Removing a toilet seat

Mistral001

This looks like the seat fixing.  Note that the top of the threaded rod goes through a slot in fairly thin metal.  It is likely that turning the bar and nut together has mangled that thin metal so that it no-longer prevents the threaded rod from turning.

ThisIsWeird

Oh lawdie - please tell me Cactus has managed this by now

ThisIsWeird

Mistral001 said:

If the nut and threaded bar is turing together, that does not necessarily mean that it will unscrew from the fitting above the ceramic bowl.  I would try gripping the threaded rod tight with grip lock pliers and then try turning the nut. 

PS.  I would take my time and be very careful as it is very easy to crack  ceraminic when trying to undo nuts in and around it.  I know from experience!

I guess there could be some designs which may have a 'loose' nut inside the top cap that could spin, but all the ones I've seen have been fully 'cast' items, with the female threaded portion part of the casting. If that part breaks off - which is can, then it should be job done - the main cap body should come loose and be lifted off.

Cactus_Flowers

I did eventually manage it! It took days, but that was mostly because I kept giving up in despair

@Mistral001 found the exact fixing - the screw wasn't fixed in the cap so the only way to stop the bolt from turning with the nut would have been to brace it from below somehow, which couldn't be done while using the box spanner, and the location of the toilet between the wall and the sink would have made it nearly impossible so get my hands in that configuration anyway.

For anyone in future who has the same problem, I ended up using a hairdryer to soften the plastic ring around the caps so I could pull it away with pliers and have a little gap, then used a teeny-tiny hacksaw to saw through the the body of the bolt between the cap and the bowl. There was no way to saw below the toilet between the nut and the bowl as it was full of a half-melted plastic plug thing, for who knows whatever reason. Thank you so much to everyone for their help!

Mistral001

Cactus_Flowers said:

I did eventually manage it! It took days, but that was mostly because I kept giving up in despair

@Mistral001 found the exact fixing - the screw wasn't fixed in the cap so the only way to stop the bolt from turning with the nut would have been to brace it from below somehow, which couldn't be done while using the box spanner, and the location of the toilet between the wall and the sink would have made it nearly impossible so get my hands in that configuration anyway.

For anyone in future who has the same problem, I ended up using a hairdryer to soften the plastic ring around the caps so I could pull it away with pliers and have a little gap, then used a teeny-tiny hacksaw to saw through the the body of the bolt between the cap and the bowl. There was no way to saw below the toilet between the nut and the bowl as it was full of a half-melted plastic plug thing, for who knows whatever reason. Thank you so much to everyone for their help!

It is satisfying not paniking and sticking with the problem until it is solved sucessfully.  As someone once said "work the problem".

GDB2222

A multi tool makes short work of these things. They almost never unscrew, so cutting them is usually necessary, and the multi tool is just right for the job.

victor2

Glad you got there in the end @Cactus_Flowers!
I have a soft-close seat that doesn't close softly any more and I know it's going to be a pain to remove.
Keep looking for a reason to add a multi-tool to my arsenal @GDB2222. Got another one now. 

ThisIsWeird

Cactus_Flowers said:

I did eventually manage it! It took days, but that was mostly because I kept giving up in despair

@Mistral001 found the exact fixing - the screw wasn't fixed in the cap so the only way to stop the bolt from turning with the nut would have been to brace it from below somehow, which couldn't be done while using the box spanner, and the location of the toilet between the wall and the sink would have made it nearly impossible so get my hands in that configuration anyway.

For anyone in future who has the same problem, I ended up using a hairdryer to soften the plastic ring around the caps so I could pull it away with pliers and have a little gap, then used a teeny-tiny hacksaw to saw through the the body of the bolt between the cap and the bowl. There was no way to saw below the toilet between the nut and the bowl as it was full of a half-melted plastic plug thing, for who knows whatever reason. Thank you so much to everyone for their help!

Wow Cactus! I didn't expect that, and what a way to get access - I bet your brain worked that out whilst you were asleep!

What a truly stupid design. Make sure the replacement has properly captivated bolts/threaded bar inside the top caps, and that the underside fixing nuts are nylon!

Well done. :-)

Ganga

Mistral001 said:

Cactus_Flowers said:

I did eventually manage it! It took days, but that was mostly because I kept giving up in despair

@Mistral001 found the exact fixing - the screw wasn't fixed in the cap so the only way to stop the bolt from turning with the nut would have been to brace it from below somehow, which couldn't be done while using the box spanner, and the location of the toilet between the wall and the sink would have made it nearly impossible so get my hands in that configuration anyway.

For anyone in future who has the same problem, I ended up using a hairdryer to soften the plastic ring around the caps so I could pull it away with pliers and have a little gap, then used a teeny-tiny hacksaw to saw through the the body of the bolt between the cap and the bowl. There was no way to saw below the toilet between the nut and the bowl as it was full of a half-melted plastic plug thing, for who knows whatever reason. Thank you so much to everyone for their help!

It is satisfying not paniking and sticking with the problem until it is solved sucessfully.  As someone once said "work the problem".

The mission controller in the film Apollo 13 , played by the actor Ed Harris , wonderful film ,one of my favourites.

silvercar

I once used a hacksaw to cut through the rod.