American Standard is one of the top toilet makers in the world that is known for manufacturing high-end, quality toilet units for residential and commercial installations. However, even the best and most expensive toilet tank can crack without warning! But you don’t have to worry too much about the cracks when they crop up. If you follow the right steps, fixing a broken toilet cistern is quite simple and affordable. Here is an easy-to-follow guide on how to fix the American Standard Toilet tank crack.
What Would Cause A Toilet Tank To Crack?
Here are some common reasons American Standard Toilet tanks develop cracks:
1. Old Toilet
You should replace an old toilet tank in your bathroom because, as time goes by, the porcelain also starts wearing out. It’s normal for bathroom fixtures to start cracking as they age, especially if your toilet tank was made from a mixture of cement and water. This often happens when the temperature inside the toilet’s cistern is different from the air outside. It is possible that a crack in one part of a toilet tank is branching out from a particular spot as the cistern ages. Buying a new tank will be better than trying to fix it.
2. Cracks Due to Previous Repairs
There are some risks involved when adjusting or even repairing your toilet. This happens mainly because the porcelain that makes up the tank of your toilet is very fragile. Cracks may be caused when you are making some adjustments to your toilet tank. For instance, if you excessively tighten some of the bolts and nuts that secure your tank, the bottom part of the tank may start to crack.
When it is time to put the lid back on your toilet tank after some repairs are done, do not force it very hard. This may cause cracks to appear on your American Standard toilet tank. These cracking problems will continue to spread even further and seriously damage your toilet tank.
3. Toilet Cistern Accidents
Even small accidents, like accidentally dropping metallic heavy objects on your toilet tank, could cause the lid to crack the toilet tank. Additionally, if you accidentally fall while taking a shower and use the toilet tank for support to come out of the shower, a crack may develop because of the pressure you exert on the tank.
How to Locate and Fix the Crack
Your toilet could have cracks that go below or over the water line and down the sides of its tank. If you find out exactly where the crack occurred, you will be able to determine what is needed to fix it.
In some cases, the crack may have occurred just right above the cistern water line. This generally is not a problem unless the damage spreads slowly to other parts of the tank. Once your cistern reveals a crack, be sure to keep an eye on it to ensure that the damage doesn’t escalate into something worse. You should take a photo of the crack and keep it for future cistern crack comparisons.
However, if the crack is below the cistern water line, the approach may differ. First of all, such cracks appearing below or along the cistern’s water line need to be repaired as soon as possible. Moreover, cracks in the bottom of your toilet tank can be difficult to spot, so calling for help may save the day.
If there is no sign of a leak from your toilet cistern, check the seals connecting the toilet bowl to the tank. Afterward, you’ll need to check carefully inside your cistern to find the location where there may be a leak. You may need to be more meticulous in your assessment to find out what’s wrong because you’ll have to do more than just look inside the cistern to check for cracks.
Dealing with invisible toilet tank cracks in your American Standard toilet is a bigger hassle because you may not see the cracks with your naked eye. Some of the symptoms you should look out for include the following:
- Having stagnant water outside the toilet at all times
- The toilet tank keeps emptying itself mysteriously
- Stagnant water on the bathroom floor constantly leaks into the sewer line.
Remember, if your toilet tank empties mysteriously, it’s possible that an invisible crack on the toilet tank is causing a leak to escape into your property’s sewer line.
Can A Crack In A Toilet Tank Be Repaired?
You should always treat your American Standard toilet tank very carefully, just like you would treat any of the other household fixtures or pieces in your house. If there is a detectable leak in one of your cisterns, turn off the main water supply and have it replaced as quickly as you can. If something cracks the top of your toilet, you may not be able to use the toilet as it was designed to be used, and you will need to have it repaired or changed.
Irregular monitoring of the tank can also lead to experiencing toilet tank cracks. It is critical that you regularly check the inside of your toilet tank to look for any signs that it may be leaking. At the very least, check the tank every month and look for signs that it may have developed cracks. In a nutshell, if something that you buy is causing trouble, you can fix it while it’s still a small problem.
How Do You Fix A Hairline Crack In A Toilet Tank?
If the crack in your toilet is very small, you can stop the leak by covering it with a thin layer of epoxy. Epoxy will help you to seal any cracks that may be present in the bottom of your toilet or in the place where bolts that secure the toilet to the floor hold it in place. In essence, you can use waterproof epoxy to repair cracks that occur beneath the water level, but beware that doing that will not prevent the leak from happening again. If you have a toilet that leaks because of a crack at the bottom of the tank, it may be impossible to fix it permanently, and you will have to get a new one.
Waterproof epoxies are made up of two different types of resin that you mix together just before applying them. It bonds very fast; it only takes a few minutes for the bond to harden. Choose a high-performance epoxy that can be used to construct sinks and bathtubs made from porcelain.
Conclusion
Toilets are one of the most useful but least thought-about items in any household. We all the time use our toilets but usually, forget about them unless something bad happens. Luckily, toilets are built to be strong and durable. Having a quality toilet will last for years. However, cracks can still appear in your toilet tank over time, regardless of what precautions you take to prevent them. Follow the right steps to fixing the cracks on your American Standard toilet tank, and you’ll continue enjoying its functionality for a few more years.
