Toilet Tank Leaking
 

This is a Jacuzzi 1.6 gallon that I picked up at a box store for one of my apartments. For the life of me, I cannot seem to eliminate a small seepage of water from around the right hand side rubber washer/bolt combo that fixes the tank to the commode. I have jerked the tank off twice and replaced the rubber washers inside the tank. The large gasket seems to be okay and there is not evidence of a leak there. The whole thing is a real pain because the tank is up flush/tight against the back wall and thus, I have to pull to entire commode up in order to remove the tank. I was thinking about emptying the tank and drying it out then applying a silicon water sealant all around the tops of the slotted bolts, etc inside the tank. Would that be a solution? Thanks.

Could there be a hairline crack in the tank? Maybe from stressing the bolts or maybe a factory flaw?:)

I did inspect the bottom of the tank. I couldn't see any evidence of a crack.

If there were burrs around the edges of the holes in the tank bottom for the bolts then the washers won't seal well.

It should not be necessary to tighten the tank bolts to the toile bowl with tremendous force.

I didn't observe any burrs around the edges. The tank is sitting about 1/16" off of the saddle of the commode itself. I haven't been over yet today in order to see if the leak has abated. Nobody so far is advocating for my silicon fix...

Just a thought.
I have seen on some of the bolt/washer packages that i have bought in the past, the instructions call for a metal washer to be put on the bolt first, then a rubber washer. I looked at the instructions a few times just to make sure i had it like they said, so I tried putting it together like that. Needless to say, a metal washer against a bolt (even with a rubber washer under it) will leak-not much, but just enough to drive a person crazy trying to figure out what he did wrong. I added extra rubber washers between the metal washer and the bolt, then the rubber washer under the metal washer-- problem solved. Granted, these were el-cheapo sets made in singapore, but they were all i could find on a holiday. The instructions from overseas sometimes lose a bit when being translated. Not saying that's your problem, but i thought there might be an outside chance you bought one of those funky sets that i got.

The instructions are absolutely confounding! I thought the guy at the box store in the plumbing area was going to end up in a fetal position trying to grasp them. Let me make sure I understand you: You sandwich the metal washer between two rubber washers then tighten it all down from underneath with the bolt. And that was the fix?

that's what i had to do.
If you have the metal washer against the metal bolt head-water will trickle beween the metal washer and the head- there's no seal to stop it-it will leak. I sandwiched it. That way it's sealed at the bolt head and where it tightens down to the tank.

If it works that is all that matters. I'm not challenging you in any way, but it is hard to understand what that second rubber washer is doing. The bottom part of the bolt is two parts removed from the hole in the 'standard' way of doing things. You lucked into something that seems to work. I guess all I'm saying is that it's weird! I'll check the property tomorrow and see if I need to go that route. It's just the right side bolt causing the problem.

good luck!

I think the metal washer is intended to aide in uniformly compressing the rubber washer. The rubber washer is always (should be) very snug to the threads. Once a little pressure is applied during tightening from the bottom the rubber washer compresses/expands slightly and fills the threads as well as sealing itself to the clay tank (inside).

Understood. You know this looks like a pretty decent water closet, but it is after all a box store product. I wondering after all if maybe the right side hole might be a tad larger then by design.

Bud, i'm sure that's true.
In my case, the rubber washer that came with the el cheapo set just simply would not do that, no matter how tight i got it. I had it so tight i thought i was gonna bust the tank (trying to get it to stop). Maybe the washer hole diameter was too big or maybe it was not soft enough (or thick enough) to spread and seal the threads. I really don't know. I do know that the extra rubber fixed it and.........
that i haven't bought any more like it:laughing:

My plumber that I use for complete rehabs disdaines box store supplies. Always goes to a supply house.

When it comes to plumbing-I try to too, but like i said, it was all i could find on a holiday