ListWise

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Maiden Voyage of the SS HAJOCA

I got the toilet installed today, sort of. It was really a lot of work and I have one tiny, tiny leak that I can’t make go away. It’s at the transition from the flush valve to the flush tube. These are all new parts and there is a new washer in there. I took it apart and put it back together and it still leaks. I physically can’t tighten it any more. It is a fraction of a drop every 30- seconds. It could not be a smaller leak and I can’t make it stop. It’s very frustrating. I must admit though, the toilet looks great, and that is what’s important after all.



I may need to remove the tank and install a new washer tomorrow. There is also a small piece of trim that goes just under the tank, and I need to add some lead weights to the flush lever. Originally this would have had a cast iron flush valve inside and the weight would not have been an issue. With the new flush valve the lever is too heavy and the flapper won’t stay down. I just need to add some lead fishing sinkers to add a bit of weight to it. I had to do the same thing to my upstairs toilet.



Another problem was one of the slip nuts for the supply line. It’s that large brass nut at the tank. It’s a 7/8ths inch slip nut and I had to go to 3 hardware stores to find one. I also left the wax gasket in the sun too long and it fell off as I was putting the toilet on. It pretty much fell apart so that was another trip to the hardware store.

The long flush tube had to be trimmed at both ends. I was paranoid about cutting too much off, so there was a lot of trimming and testing. Very time consuming.

Also, on these old toilets there are 4 bolts that mount them to the floor. There are two at the closet flange, just like most modern toilets, and then two at the front that screw in to the floor. As we all know, my floor is the Oberon Saloon tile. I bought a $12, ¼ inch Glass/Tile drill bit. I alternated between two holes because I had a feeling the bit wouldn’t last. I was right. The thing absolutely disintegrated about half way through both tiles. I didn’t even make it a total of a half inch in and the bit literally fell apart. I then destroyed a ¼ inch masonry bit to finish the holes.

When all was said and done the bolts were too short to make it in to the sub floor. I have half inch tile and half inch cement board. It was a complete waste of time, money, and drill bits. The bolts are there, but they do absolutely nothing. I’ve going to need to drill 3/8th inch holes in the tile for the sink. That should be fun.



I also got the marble on the small cabinet. I’ve decided to do it on large one as well, but that maybe weeks away. And I broke down and moved the tub so I could re-grout the tile under there. Honestly, this bathroom may never be finished.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did you properly center the tub this time? (Just kidding.) It looks great, Greg, I'm so glad you went with the marble top on your cabinet. Did you consider talking to the neighbor about the leak? If you got defective innards maybe he knows a plumber's trick to stop the leak.

Greg said...

I have far too much pride to ask anyone for help with a leak this small. I'll get it, no matter what.

StuccoHouse said...

Very nice. I love those supply line turn off valves for the sink (my term, possibly not the correct one).

Tarr said...

Wow! It looks great. Nobody could ever use it for its intended purpose.

Jason and Heather said...

I had the same problem with the 2 antique toilets I've installed so far. The way I fixed them was to take the connection back apart and slather on a bunch of pipe dope. The leak should go away completely in a day or two if not right away.

The toilet looks great by the way!

Greg said...

Thanks, I got the leak fixed. The wainscot cap was in the way and the pipe could not go in to the tank straight. I notched the cap a bit and the leak went away.

Katherine said...

The marble is pretty!!!

Unknown said...

it's classic...good job...toilet tank design has always been beyond my comprehension- i understand the concept of the drain hole being on the bottom, but why is the inlet on the bottom, too? it doubles the opportunities for leaks.

Greg said...

Gary,

You're right. I never thought of it that way, but it is odd. They aren't all that way, though. My upstairs high-tank fills over the side, and I've seen another variation that was filled from the back. Still, the vast majority always have and still do fill from the bottom. Just one more place to leak.

Greg

Jo daniels said...

Hi Greg,

I just came across your blog and was very interested and surprised with what I read in regards to the toilet you located. I too have come across a very nice HOJOCA toilet. If you could please check out my blog and let me know your thought, It would be greatly appreciated.

http://josantiques.blogspot.com/

Thanks,

Jo