I discovered a hairline crack in a relative’s toilet tank recently. She told me she had just replaced the flapper. I’m guessing she bumped the tank or something while working on it. The crack goes two ways from one of the tank-to-bowl bolts. It drips water slowly onto the floor.
Has anyone ever found a way to repair a hairline crack in a toilet tank? I couldn’t find anything in past discussions. Thanks.
-Car Guy
Replies
It ain't worth it. You can buy a whole toilet for $99, so just a tank for half that, or less.
I tend to agree that it's not worth doing. I found a site that describes the procedure, but it looks like a lot of work for a questionable outcome. In case anyone is interested, here it is...
http://www.deabath.com/Hightank/Toiletparts/Toilet_Repair/High_tank_repairs/Porcrepair/porcrepair.htm
Now I'll have to start researching toilets...
Thanks,
Car Guy
You can try emptying it out, drying it thoroughly (a hair dryer helps), and then applying the goop of your choice.
Avoid using a hard epoxy, as it will be likely to crack -- you need something slightly flexible.
I found something called "Flexible Leak Sealer" (imaginative name!) by Chase Ideas of Kansas City MO that is probably what I'd try. (I got it for a different project and have a bunch left.) It's pricy -- $19 at the local HW for 4" x 3 feet -- but you'd only need a little. It's basically super-duper duct tape.
Of course, any fix is likely to be temporary.
I've observed that many (maybe most) tanks are installed without sufficient "rubber baby buggy bumpers" to support them. Ideally there should be four hard rubber bumpers between tank and bowl, as far to the outside corners of the contact area as possible. Often these are missing, allowing a lot more stress to be put on the tank when someone leans against it, etc.
Avoid the $99 potty. I installed one recently in a rental, and it's cheap.
Wonder if you could dry the tank thoroughly, and paint on a full coat of liquid membrane.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt