Toilet Tank Cracked

Adventurewagen · Nov 2, 2006, 10:03 AM

I just had the same issue with one of my toilets. We remodeled the downstairs bathroom and when I put the old toilet back in I realized it leaked from the exact same hairline fracture.

I'm sure you could smear some sort of tub caulk inside the bowl over the crack, but I'd have to guess it will just eventually leak again. My solution was to pull the toilet back out and purchase a new toilet. I was going to get just a replacement tank, but the toilet we got (of similar quality) was only 40 bucks from Home Depot. So I guess I'd recommend to just purchase a new toilet or go to home depot and see if you can get just a new tank if what you have is really special or expensive.

If you get a new toilet also remember to purchase a new wax ring when setting the new toilet on its mounts.

Sager · Nov 2, 2006, 10:49 AM

Good suggestions but I have already been to Home Depot and Lowe's plus a few salvage yards. The home owner 'does-not' want to replace the toilet but wants to maintain/retain the 'old-time' look, that is, "that big-ol' tank". Hopefully there is some 'dependable' material on the market I can use to seal the crack.

Adventurewagen · Nov 2, 2006, 11:08 AM

I guess if they want to keep the old toilet then you either need to find a replacement tank or fix the crack, huh!

I did some reading and it looks like at some point most toilets changed from 3.5gpf to 1.6 along with bolt spacing. If its that old of a toilet then it is definitely going to be harder to find an old tank. I found a site though that sells them.

http://www.toilettanklids.com/tanks.html

But... They are super expensive and look to be mostly sold out, but you could call.

So back to repairing the tank... I was thinking that maybe just using paint would work. Take the tank off and put a few thick coats of enamel on the inside of the tank. That would surely fill/cover the crack, then when you put it back in get some gasket material to sandwhich between the bolts holding it on or really big rubber washers.

Then again if the toilet is that old, I'd just upgrade to the lower flush toilet and be a little nicer to the environment and to save some money on the water bill. But that would require talking whomever is stuck on keeping the old toilet into getting a newer more environmentally friendly toilet

Good luck.

speedball1 · Nov 2, 2006, 11:32 AM

If this were my call and the customer wanted to save the old tank I would shut the water off to the dank and use a hair dryer to completely dry the tank and inside the crack. I would then take epoxy and caulk the crack letting it dry and then epoxying over it again letting it cure and set up.
I would be very careful in tightening the tank bolts. The tank wants to have a little play,(1/4 to 3/8ths. Inch). Leaving the tank ridged with no play will put a strain on the tank bolts if anyone leans back and crack the china.
Good luck, Tom

iamgrowler · Nov 2, 2006, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sager

Toilet tank has a hairline crack along bottom from the mounting bolt and up right hand side about 4 inches and lets water seep out. What can I apply to the inside of the tank to seal the crack?
If it cannot be repaired, where can I find replacement ?- It is American Standard, Model Number F4049. It has 2 1/4 inch diameter outlet and the mounting bolt holes measure 5 1/4 inches apart, center to center.

That's a mid 60's model number -- I wouldn't hold my breath trying to find a replacement for it.

letmetellu · Nov 2, 2006, 08:21 PM

Keeping a cracked tank that has been repaired is asking for big trouble. Since there is a crack in the tank it has a stress on it and sometime in the future as you flush it and it has room temperature water in it and the water coming in to fill the tank is do in the 40 or 50 degree range you will hear the tank split as the tank expands or contracts with the different water temperatures.. I don't know about your area but where I live you can not get insurance that covers water damage, for a while we could get coverage for above the floor leak damage but no more.

Airwren · Nov 3, 2006, 05:30 AM

I agree with letmetellu about the concerns with a cracked tank. I seem to recall about 8 years ago a bunch of tanks were cracking wide open and flooding places, there was a recall. Having said that I've also seen tanks like yours repaired with silicone and working fine years later, although you would not catch me doing it.

speedball1 · Nov 3, 2006, 06:30 AM

I think you've lost track of the origional question which was, "What can I apply to the inside of the tank to seal the crack?" That question's already been answered.
The next question was, "If it cannot be repaired, where can I find replacement ?" And Growler answered that.
I can understand Letmetellu's concerns but they address a "maybe" situation. This is a hair line crack and the customer wishes to keep the tank. Why he doesn't wish to change the old toilet out for a newer one I don't know. That's what I'd advise, but he don't and that's good enough for me. Cheers, Tom

Sager · Nov 3, 2006, 07:01 AM

Thank you All for responding offering help.

Renovating an old house is fun But Does (sometimes) Have its problems.
The owner wants to retain the old nostalgic era so..guess I need to fix it.
(Just for information)-I contacted info@jbweld.com about using JB Weld (steel)
And they advised there is no known reason why that application would not work, so
This is what I will use. I have used this product for many other repairs and in my opinion is a very good epoxy bonding material for most anything. Thanks again.

Toilet Tank Cracked

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