Tiny Crack in Toilet Tank - What to do?

[Mculik5]

I'm in the process of installing a Kohler skirted toilet. It's brand new. After installing and leveling the toilet, I turned the water on. Immediately, there was a pretty fast drip from around the nut that holds the valve assembly in the toilet.

Long story short, I tried a bunch of messing around and ultimately decided it was something going on with the valve nut and/or washer, so bought a replacement.

Uninstalled the toilet and removed the old (but brand new...) valve. I figured I should check for any kind of debris in the tank that might be interfering with the washer and noticed a tiny crack in the tank. You can see it in the attached picture.

It's about 3/16" long and does not go all the way through, but it's providing a path for the water to get below the washer, hence the leak.

What should I do:

- Try to replace it, either through the plumbing supply house or Kohler directly?
- Put a washer on the backside, between the tank bottom and the valve nut, and call it a day?
- Caulk the crack?
- Both the washer and the caulk?

My gut says replace it, but that's a bunch of logistical work. If this is something that's relatively common, and the washer/caulk route will work perfectly fine for the life of the toilet, I don't want to make a extra work for myself.

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Treeman]

I'm entirely a diy plumber. Because this seems to be a functional issue vs. just cosmetic, my gut reaction is to replace it also. I'm thinking that with exposure to expansion and contraction the crack may get longer.

Just my OCD opinion. Here's a recent example of a cosmetic crack (IMO): https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/small-crack-in-new-toto-toilet.80041/

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

There is a possibility that sanding with emory cloth may smooth it enough to get you a seal there.
And maybe not. That's a bad place for a crack. A crack on a drain as it dumps into the floor is not the same as one on the supply side holding water in a tank.
It's too bad, as it's minor, but still an issue. If you bring it back, normally that would be the place you bought it from. Sometimes they can just swap it out, and get their credit from the supply chain a notch up.
I don't think that will get larger though. There isn't really any stress there.