By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. I have an 'off the floor' toilet, which doesn't give access to the underside. To steady a rocking toilet, cut plastic shims to fit and slip them underneath (you may have to remove caulk before adding shims). You may have to try them in a few different positions to properly level the toilet. I never have and I tighten the toilet seats I install with an impact driver. It may be held by top-fixing bolts. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. How can I keep the seat from sliding to one side? How to fix a loose toilet seat: Steps to tighten a wobbly toilet seat. The nut I need to screw in is in an awkward place and I can't get good leverage. If they look fine, pry up the cover that is over the screws and loosen the screws so you can center the toilet seat over the toilet. In the front of the cover, look for a small groove that is designed to help you pry up the cover. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. You can buy plastic plugs from your local hardware store. Yizhet 1 Pairs Toilet Seat Top Fixings Top Fix Toilet Seat Fixings Toilet Seat Hinge Fittings Quick Release Hinges DIY Home Tool 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,362 £9.69 £ 9 . If it's metal, or it's simply too tight to turn, use adjustable pliers to turn it. You may crack the porcelain. Probably the easiest fix, your loose toilet may simply be due to your loose toilet mounting bolts needing to be tightened. I have looked at the seat itself and it has no plastic caps to flick off in order to access a screw. Fortunately, it's an easy replacement. Close the seat and lid, and align them with the front and sides of the bowl. Use a pair of pliers to clamp this nut while you tighten the screw. You will need to unscrew these first. When your toilet seat won’t stay up and keeps slamming down, it can be startling and painful for users. Some toilet seats have a double fitting where you have to attach the long screw first to the seat, tighten hard, and then attach it to the porcelain bowl with a nut. Remove the nut and bolt and take the seat off the bowl. You may need to gently hammer the plugs in place. Tape the toilet seat to the cover using duct tape. Over the course of time the toilet seat works loose. If so, spray them with lubricant to loosen the threads. Changing your loose seat can be a hassle when there is no easy access to the toilet seat fixings at the underside of the ceramic. Now, 5 years later, it just slams down. Save the bolts and nuts from the old seat in case you need to replace a bolt on your new seat. Some home improvement problems seem easy until you tackle them, and then they turn out to be more problematic than you thought. I have a wobbly toilet seat, but the seat is placed on with two l-shaped bolts (with Allen key access) that is too difficult to remove. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. How do I tighten the rod on a loose toilet seat? 69 nuoshen 6 Pack Toilet Seat Screws,Toilet Seat Fittings Toilet Seat Hinges Expanding Rubber Top Nuts Screw Fixings Fix … Well, fix that loose toilet seat once and for all. If the seat or bolts are damaged, you may need to go to the hardware store to replace these parts. Coupled with unfortunate timing, a toilet seat that won’t stay up often causes a mess as well—and that, in turn, can cause friction between members of the household. To deter a sliding seat, you can remove the seat and place a patch of 2-sided tape like a square washer with a hole in the center in between the seat mount through the bolt and onto the toilet rim. What do I do if the holes for my toilet are too big for the screws? For tips from our Handyman reviewer on how to install a new toilet seat, scroll down. A couple of solutions just reach under and tighten when the seat gets loose. Buy some new bolts that are made out of metal at your local hardware store and replace the plastic bolts. Permanent Fix for Loose Toilet Seat The problem with toilet seat hardware is that the holes in the china bowl are a bit oversize for the two bolts that secure the seat, allowing the seat to move around a bit in use. In cheap toilets, the screws are made of plastic. Some seats come with "centering" nuts, (kind of conical looking). No, you'll need to replace it. To fix a loose toilet seat, locate the screws that hold the seat on. Tighten the screws, remove the seat, put the hinge caps back on, and reinstall the seat and lid. it is always worth cleaning and drying the fixing areas thoroughly before fitting if the user flops onto the seat from a sideways approach, this may be applying a pushing pressure that could dislodge the fixing. Or find some regular hex nuts the same thread use one to tighten the seat … Put the flat-head screwdriver in the screw slot and hold it steady while you unscrew the nut from underneath the bowl. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. If it's metal, continue tightening it with adjustable pliers. Steady Seat fixes that loose toilet seat quickly and easily, with no need for tools. This should provide enough tension to make the bolt tight! Flip up the plastic caps at the seat-bolts with a screwdriver to expose the slotted heads of each toilet-seat bolt. The Bemis STA-TITE ® toilet seat does exactly what it says: stay tight. Once you get them off, replace them with new ones. The screws keep loosening up constantly. Remove the lid from the cistern. I'm trying to tighten a bolt on my toilet and it won't tighten. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 331,130 times. The reason is that the holes for the bolts are purposely oversized so that the bolts won't crack the porcelain. Any ideas? The toilet seat on the first toilet seems to be working o.k., but the toilet seat on the second one keeps … Before you start looking at how to replace a toilet seat, pause: it may just be a case of tightening your toilet seat instead! ... Center up the toilet seat and reinstall the nuts,—don’t overtighten—and this oughta keep that toilet seat from working itself into a wobbly hazard, and prevent you from ending up on the floor one day. You should be able to stop it from sliding by tightening the nuts holding it to the bowl, but they loosen again after a short time and the problem reoccurs. You should be able to find them at a hardware store. You should use either a 9/16 or 1/2 inch deep-pocket wrench to fix a loose toilet seat. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Then use the tightening tool from the kit to snug up the nut. Take the plastic ones with you to measure for the right size. For tips from our Handyman reviewer on how to install a new toilet seat, scroll down. I noticed it has 2 plastic screws holding the seat down. By using our site, you agree to our. Ease the cistern forward very slightly, (from your question this shouldn't be difficult). © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Find the screws and pry up the cover. wigornian - thanks you will give it a whirl as soon as my credit card bill eases up a bit. Don't overtighten the bolts, especially if they're metal. Then, simply replace the cover and your job is done. Then caulk around the toilet and snug down the nuts on the bolts. So when you tighten them, they make the bolt center into the toilet rim hole. % of people told us that this article helped them. Remove the nut and bolt and take the seat off the bowl. Tighten a loose or wiggly toilet seat with inexpensive rubber bushings and seat stabilizers. Most are in the front, a few have little twist locks and are recognized by notches on the covers. The seat has become loose, with normal toilets I know you just tighten it with the bolts underneath the seat. Can I fix it without replacing it? Insert the screw back in the holes. well, then your toilet seat can be unique in construction, so a special program is needed to secure it with the rest of the toilet… Pry them up with a flat-head screwdriver to expose the screw heads. Using the tool provided in the kit, slide a washer from the toilet-seat tightening kit onto the hinge bolt, underneath the toilet. I bought a plastic toilet seat with the anti slam feature meaning the lid goes down by itself. Simply remove the small plastic bolt caps at the base of your toilet (they will be on each side, and can be pried off with a small screwdriver). Manufacturers make these washers specifically for this purpose. Most toilets, however, use steel screws, and more expensive models may even use brass or stainless steel. Align the clips at the back of the hinge assembly with the bolts on the toilet bowl, then push the seat until it clips all the way back on. A rubbery washer against the porcelain also improves grip and prevents slide (hard glossy plastic washers are not so good). If the screwdriver is too small, then the bolt will not turn. Look at the front of the toilet is it round or egg shaped (elongated). First, clamp the nut with vice grips. If the nut is plastic, you should be able to do this by hand. And we do tighten, repeatedly, it's just that I don't want to have to keep getting down and personal with my toilet seat screws every few days. Then, use a small screwdriver to pry up both the seat and the cover. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid887615-v4-728px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c1\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-2-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c1\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/aid887615-v4-728px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-2-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/46\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/46\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/aid887615-v4-728px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-4.jpg\/aid887615-v4-728px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5f\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5f\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-5.jpg\/aid887615-v4-728px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/cf\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/cf\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-6.jpg\/aid887615-v4-728px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1f\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1f\/Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-7.jpg\/aid887615-v4-728px-Fix-a-Loose-Toilet-Seat-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"