TOILET plumbing questions

Just wondering what others do since I've done this in past as a homeowner.

1) Today I replaced the 2 "brass" bolts holding the tank to the bowl on my senior neighbor's toilet. One had broken from corrosion. Naturally the OTHER had to be cut off. The HEAD was so corroded that there was nothing to grab onto. Visegrips kept slipping off . I finally had the idea to cut the rubber wasthers right even with the bolt head on two sides = BINGO. I was able to use the vise grips to hold the head while I turned the nut below.

Does a PRO have a DREMEL type tool to speed up these PITA jobs ????

2) I have another job to do with installing a new toilet. When I did mine, I was told to use PLASTER OF PARIS on the bottom to fill any gaps. I did.

I have looked in Reader's Digest New Complete DIY Manual, and they say to install and then pack with plaster of paris.

I have also heard of using a ring of PLUMBERS PUTTY.

Preferences ??????

TIA

Reply to
Conase
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Everybody has their favorite for this. A lot depends upon the type of floor. 100 yrs ago, plaster of paris was almost universally used on then-common tiled floors.

Plumbers putty doesn't harden for a long time, so it may not be quite as effective.

With todays many flooring materials, including resilients, plaster is of no use; silicone caulk may be a better choice or none at all. Almost everyone agrees that a small space should be left open at the back so that leaks become apparent.

Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

Good point. Never heard or thought of that. I did not do that on mine. Luckily I live on a slab.

Reply to
Conase

You can usually get a mechanic's "nut cracker" into place and split/spread the nuts so they fall right off.

Yes, filling in the gaps is quite helpful, particularly if the toilet is on a slab or other floor that isn't perfectly flat under the toilet base. If that gap isn't packed the toilet can rock fore and aft as people use it, which may eventually cause the wax seal to leak.

I used tile grout on one of mine I reset recently. Seemed to work fine.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

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