Toilet Repair Question

I've got a 50 year old house with a seemingly original equipment toilet. The flush valve went bad in it and so I replaced it. Now I have never done this before. I hooked everything back up and its leaking. I turned the water off and opened the flush valve to let the water drain into the bowl. The leak is coming from the area were the bowl and tank meet. I stuck a towel behind the toilet and a few hours later the towel was soaked (you still have water in the tank up to the level of the flush valve). Is it possible that since it was leaking after I turned the water off and drained the tank that its the gasket at the flush valve not being compressed enough? I did compress the gasket until it was a little beyond the diameter of the flush valve. The bowl does not have one of the raised areas that the tank sits one - it only has a gasket. Because of this, I had to crank down on the tank bolts more than I would have liked in order to get the tank to somewhat seat properly. The tank was leaning up against the wall (until really tightening it down). I don't want to crack the toilet, obviously, but to make matters worse, this is a 1960's blue toilet that has a matching 1960's blue sink and tub. While I will eventually remodel this bathroom, I'd like to not have mis-matched bathroom fixtures until then. In true automotive fashion, I tried to see if there was a torque value for all of this. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Yeah, pull the tank off the bottom part. Look at whatever kind of seal is there. Go to your favorite big box store or Ace Hardware and get the same seal. Put it back together. If all else fails, clean it all real good and pookie the hell out of it with silicone.

Toilet technology has not changed in 50 years. You probably don't have it tight enough, the existing seal is shot, you didn't put the seal in right or some combination of that.

I hear you on the blue... the place I am renting has the 60's pink toilet with matching tub and sink.

And yes, Hess is right. not only has toilet technology changed much since the flush toilet was invented.. but a lot of the parts are interchangable from today to then.

I've replaced virtually all the plumbing in our 60 year old house over the past few years. The toilets were last. I'd never been able to stop them from leaking (valves, not the tank/bowl interface). When a 3 year old expansion tank started leaking recently I finally checked the house water pressure, which should ideally be in the 65 psi range.

It was 102 psi.

I installed a Watts regulator just downstream of where the water service enters the house, but past the first branch off which supplies the hose bibb by the driveway. So I still have a kick-ass garden hose but the rest of the plumbing is much happier.

Then I went bought a swanky Toto dual flush for the downstairs convenience and all new Kohler stuff for the upstairs which is currently going back together in a gutted-out-to-bare-masonry-walls remodel.

This is information which is immaterial to your problem (which just needs a new tank/bowl seal) but if you ever find you have persistent leak issues, check your pressure.

One last thing: If there's any possibility to obtain your plumbing supplies from a proper plumbing supply house rather than Home Despot, it's really better; HD and to a lesser extent Lowe's and Menards all have made-specifically-for-them versions of countless products. These are cheaper by being built to lesser specifications than the good stuff.

Anything that has water or electricity behind it is worth buying a good one.

Actually that's the thing. Everything inside that tank had to be replaced. The fill valve was sticking. The flush valve would open at random. The old handle had an arm with a bumper on the end that pushed up on the flush valve - not a chain and flapper arrangement like today. All of the gaskets are new - the old ones crumbled into a trillion pieces when I pulled everything apart. Some of the stuff I've had to make or retrofit because I couldn't find at the big box stores - like the gasket that cushions between the bowl and tank.

I can say from living in this house - fortunately it was originally built by a builder for himself. So when they do that, they don't cut corners, its built solid and they install some really cool features. Unfortunately, some of the really cool features never really take off and they are PITA to fix (i.e. windows that don't open up - they open out a la 70's custom van - and the gears inside the window crank are stripped).

You're giving way too much information, which is hard to weed through, and therefore you are getting crazy answers (like PSI- not an issue on a non-pressure drain gasket).

Here's a clue:

CamaroKeith wrote: The leak is coming from the area were the bowl and tank meet.

CamaroKeith wrote: </ Some of the stuff I've had to make or retrofit because I couldn't find at the big box stores - like the gasket that cushions between the bowl and tank.

So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you made or retrofitted a gasket between the tank and the bowl, and now it is leaking between the tank and the bowl.

You need to find the right gasket.

Find an old time plumbing supply house (the kind where you sit on a stool at a counter and talk to a guy the age of your grandfather). They can help.

Alternately, white goes pretty well with blue.

Big box stores won't know what to do with you. Ace may be able to help. Best bet would be an independent plumbing supply store. We only have one in town and we are a good size town. Look in your phone book for plumbing supply stores and take the old gasket there.

Good luck!

SVreX wrote: Find an old time plumbing supply house (the kind where you sit on a stool at a counter and talk to a guy the age of your grandfather). They can help.

Around here it is Murphy's Plumbing. My BIL broke a bathroom faucet stem when he was trying to fix a leak. Went to all the big box stores and got no help at all.

I took it to Murphy's and showed it to the old guy behind the counter. He reached under the counter, pulled out a new one and laid it on the counter. He said "You must live over in Brigadoon." That is the name of the sub-division and will give you a clue as to how old the faucet was.

Also, for your window cranks you might want to check Blaine Window Hardware They have been very helpfull when I have gone looking for old window parts.

yea, the big box stores are useless for anything beyond the cheap crap they sell. a REAL plumbing supply house will have everything

When I was an apartment manager, I had 46 bathrooms under my command and did most of my own plumbing. When you replaced the flush valve, a good kit should have all the gaskets included. Most tank gaskets are pretty much the same but there are some oddballs. Make sure you have the right thickness gasket and don't torque it down so much. You won't need to if you have the correct one. If you don't have an old school plumbing supply house nearby (almost every town has one), check the Fluidmaster aisle at your local Home Despot (missspelling intentional).