Brand new Toto toilet tank cracks after filled with water.

[Bluebird]

I just purchased a new Toto Drake II toilet from an online merchant since I couldn't find a local dealer. I inspected the tank and base immediately upon receiving the shipment and found no damage. The toilet was installed by a licensed plumber and a few hours after he left I found water on the floor and discovered a crack in the back wall of the tank. It starts at the top and runs down through a deep impression made by a number stamp. It ends about 2 inches above the bottom. The plumber came back today and said that he has seen new tanks crack when they are filled with cold water for the first time. He believes it is a defect in the tank and that he did not cause the crack by bumping the tank etc. during installation. Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else.
Thanks

 

[Gary Swart]

I don't recall anyone ever reporting this on the forum, but it probably has happened. I would think the place to start is to contact the merchant and go from there. It would be of interest to a lot of us to here how an on-line merchant handles this problem, so keep us posted.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WJcandee]

I don't recall anyone ever reporting this on the forum, but it probably has happened. I would think the place to start is to contact the merchant and go from there. It would be of interest to a lot of us to here how an on-line merchant handles this problem, so keep us posted.

If the merchant doesn't make it right, and you truly believe that you inspected the tank upon arrival and it was fine, I would also contract Toto for a warranty replacement of the tank. Their phone number is on their web site. www.totousa.com

 

[Terry]

For some reason the online shipments have a lot more of that.

The stuff we pick up locally is perfect.
The stuff I used to ship was 20% bad after it bounced around in a truck.

Doesn't sound like a plumber issue etheir.

 

[Bluebird]

Thank you for your input. I spoke with Toto tech support and they asked me to send them a picture. I will keep you posted.
Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

I sent pictures to Toto USA and they said the tank should be covered under the 1 year warranty. The online merchant has sent me a replacement tank under the warranty.
Bluebird

 

[Gary Swart]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like both the merchant and Toto are responding well to the problem and neither is trying to pass the buck to the other party. Hope you have a pleasant experience with your new Toto once the new tank arrives.

 

[hj]

That is usually caused by "thermal shock", but we cannot tell why it happened with that toilet.

 

[Jadnashua]

If it was out sitting in the sun, and hot, then say you have a deep well, and the water was very cold, that certainly could do it. Short story...I was installing a tiled shower....the tile was in the garage in December (cold here then) and I used some room temp water for the wet saw...the porcelain tile I first tried to cut shattered from the temperature difference. Once the wet saw's water tray and the tile were the same temp, no problems. The first time you fill a toilet after installation, there's no room temp water in the tank to help moderate the temp and thermal shock is a possibility, depending on where and how it was stored and how long it had been sitting in the room.