Once it is cool, try out the breaker bar again. Oh yeah, I've totally done this with my toilet before! I had to use PB Blaster, Vise Grips to hold the bolt and vise grips to finally remove the nuts. Thanks for contributing an answer to Home Improvement Stack Exchange! If you must use a saw, I would prefer a rotary tool such as a Dremel with the proper metal-cutting blade. This extra leverage should allow you to 'persuade' the nut to move, or if it's really on there, the bolt will snap. The screwdriver is for the bolt head and the wrench for the nut underneath the tank. Source: I have cut many bolts and other metal items using a dremel. Heat it up as hot as you can get it without melting the bolt. Anything that moved the blade back and forth (especially on metal) may have unpredictable movements if the blade binds up. site design / logo © 2021 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa. I'd recommend that tool set, but you can probably get a deep socket on there as well which would be a big help. See the article 'How To Remove a Toilet' for instructions on taking up a toilet. In order to keep the toilet firm on the floor without rocking back and forth the bolts should be moderately tight. Once you drill through, the head will split from the bolt. The Shkadov Thruster, or: How to Move an Entire Solar System, How to Make Beer (Cheaply, Simply): Step-By-Step Guide, Know Your Stuff: The 110 Best DIY Tips Ever, How to Stop Deer From Eating Your Garden (With 22 Plant Ideas! Set two new bolts in the flange, place a wax ring on the bottom of the new toilet and set it in place. My primary socket set is a fantastic Craftsman set with hollow centers. A home brew concoction of 50 percent Acetone and 50 percent ATF may work well in some cases, but be mindful of the fumes. Bolt cutters are not really the best tool for cutting off rusted closet bolts. Next time make sure the bolt is stainless... -- A bit of clarification... our toilet tanks here (France) are mounted with this kind of stuff: The bolt head and rubber cone go into the tank, and the rest pokes out of the bottom, which results in something like that: So the method I used was to drill the head of the bolt off. How do you take into account order in linear programming? I always thought my breaker bar was just a wrench with a long handle. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. Nut is rusted to a spinning anchor bolt; Author: CowboyRon (CA) I have a nut that is thoroughly rusted onto the toilet anchor bolt. In this example I used a special female square drive socket that fits the square on the pipe plug. To replace the rusted toilet flange you first need to remove the broken or rusted areas using a hacksaw. It works quite well. What is your opinion about using WD-40 as a substitute for Anti-seize? The tapping is to vibrate the bolt/nut so the Liquid Wrench can work into the rusted nut. The bottom of the toilet bowl will be sealed to the toilet flange with a wax ring. The first step is to remove the old rusted bolts. With this type of arrangement it is just not possible to get a grip in the small size of the bolt at or below the nut. No matter how long the bolt the socket wrench slides right on. Can you legally move a dead body to preserve it as evidence? What does "Drive Friendly -- The Texas Way" mean? Before attempting to remove the bolts, I recommend spraying them with a product such as Penetrating Blaster. Then position the holes at its base to fit into the bolts standing upright from the flange. I need to change the wax ring on my toilet. I thought of trying bolt cutters. Another thing to consider is that bolt cutters typically have a jaw profile as shown below. This can be softened with heat. Then cut vertically through the nut. Get ready to see sparks fly, literally. You can use a plunger to push residual water out of the bowl or bail it out. However, with all of the rust and corrosion, you won’t be able to get it to budge. Instead of attacking the problem from below the toilet bowl, you could work from the top. Is the bolt worth saving? Many times it … A rusted fastener that has lost its tensile strength won't have the necessary clamping force to do its job. I tried applying a penetrant, gave it a few hours to let it sit, but when I went to attempt to remove the nut I found that I was just spinning the anchor bolt. The ones they sell will cut nails, but not hardened screws. Cut the nuts off exhaust fasteners with an abrasive wheel mounted on a die grinder. Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Either way it should come off. Take a socket wrench with an extension so that the handle is a few inches above the base sticking forward from the toilet. There are a few key steps that you must take to ensure this process goes as smoothly as possible. Be sure to wear both gloves and safety glasses, move anything flammable away from the work area, and cover trim, drywall, anything nailed down that you do not want damaged. The majority of bolts seize due to corrosion in the form of rust. Remove the Toilet Bowl Pry off the bolt caps at the base of the toilet using a screwdriver. The way to do it here is completely. How we test gear. If you bear pressure on a hand operated hack saw as the blade moves in both directions you will wear out the blade faster than otherwise. I used my angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disc to cut them off. I second using a grinder; I've used one many times for exactly this application. If the screws are in good condition, save them. As far as bolt cutters, it isn't so much the size of the cutter as your strength. Re: RUSTED OUT TOILET BOLTS; Author: royboy (SC) This is the reason that high quality plumbers use brass toilet bolts, 17 ga. brass p-traps, all brass basket strainers etc. Remove the plastic caps that are covering the bolts on either side of the toilet. You could also easily break the flange with all that torque. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, 100 Items You Should Reuse Instead of Throw Out, Start Gardening Early By Building This Cold Frame, Don't Toss That X-Mas Tree: Let's Make Something. great answer with the dremel pictures included. You want low-violence, low-impact methods. Take a socket wrench with an extension so that the handle is a few inches above the base sticking forward from the toilet. The first thing you need to do is decide if the bolt is ready to break. It may be easier to just break the bolt and replace it. Heat those suckers up and then immediately put a wrench on them and start turning. Cutting those bolts would be further down on my list of options. Select the proper tool. These nuts-bolts attach the toilet to the flange. @Mowzer start cutting the nut on an angle not perpendicular but say on a 45 degree. Also, it would probably behoove you to take a wire brush and clean up the exposed threads as best you can before removal. Some bolts are brass plated or coated to look like brass. It's a … After you cut into both sides (you only need most of the way about 80-85% or so)- cut one side a bit wider (or use a wider cutting wheel) so you can - insert your screw driver into the cut out . How to remove a shelf fastener with a round head and no slot. I have one toilet with (thankfully) cosmetic damage from where I tried to cut a bolt using a reciprocating saw. My technique involves cutting off and bolt that extends through the nut. Because your vision is narrow through dark tinted safety glasses, have a spotter watching for telltale smoke or flames. The other issue is given the large and clumsy size it could damage the porcelain. ). Even cheaper is to just buy a single hack saw blade and wear gloves. Hold the toilet upright over the flange and guide the bolts through the holes in the base as you lower it in place. rev 2021.1.7.38271, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Home Improvement Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. Cutting them is slow without a power tool but worth it if it spares the flange. How did SNES render more accurate perspective than PS1? Fixing a rusted out ring on a PVC or ABS closet flange is an easy repair as long as the floor is not badly rotted. Let it soak into the area around the nut for a minute or two. Breaking a blind stud could mean hours of drilling out the busted shank. If you cannot get the nut to move, try using a breaker bar which provides more leverage. We have a really old toilet in one of our bathrooms which has started to leak around the tank bolts. Are you turning it the correct way? The rusted bolt is always tough to take off, but any DIYer with a level head and steady hand can tackle the challenge. Does a small bolt cutter exist which tensions with a wrench? The bolt cutters I have are, I believe, 24 inches, but they are too big to fit into the space I need to fit them in order to cut the bolts. Cutting through one of them may cause a sudden shift of weight which may cause damage such as cracking the porcelain near one of the bolt holes, or the saw blade may nick the enamel coating on the toilet. Dremel moto-tool, a steady hand, goggles, and plenty of cutoff discs. It is difficult to remove these stuck fasteners, especially if the metal head or threads are affected by rust making it hard for a screwdriver or wrench to grip them. How to label resources belonging to users in a two-sided marketplace? 5. But did not understand why. The bolt will have a flat top that you can see on the bottom of the flush tank. If the nut is bonded to the bolt, you will need more serious techniques. I can get to … A stiff wire brush and a little elbow grease goes a long way toward happy results. I use the dremel all the time in this situation even though I have a minihacksaw and the oscillating tool - the dremel is it. What advantage/s does a mini-hacksaw have over bolt cutters for this job? Slip your repair flange spanner under the toilet flange but replace a toilet bolt in the concrete floor through the hole in your spanner for easy toilet reinstallation. Many modern cars have extensive amounts of plastic that can melt and catch fire if you are not vigilant. Use a steady, even pressure paying close attention to the feel or each turn. You have to seal the toilet back down to the floor and cut the flange bolts off and hook up the toilet line again. Getting angry will put you at risk of making it worse. Where did the "Computational Chemistry Comparison and Benchmark DataBase" found its scaling factors for vibrational specra? The first rule is to invoke the patience of a Bonsai artist. Remove the plastic cap over the stuck bolt, if you haven't already. No, There Isn't a '5G Chip' in the COVID Vaccine, Gear of the Year: The Best Products We Tested, Tiny Nuclear Reactors Can Save American Energy, The Best Smart TVs for Picture-Perfect Clarity, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Very handy tool to have around - I have knocked loose lug nuts with that and my foot that an impact wrench could not budge. Rust forms when fasteners from a combination of heat, moisture and age. The reason being that they typically will apply a significant pressure against the porcelain base of the stool and crack or break it. Thanks for your answer. By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Moisture can lead to the degradation of the nuts and screws. taproot.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/…. Typically closet bolts are brass so I'm a little surprised to read that they are rusted. This works beautifully for anything where you can apply an open flame without damaging the surrounding area. I second this. However, there can certainly be other types of corrosion present, as well as dirt, grime, and mineral deposits if water got in there (you do need to replace the wax ring, after all). But it will take forever and a day to make the cut, especially if you use the wrong blade. CRL over HTTPS: is it really a bad practice? When I added new bolts to the toilets I replaced, the bolts came longer than they needed to be (helps with installation) but there's a bare spot for cutting to proper length. A non-ratcheting socket driver designed to take off, but not hardened screws ) item 10 % than cheap. Photoshop CS6 drive socket that fits the square on the floor, down! Same reason it a lot of homes here in South Carolina USA have flanges! 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