I can't seem to get the toilet
seat off. What is an easy way to replace it?
Are there any tricks in installing or
choosing a new one?
Regarding the "most popular seat in the house", there are two
types of toilet seat mounts to be concerned with...
The Infamous Integral Bolt-Type Seat...
 The first type I call a integral bolt-type seat. And these are the most hateful of all
toilet seats! The bolt that fastens the seat to the toilet bowl is actually part of the
seat hinge, and is not removable. To install, just screw on the nuts under the rear of the
bowl till they are snug, using a wrench or a pliers for the last couple of turns. But now,
let's travel into the FUTURE!!
Oh, it's been six or seven years now, and the old toilet seat
is looking rather nasty. Let's put on a new one. Hmmm... the nut seems to be rather
tight... maybe just a little more force... OH Crud!!... the bolt is turning...
And, alas, our story, though not finished, has had a tragic turn. These seats are
virtually impossible to remove without either drilling off the nut, or ripping the seat to
shreds!! Note the corrosion in the graphic!
Drilling the nut may work, and will be most difficult if it happens to be a rusty steel
nut on a rusty steel bolt (which some are, for who-knows-what dimwitted reason... Toilet +
Water+ Steel = RUST! Duh! ). If you are lucky enough
to have plastic nuts, then they are easily drilled off. Why are you guys wincing, pray
tell?
But, knowing Murphy's Law as intimately at I do, you will most likely have to try this
approach. Toilets don't usually give you a lot of space to work underneath, so I have
found that the best attack is a frontal one. Carefully drill into the concealed bolt head
through the plastic, starting with a small 1/8" bit to make a pilot hole. Increase
the bit size incrementally until the head detaches from the bolt. Once the bolts are free,
and the old seat deep in the woods, its time to dance!
Toilet seat with conventional mounting bolt and
nut...
The standard toilet seat mounting is simple. A metal (hiss) or plastic bolt goes
through the hinge of the seat, usually through a hole that is concealed by a nifty cover.
Some wood seats leave the bolt head exposed. To remove, first you have to determine how to
open the cover over the screw head. You will then have access to a slotted bolt. This does
not mean that you will be able to simply unscrew the bolt. It just means that you have a
better chance! Hold the nut underneath the lip of the toilet bowl with your hand or
pliers, and with a screwdriver try to unscrew the bolt.
If you cannot remove the nut from the bolt, and the nut is plastic, simply drill it
off. If the nut and bolt are both plastic, it's easier to drill through the head, but this
combo usually comes apart without too much hassle!
If you are again dealing with a rusty steel situation (as with the integral bolt-style
seat example above), get the drill back out and go at the head of the bolt, starting with
a small enough bit to start a center hole without skittering all over the place due to the
slot. Try a 1/16" bit to start, and then your bigger bits will follow the pilot hole.
Just be careful not to snap the small bit, especially if it means another trip to the
hardware store!! I always keep a few extra littl'uns around, just in case.
Other toilet seat miscellany..
- In case you don't know it, there are two sizes of toilet seats, standard and elongated.
Be sure to get the right one for your toilet!
Measure from the center of the seat bolt holes to the outside front of the bowl. The
dimension for a standard toilet is about 16 1/2". For an elongated toilet, the
dimension is about 18 1/2".
- Toilet seats are available with open or closed fronts. Most
commercial toilets have open front seats for hygienic reasons and to
comply with local health codes. Enuf said... use your
imagination! At home personal preference still rules... so
far!
- If your new toilet seat comes with little double-sided adhesive squares, don't laugh and
throw them out... they really work! One reason toilet seats loosen is because there is so
little friction between the smooth seat hinge and the porcelain bowl,
movement is inevitable causing the seat bolts to loosen. The adhesive strips increase the friction.
Important... to make sure the area around the
bolt holes on the bowl is squeaky clean- give it a wipe with denatured (rubbing) alcohol
to remove all oil, grease, or other nasties before applying the tape. Oh... and always
apply the adhesive squares to the toilet seat first, not the toilet bowl!!
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