EVOL! Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Last night, to add insult to injure for a string of minor annoyances in my life lately, I was a little too aggressive lifting the lid on the toilet and I cracked the tank. It's wider crack at the top of the tank that becomes a hairline crack at the water line and down to about 2 inches above the bottom of the tank. It is causing a slow drip water leak so last night I turned off the water to the tank, emptied it, and dried it with towel. I am looking for advice or experiences here: can I repair the tank or should I not bother and just run out and get a new toilet? Searching online I have seen 2 pieces of conflicting information. One says you can patch this with any number of epoxies or ceramic repair calk. The other says this toilet is done so just get a new one because when the repair fails, you are going to have thousands of dollars in water damage. Before you recommend replacing the tank, I cannot. This is one of those 1970s toilets where the tank and bowl are not separate. It's probably the original toilet (my house was built in 1974). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 You can get a new cheap toilet at Lowes (or similar) for $100. I have a 1/4 bath off the man cave (just a toilet in a big closet basically) and when I fixed that room up I put in a new $100 Lowes toilet made in China. No issues at all.... Except it, like all the newer toilets, have reduced capacity, which is STUPID since if you drop a healthy deuce, you're going to need to flush twice anyway. It's the way it is, along with ethanol gas that eats the inside of my '57's carburetor. I have a 1969 toilet in the main bathroom and I pray it doesn't die. As to repairing the crack...granted, I would try to fix it myself, using JB Weld or something, which is just a heavy bodied epoxy. But if I gave that advice to you and it leaked, I'd feel awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bill Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Oh $hit!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-RAM Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 This is one of those 1970s toilets where the tank and bowl are not separate. It's probably the original toilet (my house was built in 1974). Oh, man - you've got an ol' guzzler - I snipped some facts you can find just about anywhere: "One of the easiest ways to save water is to switch to a more water-efficient toilet. For instance, if your toilet was purchased between 1980 and 1994, it can use anywhere between 3.5 and 7 gallons per flush. Most toilets sold today use about 1.6 gallons of water per flush. If you switched to this type of model, you could save more than 275,000 gallons of water over the life of the toilet." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Ya I would replace it. They are not overly expensive and easy to replace. Long as its white. For some reason colored crappers cost more here. Not sure if it's the same there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 I can't help but think of this infomercial. "It's like the Hoover Dam in a can!" If all else fails you can just use this to turn your toilet into a boat Sorry J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted November 11, 2016 Author Share Posted November 11, 2016 I can't help but think of this infomercial. "It's like the Hoover Dam in a can!" If all else fails you can just use this to turn your toilet into a boat Sorry J lol! Those Flex Seal commercials are hilarious. I do miss the coked out Billy Mays ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Turn over a new leaf.... Go commando.... Au naturel.... V Take care.... :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 lol! Those Flex Seal commercials are hilarious. I do miss the coked out Billy Mays ones. Billy Mays was the classic but my favorite is the Mesa Garage Doors commercial. Tried to find the good one on YouTube but looks like they took it down in favor of a new one where the guy isn't yelling at you "Weather stripping. FREE!! Haul away your old door. FREE!! I'm offering my garage doors at BLOWOUT PRICES If you buy your garage door anywhere else, you're throwing your money away!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 I would just replace it. on a somewhat lighter note. The title of this thread just screams "this is a great title for a blues or C&W song" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 I think the OP is saying that the old type of cistern he has is not easily replaceable? I'm in the throes of replacing both our cisterns as they are starting to jam and one has a small leak into the bowl. I talked to our plumber this week about it and he says better to replace than renovate the old ones. Problem is I hate the "architectural" look of all that I have seen so far. Over the next couple of weeks I'll organise it when we've had time to look. Out old ones weren't the most expensive when we built the house but have done us 18 years so I guess they've done alright. This time we will go for better quality vitreous enamel and those lids that lower themselves. They are all dual flush here and have been for many years as saving water on a dry continent is an imperative! Do they have heated toilet seats because some days that would be nice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted November 11, 2016 Author Share Posted November 11, 2016 I think the OP is saying that the old type of cistern he has is not easily replaceable? I cannot replace just the tank because the bowl and tank are one piece. On new toilets the tank and bowl are separate so if your tank cracks or gets a leak, you can just replace that part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 I cannot replace just the tank because the bowl and tank are one piece. On new toilets the tank and bowl are separate so if your tank cracks or gets a leak, you can just replace that part. Time for a new one - don't forget the wax ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Definitely a new one. Make sure the color's right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Our toilet caught fire last week. Fortunately, it didn't spread to the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 EVOL!, I must sadly confess that I and my brothers are fairly adroit at tearing out old bathroom fixtures and replacing them with new plumbing, and that includes old toilets. That said, not everybody has had the misfortune of checking that experiential block in life, and if you have never endeavored such a thing (and/or don't have close friend or sibling willing and able to come help), I must strongly advise that you call a plumber to come do the job, immediately. It can be accomplished for much cheaper than you can believe. Like Nike said; just do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino_j Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 I like doing things around the house, but I absolutely HATE plumbing jobs. No matter how careful I am, I end up with a leak, then a mess, and usually it's not a good time! If it were me, I'd get a new toilet and hire a plumber to install. Before you complain about the cost, consider how long will the toilet last, so the $ per year is quite the bargain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 1478916734[/url]' post='1811785']EVOL!, Not everybody has had the misfortune of checking that experiential block in life, and if you have never endeavored such a thing (and/or don't have close friend or sibling willing and able to come help), I must strongly advise that you call a plumber to come do the job, immediately. It can be accomplished for much cheaper than you can believe. Like Nike said; just do it. Talking of old toilets. Our house was the original home built in the late 1890's. When the original family and their kids moved out, we were the first ones outside of the family to buy it. An very old country home. We found many faults and need of repair done. Between me and the wife's step dad we stripped every thing down and remodeled the house 20 years ago. Saving all the gorgeous Oak woodwork. Both old toilets came out and we put new ones in. They are the one piece toilets with a savings of water per flush and work fine for us. Like mentioned be sure to replace the gasket. Myself, I wouldn't try to fix the porcelain tank. If their is a flood of water that breaks lose it will go through the floor destroying what's down below. That happened to us as when we moved in, our son overfilled the tub taking a bath and the water ruined the bathroom below, starting our remodeling jobs in both bathrooms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar God Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Well..... it seems like the Browns aren't going to the Super Bowl anytime soon. Sorry, haha. Had to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 If you have home owners insurance the toilet should be covered and replaced... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 A hairline crack that wasn't visible on my relatives toilet managed to do 40k worth of damage to their house whilst they were on holiday. I'd replace something like that not repair it. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Rats, my snide political post was removed. Do yourself a favor and buy a new one, water damage isn't much fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Rats, my snide political post was removed. Do yourself a favor and buy a new one, water damage isn't much fun. And my supportive response was deleted also.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I'd recommend a Korean combination toilet and bidet. Surely you've seen them. Luxury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I'd recommend a Korean combination toilet and bidet. Surely you've seen them. Luxury. I install high end custom cabinets and I have seen some amazing toilets in houses that I've worked at lol There's one where the seat is perfectly heated to ***-temp, and the lid automatically raises when you walk up. It also cleans itself and has a bidet. And.. a remote control... Seen some bizarre thrones out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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