Some of you may recall that, about 5 years ago, we had a problem where our toilet tank split down the side and leaked water all over creation on the lower level.
Well, this morning I got up, brushed my teeth, et al downstairs, then went up to my “study” (the bedroom that hasn’t been (completely) taken over by my wife’s fabric stuff) to check my email, see what’s hopping on Breaktime, etc.
After about an hour of that I decided to answer nature’s call in the upstairs bath. Went in there and the carpet squished in my (sock-covered) feet.
Well, after crawling around for a minute, moping up the water with paper towels, I traced the leak to a crack in the side of the toilet tank. This toilet is identical to the one that failed downstairs (both Eljer ca 1976), and in neither case was the toilet subjected to any sort of unusual stress — the tank just split, starting at the top edge and running down the side.
At least this time we don’t have to pick the style we want (assuming we can find a Cadet 3, round, bone somewhere in town).
Replies
Well, ordered the toilet through Lowe's, but it won't be in for another week or so and the Mrs has a hen party for Tuesday. So, got some fiberglass and epoxy and applied a patch to the inside of the tank. (Not sure how much I trust it, though.)
That will hold a long time if everything was spic and span.
Well, I did hit it with sandpaper for about 2 minutes, then wipe it with a paper towel.
(One has to undersand I was doing this while suffering from a fairly major kidney stone attack, so I was not into subtlety.)
Inside the Tank?
I woulda used some kind of urethane caulk / sealant, tends to adhere better to dampish substrates. In fact it needs moisture to cure so dampness can be an advantge. Stays flexible too where epoxy can get brittle depending on formula.
In any event it sounds like you got two bum units off that day's toilet tank production line. Somebody goofed on the clay recipe or wasn't watching the slip-castings for flaws.
Good you have a replacement due; I'd sure hate coming back to find a floor awash @ 3 AM a
secondthird time.$#i+ happens I guess, particularly where toilets are involved, eh?
I kinda doubt that the failure is unique to units manufactured on that day (or even units by that manufacturer). The way the cracks opened up (on the order of 1/4") at the top suggest that the stresses in the ceramic were pretty severe, and it was only a matter of time before a microcrack grew to the point where it would propagate rapidly. The design of the tank may have had something to do with it, or the way it was cooked, but I don't know how someone can do quality control on a component that fails 37 years later -- how do you test for that?
(I did the repairs with epoxy and glass fabric, and they appear to be very well adhered. Not that I want a permanent fix, but this seems to be a more permanent fix than using caulk.)
lawyer time!
Only 37 years? You shoulda known they's no good when you bought 'em.
Was it Spic and Span that you tripped over?
It was a jug of tide.
I'm feeling pretty sore still. Sucks getting old. Beats the alternative though. Two thumbs and six fingers still work pretty much like they are supposed to. Memory, I duhno, seems like my mind isn't a trapdoor anymore. On the bright side, I hear spring is coming someday.