Help removing toilet seat

tacpot12

I keep one of these for this job: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255052336774

Grip the wing nut with a pair of pliers and use the hacksaw blade to cut through the bolt. It takes a little while, but once you are three quarters of the way through you can twist the wing nut off. 

Throw away the hardware that comes with the new toilet seat and buy stainless steel alternatives to avoid having the same problem in future. 

[Deleted User]

Hi,

it won't have a slot, it will be a screw rod, like in photie,

Bendy_House

That's weird, Silvercar, as that 'cover' is usually a cast component, and the threaded rod receptacle is part of the casting. So it's strange that the actual threaded rod is turning and not coming out of that 'cover'.

Are you sure the threaded rod is actually turning?

What's the wingnut made of - plastic or metal? If plastic, then take a pair of pliers/waterpump pliers/side-cutters/wire-cutters to it, nibbling away at the plastic until you break through to the threaded bar.

Just to be clear, you cannot 'lift' that cover off, because it isn't a 'cover'. I guess you could try unscrewing the two parts of the seat from the hinge, and that will allow you to turn the 'cover' whilst holding the end of the threaded rod from turning - see if that does the trick. (You can but replacement hinges for just a few quid on eBay, or a complete V-groove seat for, I dunno - £15 - from B&M stores and similar.)

silvercar

Hacksaw won the day. The metal wing nut and metal rod were completely corroded into each other, I doubt the wing nut was actually turning anything.

thanks for all the advice.

Bendy_House

If the wingnut was corroded on to the threaded rod, or the threads there so corroded they just 'spun', then a pair of mole grips on the end of the threaded rod will very likely have unscrewed it from inside the collar.

But, hey, job done

silvercar

[Deleted User] said:

Hi,

it won't have a slot, it will be a screw rod, like in photie,

That’s what it was like, but the wing nut was metal.

what I don’t understand is what is the screw rod fixing into above the pan? What holds the chrome flat cover on?

silvercar

Bendy_House said:

If the wingnut was corroded on to the threaded rod, or the threads there so corroded they just 'spun', then a pair of mole grips on the end of the threaded rod will very likely have unscrewed it from inside the collar.

But, hey, job done

I was using an adjustable spanner on the wing nut, but I had nothing at the top to hold still. Plus it was an impossible angle to get anything of much length underneath as the toilet is in an alcove.

[Deleted User]

silvercar said:

[Deleted User] said:

Hi,

it won't have a slot, it will be a screw rod, like in photie,

That’s what it was like, but the wing nut was metal.

what I don’t understand is what is the screw rod fixing into above the pan? What holds the chrome flat cover on?

Hi,

the screw rod screws into the chrome hinge, which is threaded.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

found a diagram;

I would suggest shortening the exposed part of the rod, and lightly smearing with vaseline, to help prevent rod rusting up again with steam from bath/shower.

silvercar

[Deleted User] said:

Hi,

found a diagram;

I would suggest shortening the exposed part of the rod, and lightly smearing with vaseline, to help prevent rod rusting up again with steam from bath/shower.

Thank you, that’s makes sense now. So the only way to dismantle would have been to take off the seat and lid and see if the hinge plate would unscrew while the rod was held still.

I’ve bought a new seat that has a totally different mechanism.