Home Page link

"Hairline" crack in toilet & tank: Problem?

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Page 2 of 4       < 1 2 3 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
"Hairline" crack in toilet & tank: Problem? John Gilmer 10-21-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by DerbyDad03 on October 21, 2007, 9:35 am
> We have an older house with a BLUE toilet and Tub. We can't get a color
> matched replacment.
>
> BUT the toilet tank has a visible hairline crack on the inside at the bolt
> hole. The toilet itself has a hairline crack on the glaze at the base.
>
> Is this an "accident waiting to happen? or what?
>
> EMWTK

My neighbor let a hairline crack on his toilet go...and then the crack
let go while he was at work. Luckily it was in the basement.

The unlucky part was that the slab sloped towards the opposite corner
of the basement so the hundreds of gallons of water flowed across the
entire *finished* basement.


Posted by BobK207 on October 21, 2007, 12:34 pm
> We have an older house with a BLUE toilet and Tub. We can't get a color
> matched replacment.
>
> BUT the toilet tank has a visible hairline crack on the inside at the bolt
> hole. The toilet itself has a hairline crack on the glaze at the base.
>
> Is this an "accident waiting to happen? or what?
>
> EMWTK

John-

As an owner of an old (1930) home, I understand your desire to keep
the house "original".

As the others have said, tanks are brittle and if they break, they can
fail suddenly & completely.

You've heard stories (here) of sudden, catastrophic failures.

And keeping the cracked tank is a risk.

Is the crack only is the glaze? (IMO that is crazing not a crack) Or
is the crack in the base material as well?

Having said all this, I had a wall mount toilet tank (1930) with a
long crack. It leaked slightly (about 4oz per day) which I caught in
a small plastic trash can. The water in my area has a tendency to
calcify leaks & cracks. Water heaters last in excess of 20 years.

Anyway, I finally found a replacement (wall hung) tank on Ebay & I
replaced it in June.
After letting is drip for 16 years. :)

In order to get the flush handle hardware off (the threads were
galled) I have to break the tank. I had to hit it rather forcefully
with a hammer (a couple blows) to get it to break. The tanks was
pretty hefty I'd say at least 3/8".

I guess I was pretty lucky to have the thing not break but now I have
a complete style & color match.

How important is the color match?

You could replace the current tank only (any color) & then start
looking for a color match.
You could buy a tank that matches up mechanically & have the bath tub
acrylic resurfacing done to get an exact color match.

Does the crack leak or weep? Kids in the house? How often does that
bathroom / toilet get used?
Second floor? First floor?

You could install a 1/4 turn shutoff & shut the toilet off every time
you leave the house. You could install an automatic toilet shutoff
valve that would activate in case of tank failure. Total water loss
would be limited to 5 gallons or so. Still a mess but not a disaster.

And do this until you find a color match toilet (or just the tank)

Having not seen the crack, so good assessment (size, location, etc) of
it is not possible.......so I can't see how bad it is but it doesn't
seem that bad IF its only in the glaze.

It all depends on your comfort level with risk.

The result of a tank failure will be water running at ~3gpm until you
discover the problem. :(

So what you've got (IMO) is a low probability event with extreme
consequences,

your call as how to handle it.



cheers
Bob






Posted by Dan Espen on October 21, 2007, 1:44 pm

> The result of a tank failure will be water running at ~3gpm until you
> discover the problem. :(
>
> So what you've got (IMO) is a low probability event with extreme
> consequences,

Seems to me the extreme consequences are a failure while someone
is sitting on it. Then you have a bare bottom in free fall toward
a pile of broken pieces of porcelain.

OUCH!

Posted by BobK207 on October 21, 2007, 3:28 pm
wrote:
> > The result of a tank failure will be water running at ~3gpm until you
> > discover the problem. :(
>
> > So what you've got (IMO) is a low probability event with extreme
> > consequences,
>
> Seems to me the extreme consequences are a failure while someone
> is sitting on it. Then you have a bare bottom in free fall toward
> a pile of broken pieces of porcelain.
>
> OUCH!

Dan-

The crack is in the tank, I don't see how a tank failure will result
in free fall.

Unless he sits on the tank to use the toilet.

You'll get wet as will the floor.

Bowl / commode failure, yes.......but not a, tank failure.

Subsequent poster suggested "anti-flood supply hoses"

sounds like a good idea

cheers
Bob


Posted by jim on October 21, 2007, 3:42 pm
> wrote:
>
> > > The result of a tank failure will be water running at ~3gpm until you
> > > discover the problem. :(
>
> > > So what you've got (IMO) is a low probability event with extreme
> > > consequences,
>
> > Seems to me the extreme consequences are a failure while someone
> > is sitting on it. Then you have a bare bottom in free fall toward
> > a pile of broken pieces of porcelain.
>
> > OUCH!
>
> Dan-
>
> The crack is in the tank, I don't see how a tank failure will result
> in free fall.
>
> Unless he sits on the tank to use the toilet.
>
> You'll get wet as will the floor.
>
> Bowl / commode failure, yes.......but not a, tank failure.
>
> Subsequent poster suggested "anti-flood supply hoses"
>
> sounds like a good idea
>
> cheers
> Bob

Why are you quys wasting time a failure is a mess and doe's alot of
damge which insurance won't cover. REPLACE IT


Page 2 of 4       < 1 2 3 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
hairline crack help December 19, 2005, 10:51 am
4 ft.hairline crack in stucco....any advice? June 7, 2006, 11:21 am
Hairline crack in vessel sink? March 4, 2007, 5:25 pm
hairline crack (with very slow drip) in cast-iron drain pipe. July 15, 2005, 3:50 am
Toilet tank refill problem February 5, 2007, 12:12 am
Hairline Cracks in Foundation (Slab) -- Problem? October 24, 2006, 9:59 pm
Kenmore Softener resin tank crack question November 5, 2008, 12:33 pm
how to remove toilet paper from crack December 29, 2006, 4:26 am
Removing toilet tank ? (no tank bolts - where are they ?) June 4, 2006, 1:23 pm
Toilet Tank Leak - Maybe a cracked tank? January 14, 2007, 2:02 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap