"Charlie" writes:
"blueman" wrote in message
...
I replaced the gasket and tank bolts of a 10+ year old toilet.
The tank bolt kit included rubber-fiber and stainless washers.
The kit warned about tightening the bolts too much and potentially
cracking the porcelain but I still tightened them a fair bit - enough
to deform the rubber washers.

When I filled the tank, water dripped out in a steady stream from both
sides. Tightening the nuts a bit more didn't seem to make much of a
difference.

I don't see any crack in the porcelain and the contact surface around
the washers seems pretty flat without any noticeable pits, bumps, or
cracks.

- Is there any "trick" to making the joints leak tight or do I just need
to keep tightening?

- How likely am I to crack it if I tighten more?

- Am I better off adding some pure silicon caulk to make it watertight
or do I just keep tightening until the leaking stops and hope the
porcelain won't crack?
- Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Be sure that the sequence of putting on the washers etc. is right.

Check out this video
http://www.ehow.com/video_2329611_in...ank-bolts.html


Turns out that I had replace the bolts/washers in the original order
bolt
metal washer
rubber washer
tank bottom
bowl rim
rubber washer
metal washer
nut

However, the replacement parts came with a difficult to follow diagram
which I in retrospect realized was:
bolt
metal washer
rubber washer
tank bottom
nut

bowl rim
rubber washer
metal washer
nut

This makes sense in that it allows you to tighten the seal at the tank
independent of the connection to the bowl. It also allows the seal to
sit perfectly flat and reduces the risk of cracking the tank/bowl just
in order to get a tight seal

I decided to do this one better by purchasing a pack of spare rubber
washers and doing the following:
bolt
metal washer
rubber washer
tank bottom
rubber washer
metal washer
nut

bowl rim
rubber washer
metal washer
nut

I also added some plumbers putty for good measure.
Works like a charm...

Thanks for motivating me to look more carefully at the package...