Tank crack in new Drake II

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Alternety

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I have just installed a new Drake II. It took awhile because the first bowl arrived in pieces (reason Terry does not ship).

It kept leaking. I kept drying everything off (on the outside) and feeling around to trace the leak. Initially there was a leak at the bolts. I had done what Toto said and installed the nuts finger tight + 1/2 turn with a wrench. That does not appear to compress the washers enough (maybe my finger tight is too weak). I managed to get my fingers in and both were a bit loose. Got a wrench in and that fixed that.

Still leaked, but not nearly as much. Dried and searched again assuming it was the bowl to tank or filler. No leaks. Finally found a spot on the back of the tank where there was water on the surface above the bottom edge. Flashlight and some contortion; crack in the tank. It starts about an inch above the bottom and is a couple of inches long. There is a spot about in the middle of the crack that looks like something hit it. I have not been able so far to actually see the crack from the inside. Which is of course where I mostly inspected the tank when I unpacked it.

I did not drop or bang the tank into anything. From another post here I have gathered that because of the location, it is not caused it by improperly tightening any of the connections (yes it sits on the three points). Is that indeed true?

I am going to have to convince the vendor that it too was delivered in a damaged condition and would like to be as informed as I can be before I talk to them.

A secondary question; is there a way to permanently seal the crack?
 

Jadnashua

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With continued thermal cycling, patching porcelain is a big iffy subject. The crack is likely to grow over time. When this sort of stuff is shipped to the vendor, it is usually in a full pallet. When a single one is shipped, there's nothing other than the box to protect it, and the box was not designed for shipment as a single item. This is pretty much true for any brand. Some vendors put the things in a larger box and foam it in place...those have a chance of arriving intact. It's always safer to find a local vendor. Good luck.
 

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They actually do the second box and foam. Fedex managed to overcome this for the bowel by probably dropping it on a corner. The bowl could not have been damaged in shipment. It appears to be a point contact. Can't be positive unless I remove the tank. I really need to get that toilet into operation short term. I already trashed the tank box, so I would need another one to return it.

I am going to call the vendor tomorrow.
 

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When I was in the army, we had some two part gas tank sealant. That stuff would stick anything to anything, smelled awful until it cured, but once it did, whatever it was applied to was both water and gasoline/diesel tight and flexible. Doubt you can buy this sort of industrial product.
 

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I sort of need a quick fix. I am not really in a terribly industrial.urban area that might have the stuff. One of my concerns for the long term is parts of the area are glazed rather than raw ceramic. if it was an inch so so further to one side it would have been on nice porous raw ceramic on the outside.

I think I will try Goop. I have used that for other things and it seems like good stuff.

ps When I was in the army, I think I saw the stuff you are talking about; in the mess hall at breakfast.
 
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Terry

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I also distribute out of Puyallup.

UPS loves breaking things.
And freight truck drives are even worse.

Oak Harbor Freight Lines, Inc. broke five one-piece toilets one day for me. And refused to pay. Don't you love it?
 

Terry

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I don't ship, but customers can will call from
Anchorage
Bellevue
Bothell
Kirkland
Bothell
Everett
Issaquah
Kenai
Lynnwood
Marysville
Puyallup
Seattle
Spokane
Sumner
Tacoma
Tumwater
Wasilla

We also plumb between Olympia and Marysville.
And the islands.
 
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UPS loves breaking things.
And freight truck drives are even worse.

Oak Harbor Freight Lines, Inc. broke five one-piece toilets one day for me. And refused to pay. Don't you love it?

Isn't that the truth! I was sitting in my living room one day with a sprained ankle (sports injury) when I heard a "thunk" against the wall behind me...the end of an open garage. I thought someone was in my garage and even with a bum leg I was moving fast in fighting mode (I was boxing welterweight golden gloves at the time and running half marathons) to cover the ~8 feet to the door. I opened it and there was nothing amiss except a small box lying on the ground near the wall, and the sound of the UPS van already moving up the road! The dufus had thrown the package like a rock into the garage from the street. That is the only way he could have gotten the van out of sight before I opened the door.

What was in the package, you ask? A $400 high end Nagler eyepiece for my telescope (one affectionately known as the "hand grenade" for its mass, size, and knurled housing texture.) Fortunately, it was well packaged and none the worse for wear. My coworkers and I used to swap tales about the crazy stuff UPS did.

It varies from town to town though. In some places I've lived UPS actually did a very good job, in others they were total crap. In that particular location above I had so many troubles that I would not do business with any vendor that only used UPS for shipping (ditto for Paypal.)
 

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Sometimes they even over achieve. On one delivery they tore off the bumper on my car with their truck.
 

johnsmith9875

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UPS Destroyed a 17" monitor I had unwisely ordered over the internet. The box looked like it had been dropped from 40 feet and the inside foam had no chance. The word "fragile" written on the box didn't seem to impress upon them the proper handling method.

Tearing off a bumper, now that's a story I had never heard before. I know those UPS/Fedex drivers are dangerous, but didn't realize how dangerous they truly are.
 
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