Is your toilet leaking between the tank and the bowl after flushing? You most likely have a problem with the toilet tank to bowl gasket, also called a spud washer. The aim of this post, therefore, is to teach you how to replace a toilet tank with a bowl gasket in the simplest way possible.
The toilet tank-to-bowl gasket is a rubber seal that allows water from the tank to go through the flush valve and enter the bowl without leaking. If you have noticed water leaking between the tank and the bowl after flushing, the problem is most likely the gasket, which you will need to replace.
Replacing the toilet tank to bowl gasket involves 3 steps:
Toilet tank to bowl gaskets are universal, although flush valves are different sizes. Most flush valves have a diameter of 2 inches, but some toilets have flush valves with diameters of 3 or even 4 inches.
The first thing you need to do is determine the size of your flush valve. That will help you know what tank-size bowl gasket to buy.
To replace a toilet tank to bowl gasket, turn off the water to the toilet, flush the toilet, and remove the toilet tank. Slide out the old gasket and slide in the new one. Install the tank and turn the water back on. Make sure there are no leaks.
Replacing the toilet tank with a bowl gasket is always a good chance to replace the tank bolts and washers. Toilet tank bolts often get corroded and hence the need to replace them.
Also, the bolts and nuts are backed up by two washers each. A metallic and a rubber washer. The rubber washer should always be the one in contact with the tank. This is to prevent the tank from cracking in case of overtightening during installation.
The rubber washers also prevent the toilet from leaking from around the toilet bolts. It is important to replace these washers as they tend to wear out primarily due to hard water minerals in the toilet tank water.
After gathering all the required items, it is time to get down to business. I should add that while doing this repair, you can consider replacing all the toilet tank parts.
Fixing the tank completely instead of replacing one part at a time is a good idea. Apart from saving on time and cost, replacing all the toilet tank parts will have your toilet flushing better than before.
You can also take this time to paint the back of the toilet tank. Most people are always looking to do it but are unable to, but now would be a perfect time since the tank will be out of the way.
Now let us look at how to replace a toilet tank with a bowl gasket in detail.
A toilet tank is normally, by design, placed above the toilet bowl. This makes flushing easy by utilizing the force of gravity. A water supply line from the shut-off valve is connected to the tank through the toilet fill valve. The tank is connected to the bowl by two or three bolts.
Follow these steps to remove the toilet tank:
Once you have removed the old gasket, clean it and inspect it for any defects. Although reuse/repair of a gasket is not encouraged, sometimes the leak is caused by more than just the wearing out of a gasket. Check also the condition of the flush valve nut in case it is damaged and needs replacement.
The flush valve nut is the large nut where the tank-to-bowl gasket is installed. If it is broken, you will need to replace the entire flush valve. This is how to replace a toilet flush valve.
The toilet tank rubber washers also cannot be reused. In this case, buying the gasket, bolts, nuts, and washers as a complete kit is best to avoid any near-future repairs.
Make sure that you buy the correct size of tank to bowl gasket. They are not all of the same size.
The size of the toilet tank to bowl gasket depends on the size of the flush valve. Flush valves have a diameter of between 2 and 4 inches. Measure the size of the flush valve to determine the size of the gasket needed.
Fluidmaster and Korky have some of the best universal toilet tank-to-bowl gaskets and other toilet tank repair kits.
Once you have the gasket ready, installing it is easy. Just slide it back the way the old one was. Slide it all the way and make sure it fits over the flush valve nut.
When installing the toilet tank, the most important thing is the arrangement of the washers. The best practice is to use metallic and rubber washers. The rubber washers should always be the ones in contact with the tank.
If you are happy with the new gasket, proceed to install the toilet tank as follows:
While replacing the tank to bowl gasket, there is a chance that the toilet flapper came off from its position. Before opening the water inlet valve, please take time to make sure it is sitting pretty above the flush valve opening.
Most people will struggle with a leaking toilet at some part in their life. Knowing how to diagnose the type of leakage is halfway to solving the problem. As a result, most people who can’t do this pay a lot of money to plumbers to fix these problems for them. As we have seen, if you know how to replace the toilet tank with a bowl gasket, among other toilet repairs, you can save good money.
1. Why is my toilet leaking from the bottom of the tank?
The rubber gasket between the tank and the bowl is worn out or damaged. The rubber seal prevents flush water from leaking where the tank is joined to the bowl. It will need to be replaced.
2. How do I fix a leaking toilet tank bolt?
Toilet tanks are installed using bolts backed up by rubber washers. The rubber washers serve two purposes. They prevent water from leaking through the bolt’s holes and help prevent the tank’s breaking during installation. If the bolts are loose or the washers are worn out, you will need to either tighten the bolts or replace the bolts and washers.
