Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop overtightening toilet bolts

I kept cracking toilet flanges for like 2 years in a row, and I couldn't figure out why. Then a plumber in Tucson just said "you're cranking them like lug nuts" and now I hand tighten them with a screwdriver shaft instead of a socket wrench. Has anyone else broken a flange from going too ham on the bolts?

3 comments

3 Comments

iris_schmidt2d ago

Yeah, I messed up a flange back in 2017 at my old place in Portland. I was using a ratchet and just kept cranking until it felt solid. Heard a crack and thought it was just the wax ring settling. Nope. Had to chisel the whole thing out and replace the PVC. That plumber in Tucson gave you solid advice though. I switched to just snugging them by hand with a short screwdriver now. It took me three broken flanges over five years to finally learn that lesson myself.

the_eric2d ago

That line about thinking the crack was just the wax ring settling stuck with me. I've done the exact same thing - convinced myself the sound was nothing while knowing full well it probably wasn't. Three broken flanges over five years sounds about right for learning this stuff the hard way. Did you ever try using a torque wrench on the bolts before you gave up on ratchets entirely? I'm curious if there's a middle ground between hand tightening and snapping everything off.

jordan_henderson132d ago

Doubt it's that big of a deal, @iris_schmidt. I've overtightened tons of stuff.