

Supply a picture. The 4049 was ALWAYS completely made of china. In fact there is no way a toilet could be made part cast iron and partly china. They were ALWAYS either one or the other. Either someone has modified your toilet or you are misinterpreting what you see.
 

Gary Swart

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I realize it is extremely easy to spend other people's money. But, it is always a puzzle to me why people will try to overhaul and repair a 30 to 40 year old toilet that at best will still be a water guzzler with outdated technology. The same folks probably would never try to repair their 30 year old kitchen appliances, their 1972 GTO (other than for a hobby) their Commodore 64 computer, or a dot matrix printer.:eek: I would suggest you consider a new Toto that will get you up to date in the bathroom.:D
 

Terry

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If the bowl color is not matching the tank, then it's anybodys guess as to what it it.

The A/S 4049 tank was mated with a porcelain bowl. Always.

And they were never that good a toilet either.
 

TedL

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I realize it is extremely easy to spend other people's money. But, it is always a puzzle to me why people will try to overhaul and repair a 30 to 40 year old toilet that at best will still be a water guzzler with outdated technology. The same folks probably would never try to repair their 30 year old kitchen appliances, their 1972 GTO (other than for a hobby) their Commodore 64 computer, or a dot matrix printer.:eek: I would suggest you consider a new Toto that will get you up to date in the bathroom.:D

Let me give one reason. (And also keep in mind that all the wear parts on a toilet can easily and cheaply be replaced, making it function as new for few $.) Let me also say that I have 5 Drakes that I installed in 2007.

I live in a town where the benighted public works department requires a house trap. After I installed the Drakes, I twice had the house trap get plugged up. We use a paper that falls apart quite rapidly. Nothing solid flushed down the drain. Licensed Master Plumber inspected DWV system and advised me to increase water flow by flushing more often. Problem has not recurred. But I deliberately "waste" water to avoid the alternative.

The Totos certainly get the stuff out of the bowl. But if I knew then what I know now, I would have overhauled one of the 3.5 gal toilets that I found when we moved in, to give a bigger slug of water. And installed 4 Drakes.
 

Gusherb94

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I realize it is extremely easy to spend other people's money. But, it is always a puzzle to me why people will try to overhaul and repair a 30 to 40 year old toilet that at best will still be a water guzzler with outdated technology. The same folks probably would never try to repair their 30 year old kitchen appliances, their 1972 GTO (other than for a hobby) their Commodore 64 computer, or a dot matrix printer.:eek: I would suggest you consider a new Toto that will get you up to date in the bathroom.:D

another reason to keep an old toilet and overhaul it could be the person simply likes the toilet like me:).
 

Peterson

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Hi Everyone

I ended up spraying the underside of the toilet bowl with Rustoleum, and installed the toilet after the new flooring was down. The flooring people recommended that's what I do. Sorry I couldn't post a picture of the toilet. I lent my digital camera to a relative who's on vacation.

I had the flooring people look at the bowl and they also were certain that the underside of the toilet bowl was porcelain enameled cast iron. They knocked on it a few times and were certain it wasn't ceramic. As far as describing the toilet, like I said, it is a very common American Standard Elongated Cadet style from the 1970's with a F4049 Tank. The underside of the toilet looks like any regular toilet out there, with the exception that the horn land bolt areas looks and feel like porcelain enameled cast iron.

Maybe this type of bowl was made so plumbers didn't risk cracking the bowl when tightening it to the floor? That's the only thing I can think of. The bowl is unbelievably heavy.

Who knows whether the underside is porcelain or not. I really don't care as long as it works, and it works very well.
 
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