About speedball1 Expertise About me: My Plumbing Expertise: I retired from plumbing after a lifetime in the trade. all phases from service and upkeep to construction, both residential and commercial. I am qualified to do anything in plumbing from fixing a leaky faucet to drafting a set of plans for a commercial shopping center and supervising the construction. My last five years were spent as a trouble shooter for a large plumbing company. I took on all my companys complaints. I have been a expert on the plumbing page at Askme.com. In a field of 200 experts my rating was number one. You may also find me at Answerway.com and AskMe Help Desk.com. This is fun for me and if I can help anybody out that`s iceing on the cake. Degrees & Certifications: As for degrees, I don`t have any. Just a Journeymans ticket, but hey! How about fifty years experience?
Experience Life Experience? Hmmmmmmm! Ran away at 15 and joined a carnival, Navy at 17 Merchant marine at 19 I've had a hellava life.
Question I have a 15 or so year old two piece American Standard toilet. I am putting new tank to bowl bolts in due to a leak, but am unsure of the best way to connect. I have seen many diagarams, some put the rubber right up to the brass bolt head and then put a nut with/without a flat washer under the tank and make the seal by tightening the nut to the tank, then just put th tank down on the bowl and tighten with more rubber/ flatwasher/nut to compress the spub gasket. When I did it, I was afraid to tighten tight enough to bring the tank down to the raised ribs on the bowl to make it solid, so it rocked a little when I pushed to and fro on the tank. Maybe I used a too thick gasket. So then I saw in the Home Depot book two version, one like I had that just put the rubber on the bolt and put it through all the way through the bown and just another washer/flat/nut to tighten it all up together. This I think is how it was originally. The other diagramin the home depot book showed the nut against the tank version, but the tank had a recessed area to accecpt the nut. May it doesn't matter, but I want to do it right. Also, I was advised to use a little teflon sealer goop on the washers. Thank you very much for your time and effort. Mitch.
Answer OK Mitch, You're on the right track. Both ways are correct. It all depends on the on the material that's in the tank bolt plastic envelope. We install Briggs in our new condo construction and they just have the neoprene washer against the bolt head through the tank and tightened up with a metal washer and nut onto the bowl. No teflon "goop" is used. However, to tighten a tank down so much that is has no play, (rock) at all is to invite disaster. At one time or another someone will lean back against the tank. If the tank can't "give" this will put a strain on the tank bolts cracking the brittle china tank floor at the point the bolts go through. Leave at least 1/4 to 3/8" of play in the tank to be safe. Hope this helps and thank you for rating my reply. Tom
