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How To Remove a Toilet Seat?

how-to-remove-a-toilet-seat

Created At 1 year ago

 

Working on your toilet might be difficult due to the generally small area available. It’s good that most toilet seats can be readily removed by loosening their connecting screws and bolts. Remove the obstinate seat with a socket set, a hacksaw, or a drill if the hardware securing your seat resists your best efforts. Prevent corrosion and make the subsequent removal easier by keeping the seat clean and replacing worn-out pieces regularly.

Installing a new toilet seat takes about two minutes: position the seat and tighten the nuts. We are removing the old seat; on the other hand, it may be a laborious process. The bolts that hold the seat of the toilet in the area are often so rusted that you can’t remove the nuts. But there’s no need to blow up—we’ve got a solution.

First, inspect the bolts that hold the seat in place. If the bolts or nuts are made of plastic, they will not rust and readily come out. Pry the cover under the seat open to reveal the bolt’s head. With pliers or a screwdriver, unscrew the bolt while holding the nut beneath with the pliers.

Method 1: Getting Rid of a Common Toilet Seat:

If required, remove the bolt caps to get access to the seat fasteners. These are found towards the rear of the seat, near the hinge. Some toilets may not have plastic bolt covers. If yours does, press up on the surfaces using your finger or a screwdriver to unlock them. When opening the bolt covers, use minimal pressure. In general, it takes minimal force to open them, and applying too much power may harm them.

Related: How To Remove Bathtub Jet Covers?

Grip The Nut Tightly to Secure the Bolt

Each bolt should have a nut put onto the threaded end. Some nuts, like wingnuts, have a form that allows you to keep them in place with your hand. If your grasp is weak, the nut is not wingnut-shaped, or the nut has been lodged, try gripping it with pliers or vice grips. Your toilet seat’s fasteners might be made of plastic. When removing plastic hardware, use gentle to moderate pressure to avoid breaking or deforming it.

Unscrew The Bolts Using the Proper Tool

In most situations, a regular screwdriver requires removing bolts. Put your screwdriver into the bolt end and spin it counterclockwise to unscrew the bolt while firmly holding the nut on the threaded end of the bolt. Screwdrivers with insufficient torque can cause the bolt head to distort, especially if the bolt is made of plastic. For optimum results, use the most considerable screwdriver that will fit your bolt head.

Remove The Toilet Seat as Follows

Collect all nuts, bolts, and loose plastic or metal hardware (such as bolt covers) that came with the seat. Put these little pieces in a sealable plastic bag and attach them to the seat to keep them from falling out. Now that your toilet seat has been removed, you may replace it.

Method 2: Remove Stubborn Seats:

Using a penetrating oil, lubricate rusted metal hardware

Penetrating oil, like WD40, is meant to revive corroded metal components. Spray this oil all over metal hardware, such as nuts and bolts, to lubricate it and make it easier to remove. Allow 5 to 10 minutes for the penetrating oil to soak into the hardware’s tight places and break up corrosion. If you don’t have astute oil on hand, you may manufacture your own by combining 90 per cent of the vegetable lubricant and 10 % acetone.

Tape the seat in place

You may jolt or push against the seat while using different resistant seat removal procedures. Depending on your scenario and the type of fasteners used to connect the seat, you may wish to tape the lid and seat together in a closed or open position. If your scenario necessitates cutting or drilling bolts to remove the seat, you may wish to tape a cover material, such as cardboard, in place to preserve the porcelain of the toilet as well as the plastic of the seat.

Read also: How To Prevent Hair Dye from Staining Bathtubs?

Using a socket set, remove the bolts as follows

In particular circumstances, you may be able to fit your socket wrench straight onto the nuts that hold bolts in place. To reach the nut on some toilets, you may need to use a deep socket or a socket extender. To loosen the nut, forcefully turn the socket counterclockwise.

Insert a screwdriver into the bolt’s head to secure it, then loosen the nut with your socket wrench. Use a steady, moderate amount of force with your socket wrench. If the nut does not reduce, increase the tension on your wrench too high for a brief period. Repeat this process until the nut of the seat loosens. If the nut and bolt are already loose, and you try to release them, the bolt may spin with the nut.

Using a hacksaw, cut through non-moving hardware

Position a broad knife, such as a putty knife, to cover the porcelain of the toilet around the head of a bolt. It will protect your saw from unintentional scratches. With the hacksaw, cut away at the hardware that holds the toilet seat to the toilet one piece at a time. This procedure may take some time.

A standard hacksaw cut through the immovable toilet seat hardware, but a small hacksaw will be simpler to use in the correct location. Based on the hinge of your shower seat and the hardware that connects the seat to the toilet, you may have to eliminate through the hinge mounts and remove the seat while the bolts are still attached.

As a final resort, drill through tough bolts

Put on your goggles. Insert a tiny drill bit into your drill, such as one that is 1/16 in (1.59 mm) thick. Drill into the bolt where the nut and bolt connect with hard, consistent pressure. Drill through the nut, then expand the hole with successively larger drill bits. When the nut becomes loose, please remove it.

This approach should only be used as a last option since the drill bit may slide, causing damage to the porcelain seat of the bathroom or the seat.

Be extremely cautious when you’ve practically drilled through the whole nut. Drilling holes in the porcelain or the seat may result in unattractive damage. Burrs or sharp edges on prepared metal can harm you. Handle drilled metal while wearing gloves.

Use pliers, attempting to pry the bolt off. Continue to enlarge the hole as needed and pull the nut off with pliers until it comes free.

Read also: Best Ways to Deal the Cold Toilet Seat

When loosening or opening the nuts with a propane torch, proceed with caution.

If none of these above techniques work or you don’t have enough clearance to drill through the bolts of the seat, you can release them with a propane torch. To avoid damaging the porcelain, use a low flame setting and place a piece of metal between the torch and it. Heat the stubborn bolts for a few seconds before attempting to loosen them using vice grips. When working with a propane torch, take care not to burn yourself and keep a fire extinguisher handy.

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