Problem with Toilet Seat

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
The one I use most is an elongated plastic seat and it's always sliding back and forth no matter how much I tighten the bolts. The hinges and bolts are cheap plastic and not even attached to the seat - it like they just clip on somehow (red arrows in photo). I was shopping on WlaMart and Lowe's web pages looking for metal hinged seats, but I read some of the reviews and they are not highly rated. Most consumers state that the seats cracked soon after purchase or had some other defect. Also a complaint was that they are touted as "wooden" but are just made out of particle board.

I could swap the seat in the other bathroom, but that is a round toilet with a round seat. I need an elongated seat for the one I actually use.

toilet.jpg
 

Aren't there replacement seats? It seems like I recall elongated bowls at Lowe's recently.
 

Michael Z said:
Mine wobble too. A solution that comes to mind would be to replace the plastic bolt and nut with metal ones using a locking nut and use some plastic washers to avoid damage to the porcelain. Or just the locking nut and washer if you could match the threads.
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The problem with that is the metal threads would chip at the porcelain over time and that would make it worse.
 
Michael Z said:
replace the plastic bolt and nut with metal ones using a locking nut and use some plastic washers to avoid damage to the porcelain
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That'd be where I'd go.

Remove the plastic ones, take 'em to Lowes or Home Depot, match the size, and get those plastic washers (very important)

Best to get the lock nuts and gently tighten with a wrench
 
Murrmurr said:
The plastic bolts still tend to wear out and/or move, though. Even with a new seat, whether it comes with a washer or not, I wrap the bolts with plumbers tape or grip tape so they'll stay snug longer.
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Maybe I worded it wrong
Steel (or brass or stainless) bolts/nuts
Plastic washers
 
Llynn said:
I have used brass nuts and bolts for quite some time with no damage to the porcelain. Old school hinge kits used to come standard with brass hardware.
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The porcelain was better quality back in the day, too. Modern toilets are more glassy and chip and crack more easily. In any case, no matter the quality or whether the hardware is plastic or metal, wrapping the bolts with plumbers tape is always a good idea, and as soon as the seat starts to give or wobble a bit, remove the old tape and wrap it anew. You can get a whole roll of that stuff for a couple bucks and you won't use it all up for years. In fact, you'll likely be bequeathing it to someone.
 
There is always a little space in the toilet holes to make it easier to mount the seat. Deb mentions the bolts being really tight so it's possible the lid itself is flexing. Maybe if she tests the lid by gripping it and wiggling it back & forth she will come back and tell us if the lid moves in the mounting holes or if the lid is twisting.

Once her problem is defined then solutions or trying to be helpful will meet with success.
 
Gary O' said:
True
I'm given to **Teflon tape
Multiple wraps
A bit more forgiving, but does tighten the threads
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When I was young and had nothin' but 3 little mouths to feed on entry-level wages, I'd rent these run-down places and fix them up nice. Well we moved into this one place and I didn't have any kind of tape at all to use on those bolts (they were the plastic ones, plus, the nuts were missing), so I totally shredded a little piece of an old rag and mixed that with some epoxy glue...mixed it really well, coated the bolts with it, and screwed the seat back on. As I'm sure you can imagine, after that cured it was as hard as the porcelain and sturdier than the plastic.

**Teflon....yeah, that's it! I couldn't think of it for some reason.
 
Murrmurr said:
When I was young and had nothin' but 3 little mouths to feed on entry-level wages, I'd rent these run-down places and fix them up nice. Well we moved into this one place and I didn't have any kind of tape at all to use on those bolts (they were the plastic ones, plus, the nuts were missing), so I totally shredded a little piece of an old rag and mixed that with some epoxy glue...mixed it really well, coated the bolts with it, and screwed the seat back on. As I'm sure you can imagine, after that cured it was as hard as the porcelain and sturdier than the plastic.
Click to expand...
I rented that same place!
You'll be happy to know the rag/epoxy fix still held
 
I finally took it all apart. The problem is with those plastic clips on the seat itself. No matter how tight I make the bolts, they just pop out of the part on the porcelain. Is there a name for this kind of seat?

toilet.jpg
 
Get sticky back velcro strip and where the toilet seat touches the rim stick a piece of velcro on the seat and the rim. There's usually a couple of offsets on the bottom of the seat that rest on the toilet rim, that's where to put the velcro.

Since there's no man in your house who's lifting the seat you need not worry about getting urine on there. Just wipe around the velcro when you clean.
 
debodun said:
I finally took it all apart. The problem is with those plastic clips on the seat itself. No matter how tight I make the bolts, they just pop out of the part on the porcelain. Is there a name for this kind of seat?

View attachment 302298
Click to expand...
Yes. "Cheap".

Actually, even pricey toilet seats have this problem.

A tried and true remedy is to wrap the bolt threads with plumbers tape or a piece of thin cotton fabric, and then screw them back in.

If they loosen up again, like a year later or whatever, just do it again...re-wrap the threads of the bolts with plumbers tape or a piece of fabric. String works, too.
 
debodun said:
I bought a "never loosens" seat and it's still wobbly.
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Could be that the edges of the holes that the bolts go through are worn down, and the bolts can't fit tight anymore.
Wrap the bolts with plumber's tape as many times as needed until they fit snugly. Or you can use thin synthetic string...synthetic, so it won't rot...or dental floss. Strips of old nylon stockings will work, too, but will eventually rot.
 

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