New Toto toilet...leaking

[ItGirl]

Hello:

New Toto toilet installed as part of bathroom reno. Day 1, noticed small amount of water located by the TOTO brand stamp where the tank meets the seat. Installers did a readjustment of the tank, but small accumulation of water persists.

What could be the issue? Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Gary Swart]

Most likely the installers did not check the large nut on the under side of the tank. Usually this is tight, but occasionally it is just a tad loose. It takes a large pair of Channel Lock pliers to secure this nut. Mating the tank to the bowl is really pretty straight forward and it is unlikely they goof on this, especially when "readjusting". There are 3 points of contact the two surfaces make. This is done by gradually tightening the bolts alternating much like tightening a car tire...a little at a time. My best guess is the nut being a little loose.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WJcandee]

Gary is all over it. Generally, Toto recommends that the flush valve nut (the big one) be tightened hand-tight plus 1/2 turn. See item (3) on p.4 of these instructions: Toto Installation Instructions

We probably don't need to know the model of toilet to help, but if you know, and tell us, that might spark an idea.

You might also look for a crack on the tank if that doesn't fix it. Also, look at item (4) and illustration 6 to see how the tank is supposed to be mounted. That's what he means by 3 points of contact.

Only final thing I can think of is that the installers may not have used the proper "double nut" procedure to secure the tank, as shown in the instructions. If you look in the tank, you see two bolt heads with rubber washers underneath them? Make sure there is no metal washer between the bolt head and rubber washer (it will be obvious if there is). (That's a rookie error that many handymen make, as I have learned from reading other forums; for some reason, they think that the metal washer goes between the bolt head and the rubber washer, which it doesn't, and this sometimes causes a leak.) The way the Toto tank should be mounted is bolt head and rubber washer inside tank, one metal washer and nut on other side of tank, tightened finger-tight plus 1/2 turn (this seals the bolt head and washer on the hole), then second metal washer and second nut are used under the bowl to secure the tank to the bowl. Sometimes, handymen don't do the procedure where they tighten the nut and washer on the outside of the tank, and instead just use one washer and nut under the bowl without first doing the nut and washer under the tank. That's not a totally-wrong way to do it, but it is not the way Toto says to do it, and it is considered by many to be more prone to leaks. So if they installed the thing without reading the instructions and were standing around going, "How nice of them to give us extra nuts and washers!", this may be a leak source.

Come back to us if this doesn't fix it.

Just out of curiosity, the tank can't be "sweating", can it? Meaning that the toilet has been installed in an area of normal-ish humidity, not like in an un-airconditioned vacation home, correct? (I would count a typical bathroom as being "normal" humidity, even if you take long hot showers.) One final thought: you can tell whether the water is leaking from the tank by putting a little food coloring in the tank. If the water you find by the Toto logo is colored, then you know it's from inside the tank. If not, then it's from another source (sweating, drip from ceiling, some kind of leak from fresh water supply, etc.)

 

[Gary Swart]

There is one other possibility that slipped my mind on my original answer. Occasionally there may be a little rough casting inside the tank around the bolt holes that secure the tank to the bowl. Terry Love recommends using a piece of emery cloth (actually regular sand paper will work too) and giving those surfaces a quick sanding. This does not have to be a long, hard process, just enough to knock off any high spots. Sweating or condensation is not as much of a problem with low flow toilets as it was with the old full flow units. Reason is, low flow use only about 1/2 of the tank of water per flush. The additional is there mostly for adding a bit of pressure to the flush. This means the incoming cold water will mix with the water remaining in the tank which is likely at or near room temperature. You can test this concept with two glasses of water. Fill on with just slightly warmed water and the other with ice water. Put the side by side on the table and see which glass forms condensation on the outside. It will be the very cold one of course. This now reminds me to point out something that some folks using a low flow for the first time don't realize. Do not hold the handle down when flushing. If you do, the entire tank will drain. Then all of the refill will be cold, and you will have totally defeated the low flow water saving advantage.

 

[ItGirl]

Hello:

What a pleasure to wake up to helpful messages! I noticed the tank was not centered, perfectly, on the bowl--and that was adjusted--but for the other suggestions I will forward them to the installers. BTW, we do not live in a high humidity area, nor is the leak coming from elsewhere. But thank you, nonetheless.

I will be back if the issue is unresolved.