I need to replace the seat on my toilet but the the bolt is all rusted. How can I get this off?

Question

This is supposed to be my husbands job but it's been almost two weeks and I just want it done. I need step by step advice. I'm pretty handy myself but the rust is throwing me for a loop.

Answer 1

put some machine oil and leave it for some time it will losen it a bit then u can romove it

Answer 2

You can put WD-40 on the bolt and nut and try and remove the nut. Let it sit for a bit and let the WD-40 do it's work. If after 30 minutes or so you try it and it is still hard to loosen, that's when you play hardball with it. You could use a hacksaw on it. You can get a hacksaw for a few bucks and it will saw it off, but that can be a bit difficult to cut given how it's hard to get back to where the bolt is.

If you have the money to, and feel like spending it, here's what I'd do:

Go to Lowe's, Home Depot, or Menard's and buy a Dremmel. Don't buy the two cheaper versions, buy the best model of it. The best model does more and it holds up much better. I think mine cost me about $80. That may seem like a lot, but it can come in pretty handy from time to time. So it's good to have one around. They are small and easy to handle, and make a job such as the bathroom toilet's rusted bolt go quick. Now put some safety glasses on and put the cutting/grind wheel on the Dremmel tool. It will cut through the bolts in no time.

I got a Dremmel tool when I was working on my 1995 Camaro. I had to replace the power window motors in the doors. And you have these really hard steel rivets you have to remove. Most people try drilling through them, which takes a lot of time and is very hard. A friend of mine told me he used a handheld grinder on his and it worked better than drilling them, so I figured I'd try a Dremmel tool on mine. It made short work of the rivets, even my friend was amazed. It worked faster and better even than his handheld grinder because it is so small and easy to handle.

The other reason I recommend the Dremmel tool is if you try too hard trying to pry the nut off, you may end up cracking the porcelain on the toilet. You don't have to really worry about that when you grind the nut off.

If you try using a hacksaw just below the toilet seat on the upper end of the bolt (the taping the toilet lid up technique someone mentioned), you risk scratching the porcelain where you can see the porcelain. The hacksaw teetch could scratch the porcelain making it not look nice and harder to clean.

Answer 3

Spray some WD-40 on the rusty bolt. Wait a minute. Spray some more. Wait another minute. Repeat. This could make a bit of a mess. Make sure you put some kind of dropcloth down.


If this doesn't loosen the rust enough to crack the bolt (use the largest pliers you can find - more leverage!) then try a product called CLR (calcium,lime,rust) - It can be found in a hardware store or Home Depot. It's primarily used for removing hard water stains but will disolve rust as well. You must SOAK the rusty nut/bolt with this stuff. Follow the directions on the bottle.

The trick to cracking a rusted bolt is leverage. Use big pliers.

If all else fails, the bolt may need to be cut with very large bolt cutters...

Good luck!

Answer 4

soak the rusty thread in WD 40,and let it soak in for a while
Grip the top with a pair of mole grips(vice grips in US)and get a spanner on the bottom nut,struggle,swear for a bit and try and get it moving.Your basically cutting a new thread through the rust so if it does move,keep backing it off a half turn every few releasing turns
However,if the rust is very thick,this wont work,unless you have the upper body strength of 5 gorillas,and are a contortionist
What I did last time was slacken the bottom nut till it bound up,then held the nut with the grips,pushing it up through the hole in the seat,then cut the head of with a hacksaw.Its much less hassle,and you were`nt going to use them again any way

When you put the new seat on,protect the threads,so its not as hard next time,grease and a bit of plastic tubing works.
Have fun!!

Answer 5

A good start would be to get some WD-40 and spray it on the botls to lubricate them. Then you should use a ratchet if possible to loosed the bolts because of the mechanical advantage. If this is not possible, use a wrench, etc. Last resort would be to remove the actual hinges from the bowl, but this may be just as difficult. In the end, it's possible you might need to replace the entire toilet, which is not as big a job as it sounds, and you might be happier in the long run.

Answer 6

Depending on if the bolt is covered or not you can use a flat-head screwdriver to open the cover to the screw. The nut will be directly underneath just follow where the bolt leads down to. WD40 to loosen the bolt & nut. I used a pair of vice grips if not 2 pair after trying the screwdriver & vice grips if the WD40 doesn't work. Sometimes it needs to settle in since it is rusted but should be fairly easy to remove & replace. Be careful tho not to tighten it to tight you may crack the toliet like some knucklefuts whom I let do this for me, whom had no idea what they was doing! lol Expensive opps shall I say! Also, if you want something done right the first time without added expense you usually need to do it yourself. Plus, this is how we all learn & better it be you to crack, break, or destroy what it is your trying to fix this way you only have you to be mad at not the knucklefuts who said they knew how to do it. lol Good luck to you!!!

Answer 7

first try spraying the bolt with WD-40 or similar product, leave for approximately 20 minutes, clean the thread with a wire brush then try to remove.
if that doesn't work hit the nut with a chisel and hammer it should be a brass nut so it wont be to hard to snap off ( you will need to hit the nut in the centre of a flat side with the chisel running in the same direction as the bolt and you may have to hit it several times). once the nut has split it should unscrew easily. ( be care full not to break the ceramic!)
if that fails you could possibly use an angle grinder with a cut off blade and cut it off, make sure you have PPE on.
good luck

Answer 8

I've used a great product from the hardware store called "Liquid Wrench" -- it's in an aerosol can. It's loosened up rusted nuts, bolts, and plumbing fixtures that even WD40 couldn't budge. It's very fast acting -- just follow directions.

Answer 9

Put dirty towels around on the foor, under the bolt. Then spray it with WD-40 every couple of hours until it loosens enough to remove the nut. Or just get a real man to do it for you.

Answer 10

WD40

Let it soak for a day, periodically wiping off old oil and respraying it. And if that doesn't work, try a little mechanical agitation...ie...banging on it with a wrench. Be very careful not to smash the toilet, or your husband will have a bigger job...which may cure him of his procrastination habits!

Make sure you are using the correct wrench. Pliers are not good enough. Either vice grips, or socket set...whatever happens to fit.

Answer 11

Spray WD-40 on the bolts let stand for a few minutes and try again... This product is so good to have around...it even get rid of the soam scum on the glass of your shower door or in your bath..