Rusting tank bolts on toilet

[Terry]

When you have a standard two-piece toilet, one of the repairs that may be needed is to replace rusting tank to bowl bolts. Some brands, like to use a bolt that will rust out fairly soon. These pictures are from some Crane toilets that we removed. The one bowl showing rust had completly severed, and the tank was just resting on the bowl. When we went to pick it up, the tank fell off.
The home was built in 2000.

Here you can see rust that has formed on top of the bolts.

This is the bowl where the bolts had rusted through.

These had not rusted all the way through yet, but you can see the bolts are not made from brass.

And here is one headed to the recycle to me crushed and made into road surface.

 

[FullySprinklered]

Give 'em hell, Terry. Is there any huge price difference in providing brass bolts rather than steel? The bean-counters stick it to everyone again.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WJcandee]

Nasty rusty bolts. Terry makes an excellent point, echoed several years ago by one of our professional plumber members who says that when he installs a toilet he always tosses the tank-to-bowl hardware that comes with it and instead uses a Wolverine Brass set, all brass with a big bolt head and nice heavy brass washers. Once it's in, he isn't going to have to come back. As we say repeatedly on here, you also want two brass washers, two rubber washers, and two nuts for each bolt, so you can double-nut the thing. Wolverine Brass only sells to plumbers, but you can find similar sets out there. To give you an idea, here's a photo of a good (if expensive) LASCO set [Model: 04-3675] that will set you back about $15, and I have linked to the manufacturer's product page below. There are doubtless less-expensive but high-quality sets out there.

http://www.lasco.net/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=6234

http://www.lasco.net/tank-bolts-c-2937_323_373/38-brass-close-coupled-bolts-p-6234.html#.VALmmfldVXp

 

[DonL]

I have a toilet with Rusted Bolt problems.

I could not remove them to install new ones.

Why they did not at least use Stainless bolts seems a bit silly to me.

 

[Terry]

More rusting tank bolts. American Standard Cadet

This is a pretty new bowl too.

 

[Dj2]

I have a toilet with Rusted Bolt problems.

I could not remove them to install new ones.

Why they did not at least use Stainless bolts seems a bit silly to me.

Rusted bolts? don't try to remove them, cut the off instead (w/hacksaw - but don't damage the ceramic).

 

[Flapper]

Can you get plastic T-B bolts or is plastic not suitable like it is for B-F?

Well I just searched and this is the only one I found:
http://www.everychina.com/p-z51f72bb-92211022-plastic-tank-to-bowl-bolts.html

 

[Jadnashua]

I would not use plastic as they tend to get brittle when they age, and could catastrophically fail...they are under some tension in order to be able to create the seal. Brass or SS is the only way to go IMHO.

 

[Dj2]

That's right, you never use plastic bolts or brass plated bolts on tank-to-bowl. Use only brass bolts.

For the toilet seat, plastic bolts are fine.

 

[Terry]

Crane toilet. This one had a fair amount of rust too.

 

[hj]

As an automobile magazine editor said many years ago when bumper jacks were common, "the only reason they are using fifty cent jacks is because they ran out of 25 cent ones". In other words, regardless of how little the difference between good and bad, when you spread it over a production run of many thousands, it becomes an issue.

 

[Terry]

This is quite a bit of rust on top of the bolt. Ever wonder why you have rust streaks going down the bowl?

And looking a little better.

 

[Plumber69]

Does everyone here use a hacksaw to get the rusted bolts off? Has anyone tried removing the fill valve and drilling the bolts out with a metal drill bit

 

[Terry]

More rusted tank bolts. Saw these this week. Two of the toilets had been shut off for a while. I was replacing all of the angle stops in the home, and had run out of time in the day to do more. I did not want to turn the water on to these two toilets, but the homeowner was asking. So I turn the water onto these dry tanks, and well, well, well. We now have a little flood on the floor.
I mop things up and make some recommendations about either replacing parts in the tanks, or perhaps taking this time to consider new toilets.

Looks like I will be installing three new TOTO Entrada toilets. TOTO comes with brass tank bolts so they will be good to go for years to come.

 

[Terry]

Briggs toilet
Home built in 1999, making this 22 years old.

I have to say, the home was in great shape other than the rusting tank bolts.

I replaced the toilet with a TOTO Drake II. They come with brass bolts for the tanks.