The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get
us over the next two weeks.

I have drained it and am letting it dry out at the moment. The interior
is has a fairly rough surface and I wonder if it would be feasible to
cover the cracked area with Araldite and some sort of material to make a
'plaster'. Or would a viable alternative be something like car body
filler?
--
Robert

On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 19:29:24 +0000, Robert wrote:

The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get
us over the next two weeks.

I have drained it and am letting it dry out at the moment. The interior
is has a fairly rough surface and I wonder if it would be feasible to
cover the cracked area with Araldite and some sort of material to make a
'plaster'. Or would a viable alternative be something like car body
filler?


You sure you didn't hit it with something that would mean you claiming
your Home Insurance(buildings) accidental damage policy ..



Stuart




--

Shift THELEVER to reply.

On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 19:29:24 +0000, Robert wrote:

The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get
us over the next two weeks.

I have drained it and am letting it dry out at the moment. The interior
is has a fairly rough surface and I wonder if it would be feasible to
cover the cracked area with Araldite and some sort of material to make a
'plaster'. Or would a viable alternative be something like car body
filler?

Yep, Plastic Padding on it's own worked for me.

Surfaces well prepared (cleaned) and to a decent thickness (1/4").
Lasted more than 15 years on me Mum's toilet cistern.

DG

On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 19:29:24 +0000, Robert wrote:

The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get
us over the next two weeks.

I have drained it and am letting it dry out at the moment. The interior
is has a fairly rough surface and I wonder if it would be feasible to
cover the cracked area with Araldite and some sort of material to make a
'plaster'. Or would a viable alternative be something like car body
filler?

yes and or yes.

Mulliput may work also..and looks a bit nicer - esp. the white.

In article ,
Robert writes:
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC

I have this mental image of a new WC and cistern, closely
wrapped in Santa Claus paper, standing next to the Christmas
tree...

but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get us over
the next two weeks.

Might want to make double sure the family don't end up with
a dose of food poisening this year, if the loo might not be
up to it.

--
Andrew Gabriel

"Robert" wrote in message
...
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at the
corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly mean a
new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get us over
the next two weeks.

I have drained it and am letting it dry out at the moment. The interior
is has a fairly rough surface and I wonder if it would be feasible to
cover the cracked area with Araldite and some sort of material to make a
'plaster'. Or would a viable alternative be something like car body
filler?
--
Robert
Try this-I have had good reports
http://www.sylglas.com/products/plumberfix.htm

Robert wrote:
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get
us over the next two weeks.

I have successfully "tanked" a cistern, using fibreglass
matting and resin. Get some matting (you can use car
repair kits, but it's cheaper to but matting/resin), and
some resin and catalyst. It's handy to have some cellulose
thinners and cheap 1/2" paintbrushes, too. Cut out shapes
from the matting to approximately fit the inside of the
cistern, with 2" overlaps. Make sure you've a number of
disposable containers to mix the resin in. ISTR I started
at the bottom, with one piece of matting, and overlapped
oblongs for the sides onto it. Make a small amount of
resin (perhaps 1/8 pt., *don't* use too much hardener),
quickly and roughly soak the area of the cistern your
first patch will cover, put on the patch, and stipple in
more resin 'till it's saturated. Don't bother to coat the
mat where it covers holes, BUT the matt *must* be soaked
to the edge of the hole. When one bit is on, do anoother
bit, and continue, ideally not letting the resin cure
completely between patches. Put in another "bottom", and
then sides. When it's solid, cut out any holes (drill and
padsaw). De-nib if necessary around the "holes", and
loosely put the "gubbins" back inside, using more resin
or filler to make sure the washers etc. form a flat bed
to seat on. When it's gone off enough, remove the
"gubbins", make sure the seatings are OK, and put the lot
back together. Fill the crack with clear casting resin,
or just resin with a tiny amount of catalyst so it's not
particularly coloured. Done reasonably well, this job
will last many, many years. I did this to rescue a cracked
cistern in a matching decorated suite. What have I
forgotten? Hm. Cover the crack with tape before you start,
on the outside, so that dirt doesn't get into it and make
it show as a black line. The thinners is for cleaning up
resin that's not rock hard.

In message , Robert
writes
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to
get us over the next two weeks.

I have drained it and am letting it dry out at the moment. The
interior is has a fairly rough surface and I wonder if it would be
feasible to cover the cracked area with Araldite and some sort of
material to make a 'plaster'. Or would a viable alternative be
something like car body filler?

We had a plastic bath with a crack in it, leaked terribly. A bit of
gaffa tape on the inside sorted it. It was still doing its job perfectly
well until we replaced the suite some six months later.

If nothing else, it will only cost you 5p worth of tape to find out!
Someone

The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get
us over the next two weeks.

Whilst a repair should be fairly simple, so is replacing the cistern. I'd be
tempted to do the job properly right away if you can get hold of a
compatible cistern. There shouldn't be any need to replace the business end,
unless you had your heart set on a change of style.

Christian.

In article ,
"Christian McArdle" writes:

Whilst a repair should be fairly simple, so is replacing the cistern. I'd be
tempted to do the job properly right away if you can get hold of a
compatible cistern. There shouldn't be any need to replace the business end,
unless you had your heart set on a change of style.

I don't think you can buy more than a 6l flush nowadays,
and that won't clear a 30 year old pan designed for a
9l flush. In some designs, you might be able to increase
it slightly by raising the fill level and blocking the
syphon air inlet.

--
Andrew Gabriel

"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...
Robert wrote:
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get
us over the next two weeks.

I have successfully "tanked" a cistern, using fibreglass
matting and resin. Get some matting (you can use car
repair kits, but it's cheaper to but matting/resin), and

Snip - sounds easier, quicker and almost as cheap to buy another cistern!

Paul Andrews wrote:
"Chris Bacon" wrote...
Robert wrote:
I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to get
us over the next two weeks.

I have successfully "tanked" a cistern, using fibreglass
matting and resin. Get some matting (you can use car
repair kits, but it's cheaper to but matting/resin), and

Snip - sounds easier, quicker and almost as cheap to buy
another cistern!

"I did this to rescue a cracked cistern in a matching
decorated suite"

In message , Robert
writes
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is cracked at
the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will undoubtedly
mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can make a temporary repair to
get us over the next two weeks.

I have drained it and am letting it dry out at the moment. The
interior is has a fairly rough surface and I wonder if it would be
feasible to cover the cracked area with Araldite and some sort of
material to make a 'plaster'. Or would a viable alternative be
something like car body filler?

Very many thanks for all the suggestions - I have decided to try the
Plastic Padding body filler reinforced with their aluminium mesh - it
may be a bit belt and braces but I am concerned that the cracks are a
position that could easily get knocked.
--
Robert

Chris Bacon wrote:
Robert wrote:
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is
cracked at the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will
undoubtedly mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can
make a temporary repair to get us over the next two weeks.

I have successfully "tanked" a cistern, using fibreglass
matting and resin. Get some matting (you can use car
repair kits, but it's cheaper to but matting/resin), and
some resin and catalyst. It's handy to have some cellulose
thinners and cheap 1/2" paintbrushes, too. Cut out shapes
from the matting to approximately fit the inside of the
cistern, with 2" overlaps.

Or for a short term job, paint inside with thick layer of bitumenised
roofing muck?

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 01:08:43 -0000, "Steve Walker"
wrote:

Chris Bacon wrote:
Robert wrote:
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is
cracked at the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will
undoubtedly mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can
make a temporary repair to get us over the next two weeks.

I have successfully "tanked" a cistern, using fibreglass
matting and resin. Get some matting (you can use car
repair kits, but it's cheaper to but matting/resin), and
some resin and catalyst. It's handy to have some cellulose
thinners and cheap 1/2" paintbrushes, too. Cut out shapes
from the matting to approximately fit the inside of the
cistern, with 2" overlaps.

Or for a short term job, paint inside with thick layer of bitumenised
roofing muck?


I'm just think that in the time taken to have discussed all of this, a
new suite could have been purchased and installed.


--

..andy

Steve Walker wrote:
Chris Bacon wrote:
Robert wrote:
The cistern on our 30 year old close-coupled WC cistern is
cracked at the corner of one side and the font and leaking. This will
undoubtedly mean a new WC but I am wondering if I can
make a temporary repair to get us over the next two weeks.

I have successfully "tanked" a cistern, using fibreglass
matting and resin.

Or for a short term job, paint inside with thick layer of bitumenised
roofing muck?

I suppose you could - the cistern I repaired was cracked so badly
that it might have fallen to pieces, though! Interestingly, the
resin did not bond at all well to the porcelain, for some reason.
That black sht sticks to almost anything!

In message , Andy Hall
writes

I'm just think that in the time taken to have discussed all of this, a
new suite could have been purchased and installed.

Probably not - firstly the odds on the concealed polyhawk feed to the
cistern being in the right place are from previous experience, rather
high. I have decided that I need to run a new cold feed into the
bathroom before changing any part of the suite. Secondly we have
decided to change the suite from coloured to white and this means the
wall tiles need replacing.
--
Robert

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 19:04:06 +0000, Robert wrote:

In message , Andy Hall
writes

I'm just think that in the time taken to have discussed all of this, a
new suite could have been purchased and installed.

Probably not - firstly the odds on the concealed polyhawk feed to the
cistern being in the right place are from previous experience, rather
high. I have decided that I need to run a new cold feed into the
bathroom before changing any part of the suite. Secondly we have
decided to change the suite from coloured to white and this means the
wall tiles need replacing.


Ah..... I see....

Somebody has (proverbially) painted over the gas tap.... ;-)

--

..andy