Cracked toilet cistern

[John]

Relation has a cistern that has a hairline crack (due to forcing in an oversized flushing handle) - it is leaking slightly.

I was thinking of smearing silicon sealant over the inside. Any better suggestions?

(I realise it really needs replacing - but it is an obsolete colour - brown!!!!!!)

[Uno Hoo!]

I once repaired a cracked toilet cistern using a fibreglass car repair kit. You paint the resin on the inside of the cistern over the crack, stick an appropriately shaped patch of fibreglass matting on to the resin, and then give a further coat of resin on top of that. Not only did it fix the leak but it prevented any further spread of the crack. Lasted for years until I replaced the whole suite.

Kev

[Dave Jones]

Should work, but leave the cistern dry for 24 hrs after to give it time to go off

[Ian Stirling]

I've had good results with emptying cistern, pointing heater at it for a few hours, to dry out the crack totally, then filling with thin epoxy. Worked well.

[Lobster]

Eew - sounds like the excuse needed to replace it, then!!

David

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ah. Dry out and use Epoxy resin - 5 or 30 minute will do, or even 2 hours.

In fact, thinking about it, use 24 hour stuff and then make it runny with a hair dryer, and force in into the crack, wipe off surplus with cellulose thinners, and then play the hairdryer over the crack until it gels.

It will go off totally in an hour or two at sensible temperatures.

Epoxy is perfect for this - it will bond to the china, its runny enough when warm to go in, but sticky enough as it cools to stay in, its sort of brownish, and it fills gaps.

OTOH a layer of gaffer tape over the inside will also probably work - or that sealing tape - sylastic? sylmastic? (sp?)

[Uno Hoo!]

I suppose there is one advantage to a brown toilet bowl - it won't need cleaning so often!!!!!

Kev