Small Crack on Toilet

Submitted by Doop132 t3_11a1fbn in DIY

Hey all,

I recently started noticing this small crack on my toilet, in which a small amount of water leaks out after flushing. It is very small, but I want to prevent this from getting worse. This is located between the seat and the tank. Is this something that can just be fixed with plumbers putty? Or is this beyond that? Thanks in advance!

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nondescriptzombie t1_j9p96tj wrote

Cracked tanks eventually lead to flooded houses.

All of the models of toilet in my home have been recalled for tank cracking. For a limited period there were new tanks you could buy and install, but they're all discontinued/NLA.

Just get a new John.

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rightanglerightlight t1_j9qlkgf wrote

Yes do this straight away. And avoid Glacier Fucking Bay garbage from Home Depot unless you want to replace your shitter twice.

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sodiumbigolli t1_j9psd94 wrote

Vartans? A friend had one of those tanks break on the third floor of her new bought townhouse the night they closed. They didn’t move into the house that night, they went over in the morning and saw water coming out the front door. All the floors had to be replaced.

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Briango t1_j9rg9nn wrote

I had a votens tank crack open on its own and cause serious water damage. Is this brand known for this?

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sodiumbigolli t1_j9rzj8n wrote

Yes, absolutely. It was happening several years ago and they denied it for a very long time as far as I know. Then I believe they were recalled. My husband was a homebuilder and his company used them. It was a mess

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bluewales73 t1_j9r925x wrote

I just looked, I am really surprised at how cheap a new toilet can be. Lowes has them as low as $100. As plumbing repairs go, it's really reasonable.

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FireWireBestWire t1_j9rsyhp wrote

I have replaced 3 toilets. I would almost rather do that than fix anything inside the tank. On one of them, I laid all the vinyl flooring on the same day as well. It's a very simple job if the rough in is good

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Bean_Juice_Brew t1_j9rb9ko wrote

All the cracked tank advice had me on my hands and knees with my phone's flashlight checking out my throne, stray hair had me tweaking thinking I found one 🤣

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brosandbras t1_j9qfrx8 wrote

This!!!! Replace it asap, if not you will be cleaning the flooded house showing your crack shown from your pant, when you bend and clean.

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nhskimaple t1_j9qylro wrote

Yes a new decent quality toilet is less than $200

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LeKy411 t1_j9pc5kp wrote

Your never going to get that crack to be water tight. If you can find a replacement tank get a new tank, but otherwise just swap out the toilet. It can be totally DIYed with minimal tools.

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flufferpuppper t1_j9qotid wrote

Yep, it’s super easy! I’m a single woman, who is fairly handy and can figure stuff out and have been slowly renovating my house by myself, but replacing the toilet intimidated me so I just turned the water off for like 2 months and used a different bathroom lol. Untill final the other day I just did it. Watched a video, got a new toilet. Replaced it. Honestly easiest diy thing I’ve ever done. A plumber is absolutely not needed for this unless there’s an issue with the water line coming in. It was comical how easy it was!

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phormix t1_j9rj3hw wrote

Also, if you're buying a toilet pick up a new wax/etc seal. You will need to replace that with the old one

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linuxares t1_j9rm78w wrote

My place just put some silicon for bathroom around the bottom. Apparently how you do it here.

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phormix t1_j9rqwp1 wrote

That's for the outside edge. The wax seal thingy goes on the inside where the toilet meets the drain hole.

There are also reusable rubber types so maybe there already was one?

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linuxares t1_j9rr5rf wrote

Oh that I don't know. It weren't there when they changed it. They just told me they changed the toilet and put a silicon seal around the edge. So they probably changed it as well. Since the other toilet that was there was atleast 10+ years old and started to crack in the bottom.

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sirchrisalot t1_j9rtz00 wrote

IMO the silicone around the base isn't a requirement. I think it is useful for uneven tile floors where the toilet might be inclined to rock slightly when weighted or floors where dirt could easily be awept under the toilet base.

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linuxares t1_j9urtbd wrote

Oh thats why! Yeah the tile floor is a bit wonky

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A_Plumber2020 t1_j9pmvp6 wrote

You need to replace that tank ASAP. If the crack opens up while you are out of the house, the fill valve will just continue to run and you will be looking at some serious flood damage.

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cybertoothlion t1_j9ptuoa wrote

Unless you have really good insurance and want new floors anyway

I'll see myself out.

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aircooledJenkins t1_j9qszbi wrote

In which case OP should delete this post and probably their account.

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111111911111 t1_j9rn54r wrote

No insurance company is scrolling reddit looking for months old posts to pair up with a current claim for flood damage... that may or may not have enough identifying information to link to their client. Lol, wtf man, you live in a paranoid world.

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whodeyalldey1 t1_j9rvo67 wrote

Way way worse is if that toilet splits while you’re on it and a razor sharp piece of porcelain cuts you to the femur as you fall. I saw a NSFW picture where that happened to someone once and it’s been a fear ever since.

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suchismine t1_j9pt6mg wrote

Replacement is the best option. Turn off the water valve for the toilet until you can replace the toilet. Turn the water on just to flush, then turn it off.

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TechnicalChaos t1_j9qh9o0 wrote

Not a single joke on here about the small leaky crack on everybody's toilet every morning... Shame!

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l397flake t1_j9pp79i wrote

Replace it, they are not as expensive as a flood ruining a lot of stuff

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vonhoother t1_j9pkt1m wrote

Read Mark E. Eberhart's Why Things Fail to understand why cracks in most materials just get bigger. Thank your toilet for not failing catastrophically (yet).

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Bro__v__Wade t1_j9pjhay wrote

Have a pro look at it or just replace the toilet if you can. If the tank cracks or otherwise keeps leaking your house will flood because the float vavle will never stop the stream of water. My neighbor's house flooded exactly this way.

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Hereforthebabyducks t1_j9qe82g wrote

Replacing the toilet yourself is likely to be cheaper than having a plumber even just come out for a service call.

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Sometimes_Stutters t1_j9pjik2 wrote

Gotta replace it. Easy DIY project. If your in a money bind used toilets are very cheap (or altogether free)

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zerohm t1_j9qfrqs wrote

This was my thinking as well. If OP does not know how to replace a toilet, now is a good time to learn.

Our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore often has new toilets in the box for under $100.

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portnux t1_j9p6hb9 wrote

Do you see a crack in the porcelain or could it be leaking from under the tank? If it’s the second it might just need a new seal.

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Doop132 OP t1_j9p7byh wrote

Yeah, I can see it. Almost looks like it's was chipped a little bit.

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aircooledJenkins t1_j9qt7r5 wrote

If you can't replace the tank, replace the whole toilet. It's not a difficult thing to do. Porcelain can't really be repaired. Now its structure is compromised. All it will take is the right amount of pressure at the wrong moment and it will fail and flood your house.

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Kesshh t1_j9pnvjv wrote

Nope, there’s no fix to porcelain toilet crack. It needs to be replaced.

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Mindraker t1_j9qxiwa wrote

My friend, please replace your toilet.

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StetsonManbrawn t1_j9rcryj wrote

A lot of comments about flooding if the toilet breaks, which is great, but OP, I'm begging you to replace that toilet if it is cracked. Sharp porcelain will cut through your body like butter and people have been seriously injured (or worse) by being on one of those when it breaks. Image search will show you some horrifying accidents if you ever want to see what a broken toilet can do to you, but I don't recommend it unless you have a strong stomach.

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Yes-GoAway t1_j9p6bnp wrote

I had a crack in my tank and after reading online decided to replace the toilet. My toilet was older and where the crack was, was a difficult part to repair. I did see videos on YouTube of how to water seal that crack which looked easy enough.

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prime-meridian t1_j9qr3c0 wrote

I would replace asap. Aside from property damage caused by the leak, if the toilet fails while someone is using it, they could be grievously injured.

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JimmyFu2U t1_j9rlgkf wrote

Looked for crack on toilet jokes and was disappointed. Sorry, I've been drinking

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Fmlyhmalm t1_j9pr808 wrote

If you dont care about aesthetics you can use 10 min epoxy on porcelain but to be even more cautious it would be better to replace the whole toilet

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aircooledJenkins t1_j9qthmw wrote

Epoxy might seal the leak, but it won't repair the porcelain's structure. Given time, it will fail.

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Doop132 OP t1_j9qk8qq wrote

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Much appreciated

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Sun_This t1_j9snkii wrote

American standard sent me a replacement for free. I called to find out where to buy a replacement tank and they said it was covered by their lifetime warranty. Try calling them if you got American standard

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ks_bibliophile88 t1_j9r1m81 wrote

I see a small crack on my toilet that leads to water leaks on the floor occasionally, but my wife told me its my fault for wanting a boy.

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blue_999 t1_j9rdvgc wrote

$400 toilet or $85k in water damage repairs. Buy the new toilet :)

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ShinyBlueThing t1_j9rdyou wrote

This exact issue is why we ended up replacing our old toilet.

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Survive_LD_50 t1_j9rfibn wrote

Whenever I sit on the toilet there is a crack above the bowl but when I stand up and wipe the crack is gone and the I pull my pants up so nobody can see the crack

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MosesZD t1_j9s1xra wrote

There's no such thing as 'a small leak.' It's a catastrophe waiting to happen.

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ZoeRochelle t1_j9sg7wh wrote

Adding to the cracked tank flood horror stories: Mine was cracked by someone during a party. Ended up with 3“ of water in the house and a $50,000 homeowners claim and 7 weeks in a hotel with 2 young kids at Christmas. Don’t risk it. Replace ASAP. Meantime turn off water to toilet. My insurance company dropped me 3 months later.

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Benevolent_Grouch t1_j9sklgz wrote

What?! No! Read this to yourself and imagine what you’d say to someone else in this position. Get a new toilet for the love of god.

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Blk-cherry3 t1_j9sz2x2 wrote

A cheap fix is replacing it

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vakog t1_j9tap29 wrote

Replace it immediately. Failure is inevitable and will result in damage far more costly.

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Prometheus_343 t1_j9q80wh wrote

The toilet needs to be replaced. This is not something you want to mess around with. It’s a matter of when your toilet is going to fail rather than if it will fail. The cost to replace a toilet is a few hundred dollars for the toilet and an hour or two of a plumbers time. When the cracked toilet fails it can lead to damage to your bathroom and other rooms in your house which could cost much more and your still paying for the replacement toilet and plumbers time.

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braytag t1_j9q81fd wrote

Is it possible to repair and get it water tight/safe? yes. you could use silicone outside, some kind of wrap around brace. It'll look like shit, but should work if you're in an apocalypse/3rd world country type situation.

Is it worth it? under normal conditions? HELL NO!!!!!

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ThePrinceVultan t1_j9qhyjn wrote

Unless you want replace your floors as well, replace the toilet. If the tank fails when you are not home the autofill valve will just keep trying to fill the (now broken in this example) tank until the city runs out of water.

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Borageandthyme t1_j9qjnp1 wrote

We had that issue and fixed it by draining the talk and caulking both sides of the crack with waterproof sealer. It doesn’t leak and has bought us a few years so far.

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outofmemory01 t1_j9qs55t wrote

If it's only leaking after flushing it's a crack in the rim wash channel(s). Any crack will get worse with heat/cooling expansion/contraction. Eventually it'll grow...even if you use adhesive or sealant. You may be able to stop a growing crack by drilling holes at either end...but makes the risks of making the situation worse kind of high. I'm sure you're following the good/prudent advice of others saying replace replace replace! Good luck.

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keylo-92 t1_j9r4b9x wrote

Get a new toilet… most toilets even come with an all in one tool you can use… may need a crescent for the old bolts tho… would suck to come home to a layer of water over the floor

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Bammer7 t1_j9r694a wrote

I just installed two Mansfield toilets in my house. I highly recommend them, if you decide to get a new one. I got it at Lowe's.

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Amazon421 t1_j9rpvg4 wrote

See if your toilet is new enough to be under warranty. It's not that difficult to replace your own toilet as long as you can lift that porcelain weight. Definitely worth the $200 for a toilet vs the potential water damage.

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oblongdon t1_j9se0bc wrote

Nothing you can do with porcelain. I’d replace it or shut the water off and on after every use if you can’t afford a plumber or new toilet. They’re really easy to install if you read the directions that come with it and watch a couple YouTube videos. Just have a five gallon bucket on hand just in case:)

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Advanced_Fee_8722 t1_j9t8qym wrote

Does the crack disappear once your off the toilet?

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Makers_Fun_Duck t1_j9tfs28 wrote

If you see a crack, try to find a replacement right away. You are just seeing a small, but important part of the big issue. It would save youa huge headache

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Barnettmetal t1_j9tpjqe wrote

Replace the toilet my friend.

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fixit614 t1_j9v357z wrote

Phil Swift here for Flex Seal! …But seriously, just replace it. $100-$200 is much better than tens of thousands in water damage

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