Cracked Toilet Bowl Question

[Harry96]

Hello,

I am curious about the causes of a cracked toilet bowl and how severe and how quickly they can form. I was wondering if the cracks in the attached photo could be caused in a couple of weeks. I recently rented out a space for 20 days and the owner is now telling me that I had caused all the damage during my stay. I don't believe that I did, and it would seem that something this severe would be something that would take years. Any clarification or help would be greatly appreciated. Also, should this be replaced immediately?

 

[Terry]

I would think years for that to happen. And it's nothing you could have done. I have seen toilets crack after they age. Norris is one brand, and Crane had issues too. But really it can happen to any bowl over time. I have a hard time with a landlord blaming a renter for something like that.

Norris from the 70's

This tank cracked. More common than one would think.

Less than ten year old Champion with a weeping tank.

Crane

More Crane, a cracked tank.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

I am curious about the causes of a cracked toilet bowl and how severe and how quickly they can form.

I agree years. I would call it crazing, not cracking.

No need to replace if it is functioning. Heck, antique collectors might find that to be a feature rather than a flaw, for all I know.

Was this a response to you complaining, or did the landlord spontaneously complain to you?

A pumice stick might clean out the grooves some. Might not help at all.

 

[hj]

You would have had a hard time crazing the glaze without cracking the porcelain. I was LONG term problem, and does not affect the toilet's operation one bit.

 

[WJcandee]

It is possible that the landlord is being truthful that "it didn't look like that before," but you're still not the cause of the crazing/cracking. Those don't seem to be deep, and, as HJ points out, don't affect the operation of the toilet. It could be that something poured into the toilet (is this a commercial space?) like what's left in a coffee pot, for example, could have stained the preexisting cracks so they are now more visible. Alternatively, just being left untouched for a month or more might have caused some sediment or brownish junk to do the same thing.

The pumice stone is a halfway-decent idea; they clean deep stains from the surface, and work amazingly well. They also might make it worse, so I would get one (they are cheap) and just try it on a little area to see if it gets the stains out of the cracks. Bleach or something similar poured directly on the stain (after plunging out the water so the level is lower) might also improve things, but the pumice is way more effective. If you try bleach, be sure to flush afterwards, and don't get your head close to it; the fumes are bad for you. If the cracks "disappear", maybe the landlord wasn't being a jerk and something poured into the toilet, or hard water, just highlighted the existing cracks. Also, given what was there, a $99 Glacier Bay toilet from Home Depot that he could install himself would probably be an upgrade. I have two in a friend's bar (because it's likely to get smashed sometime relatively soon and at $99 it's not the end of the world if it does), and they work surprisingly-well.

Pumice Stick, less that $2.50. This one got a gawd-awful ring out of a toilet that had sat for 6 months, with very little effort, after a wide variety of nasty cleaners and chemicals couldn't. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pumie-Scouring-Stick-HDW-12T/202529733

The same stuff that left that ring in your toilet may be what highlighted the cracks. Looks like it hasn't been flushed in a while, and hard water can leave those deposits.

 

[FullySprinklered]

Unless you shit a hand grenade, it ain't your fault.

What part of "landlord " are we not understanding here?