A dumb mistake on my part

**Paul Wolsko** · 05-16-2009, 12:54 PM

I was recently installing a toilet in my house when I became distracted and tigtened a tank bolt a bit too much and heard that little "Tink!!!" that we all hate to hear. My fault entirely, but I do have a question to throw out:

Since bathtubs are made from acrylic (or fibreglass, or whatever), why not toilets? Is there some universal law that they all must be porcelain?

hj · 05-16-2009, 01:27 PM

There have been plastic replacement tanks in the past, notably by Gerberit, and Delta made a plastic one piece toilet years ago, but they were notable for their failures to create a demand.

**Gary Swart** · 05-16-2009, 01:45 PM

There have been cheapo toilets that have come and gone that we plastic. Never worked out as being reliable and they had quality problems in general. Here's what you actually did wrong. When you are connecting the tank to the bowl, you should alternate from side to side, just snugging the nut before changing sides. Back and forth several time, erring on too many changes. Sometimes the tank does not end up actually touching the bowl. Just go you feel and always alternate tightening the nuts. On a related topic, when setting the toilet on the wax ring, don't use the flange bolts to pull the toilet down. Use you body weight to mashed the horn into the wax until the skirt is on the floor all around. Then just snug to bolts. The purpose of the flange bolts is just to hold the toilet in place in case of being bumped.

**Terry** · 05-16-2009, 05:02 PM

hj,
I remember the Delta one-piece plastic toilet.
The showroom where I worked had a red Delta one-piece toilet.

It was so light, it felt more like picking up a beach ball then a toilet.

The year was 1974

**kingsotall** · 05-16-2009, 09:08 PM

You may be fine with that "tink." That doesn't necessarily mean you "cracked" the toilet. A rough edge may have just "flattened" out. Ok, I'll knock it off with the "quatation marks."

Also Gary, a poster recently got some

awesome

advice from Toto in regards to their tank to bowl gaskets. Soaking them in warm, not hot water mind you, will help you get three points of contact.

hj · 05-17-2009, 06:03 AM

Good luck finding "warm" water in a new house which does not have a stove, or even gas yet. If the gasket needs to be "warmed up" then it is either too thick or too stiff.

**Terry** · 05-17-2009, 06:52 AM

hj,
The gaskets are fine.
The biggest problem we have is homeowners cracking tanks by tightening too much.

We just push the tank down with hand, and tighten with the other.
Seems easy.

**kingsotall** · 05-17-2009, 07:40 AM

Well, in your neck of the woods I would say leave it on the sidewalk next to the eggs that are frying. Give it two minutes. Same goes for the eggs.

**Scuba_Dave** · 05-17-2009, 07:42 AM

I always sit on them & wiggle around a bit to seat them
No - I'm not a big guy

So far no cracks or leaks

**kingsotall** · 05-17-2009, 08:02 AM

Interesting visual of a man on top of a tank squishing down the gasket!

**Joe the Plumber** · 05-17-2009, 08:16 AM

I always sit on them & wiggle around a bit to seat them

Waht the heck?
Yu sit on the gasket?
nad then wiggle around?

Dude, use your hands.
Yru thinkng with teh wrong part of your brain.

**master plumber mark** · 05-17-2009, 09:11 AM

Usually when I hear that " tink noise"

it usually means tha tI have tightend down the toilet too much and I have broken either the toilet bolt,

or worse yet I have broke the plastic toilet flange....

and that is when the crying starts....

I have not done that in decades.....

as far as the seal, I always warm them up in the
lavatory in hot water for a few minutes before I set
a toilet..... it makes it all warm and fuzzy and sinks down easy