I have 2 American Standard toilets, both over 25 years old. I maintain them myself, and have been successful replacing every component & gasket over those years. Rather cold, high-clorine city water is not friendly to the internals, so maintenance is to be expected. However, I recently have a drip around the 2 tank hold-down bolts that I have been unable to fix with several new bolt & gasket kits, even with readjustment. Suspected reason -> I recently discovered that someone is leaning on the tank as a backrest. Informal comment from a plumber is that if you crack the seal one time, then it will continue to drip.
Given:
-> 'User education' ( i.e. No Leaning! ) is not an option.
-> Inner tank surface is not smooth (years ago, I smoothed-out the porcelin a bit with a Dremel tool.
I just took off the peaks - it helped.
-> Drip is worse when then incoming water gets really cold in the winter (gasket shrinkage).
I wonder if in my next repair attempt that I should add some sealant under the new rubber washer, inside the tank?
If so, what should I use? I'm thinking of something that stays flexible when submerged, can withstand cold water, will not leach-out to discolor the water, is compatible with the seal material, will 'grab' rough porcelin, but can be scrapped off when necessary.
I am thinking just a little flexible sealant on the uneven tank surface will help considerably.
All I know to buy are solid brass bolts with rubber/fiber washers in kits from common sources. A few years ago, solid brass bolts were hard to find, but I think I have a source now. Overall, I am not impressed with quality of the rubber/fiber washers. If you can recommend some better kits or gasket material I can cut myself, then that would be great.
Note: I ensure everything is clean and dry before reassembly. After cleaning, I direct a fan on the inside of the tank for about 2 hours. I also recheck bolt torque, without overtightening. I think my technique is OK, the materials are lacking. ...and of course the blasted 'leaning' stresses everything...!
Thank you for your help!
SWS
Given:
-> 'User education' ( i.e. No Leaning! ) is not an option.
-> Inner tank surface is not smooth (years ago, I smoothed-out the porcelin a bit with a Dremel tool.
I just took off the peaks - it helped.
-> Drip is worse when then incoming water gets really cold in the winter (gasket shrinkage).
I wonder if in my next repair attempt that I should add some sealant under the new rubber washer, inside the tank?
If so, what should I use? I'm thinking of something that stays flexible when submerged, can withstand cold water, will not leach-out to discolor the water, is compatible with the seal material, will 'grab' rough porcelin, but can be scrapped off when necessary.
I am thinking just a little flexible sealant on the uneven tank surface will help considerably.
All I know to buy are solid brass bolts with rubber/fiber washers in kits from common sources. A few years ago, solid brass bolts were hard to find, but I think I have a source now. Overall, I am not impressed with quality of the rubber/fiber washers. If you can recommend some better kits or gasket material I can cut myself, then that would be great.
Note: I ensure everything is clean and dry before reassembly. After cleaning, I direct a fan on the inside of the tank for about 2 hours. I also recheck bolt torque, without overtightening. I think my technique is OK, the materials are lacking. ...and of course the blasted 'leaning' stresses everything...!
Thank you for your help!
SWS