Toilet Leaking

[nojh]

Hi all. Just wanted other plumbers experiences with leaking close couple toilet cisterns and their solutions, (preferably without squirting silicone all over the place!) . Had a number of theses recently and they are always a pain to solve.

So when all else is sealed on the cistern, flush valve exit, inlet valve, and pan connecting bolts, a leak often can still be found from the seal around the doughnut pan washer. Symptom is the inevitable leak from the pan connecting bolts hole in the bottom of the pan after a flush.

Replacing the doughnut does not cure the problem, realigning the toilet cistern does not seem to help either. The only cure for the stubborn ones I have found is an over sized cradle on the flush valve outlet, with a longer screw threaded part so that it goes into the pan further. But these are not available for all flush valves, and I don't think they are for the common Ideal fittings. Any solutions out there i'd be interested to hear.

 

[terryplumb]

I have not encountered a problem with do nut washer not sealing ? I am quite surprised that you have , several times, and after fitting a second one. Is it possible that you are drawing the wrong conclusion ? Some cisterns have bolts /seals /washers etc ,that go thru cistern and pan ,the other type have no bolts thru cistern but a plate below with captive bolts. Are you having these leaks with both types ?

 

[Doggit]

If the leak is from the donut, then often the cistern isn't sitting vertically on the pan, but if the leak is from the bolts, then either there should have been a set of rubber washers to go under the bolts, or they aren't siting flush on the floor of the cistern. I have a pair of them nearby me. and there's the bolt, a metal washer, then the rubber washer for the inside of the cistern, and then another rubber washer and a steel washer for the underside of the cistern.

 

[dilalio]

Sometimes a bog fit comes along that defies all logic and makes one feel like a complete amateur! Had one this week... every connection played up... it was new internals and pan as previous had cracked but keeping old cistern, seat, lever. Old multikwik actually fitted completely inside a 10” plastic socket/flange and new one wouldn’t... had to saw that off further back to wall.
And to top it all off, when tightening up the service valve to the brass inlet, having had to adjust pipework with no way to shut off feed from the tank (bungs wouldn’t stop flow due to lugs on tank connector), tiling very tight to bottom of cistern, cramped, dark, no bloody wiggle room... I went through 3 fibre washers before realising that stem of the tap connector was undwinding out of the isolator valve body as I was doing up the nut and leak was from there... grrrrr... didn’t make much money that day

 

[HERTS P&D]

They reused the old toilet seat?

Andy

 

[dilalio]

They reused the old toilet seat?

Andy

Yep! Only went there originally to change inlet and syphon to fluidmaster - then I found pan had hairline crack around the donut hole so had to shoot out and grab a new pan!

 

[nojh]

Thanks for all the replies. Glade to know I am not the only one who has trouble with toilets leaking. The latest one he is doing my head in. Yes cistern is defiantly sealed as tightened every bu**r on it when it was removed for repair. Then leak tested by filling with water over sink and checking for leaks. Nothing there. All was OK when replace, but an hour later customer called back to say was leaking again.

Now on reflection, the toilet pan connecting water way was full of water when I lifted the cistern off. Sometimes you get a little residue when you remove the cistern, but this was brimming. I did mention it to the customer and he said the pan flushed ok and cleared the contents. I put this down to badly seated pan holding back the water. So I have thought no more about it. Now me thinks it could be a blocked spurge hole or two leading to the pan backing up and forcing water out passed the doughnut. As the problem occured after 2 years in a new build something must have changed. Any thoughts?

 

[dilalio]

Limescale? Toilet paper used for cleaning and blocked holes?

Toilet freshener badly positioned?

Edit: hairline crack on flush entry to pan!!!

 

[Nige F]

. As the problem occured after 2 years in a new build something must have changed. Any thoughts?

Chinese pan - even British ones ( and most sanitaryware ) is not Q.C. at the factory. Trade's going to the dogs.

 

[dilalio]

Chinese pan - even British ones ( and most sanitaryware ) is not Q.C. at the factory. Trade's going to the dogs.

Well, it is a sh!t trade

 

[Doggit]

Which would make us sh!t shovellers possibly.

 

[nojh]

Had the conversation about lime scale and not to fit toilet cleaners in the cistern. I also recommend not fitting those caged cleaners in tthe bowl eother ans had a could go dowm the pan and block the soil stac

 

[dilalio]

Have you tested to make sure the flush isn’t too much for the bowl and is splashing out of that? Just a thought!
Or is there someone else using the loo in an inappropriate manner? Even shaking wet hands next to it after washing in basin! Seen it all mate

 

[John D v2.0]

Doesn't fit the symptoms here but another one at this time of year is condensation on the cistern if fed directly from the mains in a steamy bathroom

 

[dilalio]

Doesn't fit the symptoms here but another one at this time of year is condensation on the cistern if fed directly from the mains in a steamy bathroom

Yeah that’s another one but usually affects plastic cisterns rather than ceramics... lots of steam would do it on a ceramic tho.