Hi, my toilet seat broke recently and I need to replace it. The toilet is the back to the wall kind with no access to underneath. Eventually managed to find a replacement that fits to the top but the problem now is removing the existing fittings. Managed to get one of them out eventually, mainly because it was loose already, and its a plastic plug with a washer on top and a long screw going into it with an allan key fitting. The second one however is proving more elusive!! Whenever I try to turn the screw the plastic plug just spins along with it. Have tried pliers, levering it, wrapping electrical tape round to get more grip and general brute force, but the washer on top of the plug keeps getting in the way of getting any grip on the plug!! Any ideas?
problem changing toilet seat
- Thread starter hfp
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PaddyBloggit
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A hack saw ... cut it off.
Thanks for the reply. Not sure if the hacksaw idea will work though. The plug is designed so that when the screw goes through the plug there are plastic arms that stick out on either side holding it in place. Even if I cut the top off, Im worried that the plug will still be wedged in place and won't go up or down...
PaddyBloggit
Registered User
- Messages
- 3,745
If the plug is plastic you'll get it out .... a rasp will wear it down so that you could push it out with a suitably sized length of timber tapped with a hammer or similar.
I wish you had a photo of this as it would make helping easier.
Tactics I usually use with stubborn or spinning/ badly gripped/rusted through screws is
1) lock a vice grips on each moving part. then you can hammer or lever each one in opposing directions to separate them. WD40 is sometimes helpful when applied beforehand and allowed to soak in.
2) Use of a file
or
3) Drill into it carefully with an appropriate metal drill bit but avoid the porcelain (since its a toilet I assume its some kind of porcelain ?) and start very slowly watching the vibrations on any porcelain nearby to the action as you dont want to crack it.
Tactics I usually use with stubborn or spinning/ badly gripped/rusted through screws is
1) lock a vice grips on each moving part. then you can hammer or lever each one in opposing directions to separate them. WD40 is sometimes helpful when applied beforehand and allowed to soak in.
2) Use of a file
or
3) Drill into it carefully with an appropriate metal drill bit but avoid the porcelain (since its a toilet I assume its some kind of porcelain ?) and start very slowly watching the vibrations on any porcelain nearby to the action as you dont want to crack it.