Pro Handyman Blog

If one of your toilet tank bolts has corroded and broken, you will likely get a leak in between the tank and the bowl. You will need new bolts and the kit will include washers and nuts.

Turn the water off to the toilet, flush it and disconnect the water supply line. You probably don’t have to disconnect the supply line, but if thinks go wrong you could kink the line, so don’t risk it. Dab any remaining water out of the tank and remove the bolts. You may have to tap on the bottom of them to get them to pop out of the holes. Once the bolts are out, scrape any remnants of the old rubber washers from the bottom of the tank.

The kit will come with a diagram for the order of washers. You want to slide a metal washer on the bolt first, and then the rubber washer. This will apply more bearing pressure against the rubber to stop any leaks. You will want to tighten the nuts enough to stop any leaks, but not so tight that you crack the porcelain. I usually push down on the tank enough to compress the spud gasket and make tightening the nuts easier. You can to this to each side of the tank until everything is tight and leak free.

Reinstall the supply line and turn the water back on. Give it a couple of flushes and check for any leaks.