You are not alone! This is the only TH-cam Video I have every commented on. This is hands down, the best TH-cam video I have ever seen. Your measured frustration is on point. This is what most people go through with home projects. BTW, I went through the exact same thing on this project.
Dude that's why I make all my DIY videos....to show viewers (you) how to do things around the house & how to get them done no matter what! I made a ton of videos for this toilet from hell so I have a ton more to show you if interested. It was frustrating for me for sure since I was the only one there & of course it would've been easier if there was someone helping me but no. I wanted to do it this way to show viewers (you) that if I could do it then they (you) could do it. Just go to my main TH-cam channel page then click on playlists & scroll down to toilet or plumbing to find all the other videos for a few laughs & to learn more.! Hey thanks so much for taking a few minutes to send your message to me. Thanks & hope to see you again!
Like others, when I got channel locks around the spud nut, the whole assembly spun. Luckily, I took a nail punch, and with a few slight taps with the hammer on the corner of the nut, it started to move. A few more taps and I was able then to hold the nut and grab the assmbly on the inside of the tank and spin it free....thanks for the help!
Thanks for the video, but I ended up doing it a different way. After manhandling the upper tower, I managed to get it the slightest bit loose. I popped the gasket out of the three holes and pulled the ears down to use them as a gripper. I finally got some traction! I was replacing the gasket anyway, and I didn't want to wait on a $10 nut if I had chosen to cut it off.
If you have two people then it's easier as one person holds it & the other person can use two hands on the pliers. did you ever get it off? or has the toilet been laying in your living room for the last two years?
I had a metal one that wouldn’t come off, I just cut the plastic valve part, with a sawzall into a couple pieces and it slid right out. I thanked god right away nothing ever works out that smooth lol
After fighting that nut for 3 hours, I took a break drink a glass of wine determined to get that ?!$&!?!/ off! Grabbed my dremel with cutting disk and cut that bad Boy off! 2 seconds later....done . Wasn't reusing any of it anyway. Wish I could post picture to simple
Thanks for your video of 9 years ago. I had the same tank and the same problem. Another video showed the wrench you should have for this. It wouldn't fit around the rubber. I used the long pair of adjustable pliers as you did. The idea occurred to me to use a small spreader bar on the inside of the pipe to help provide reverse torque. I eventually got it off. Teflon tape will be used on the threads of the replacement toilet guts. I even have a blue kneeling pad like in your video. Deja Vu all over again.
Ha! Way to go with your efforts Dude. Yes this was in fact the toilet from hell. I know you saw a couple other videos of this toilet from hell series but did you see all of them? You can go to my main TH-cam channel page then click on playlists then scroll down to toilet from hell or toilets & you will find all of them & more! You will also find all kinds of DIY topics in the playlists area. Check that out as I know you will save more money around the house!
Good suggestion batman! yes, some smaller tanks will let you do just that. This tank was an old style beast of a tank. They don't make them like this anymore as most tanks are smaller for to save water on every flush. Thanks again for your comments. Much appreciated! Joe :0
Joe, you were my inspiration. I replaced the insides of my toilet today, and I could not get the mounting nuts for the flush valve or fill valve off. I would just stop and take a break, try again, stop and take a break. I was about ready to just buy a new take and then I found your video. Finally, I succeeded, but I do not want to have to do that again!
God bless you, Joe!! Man, I just did this. The lesson to be taught by working on a toilet is this: use TWO people whenever possible! I am a woman who belongs to that group of women who are a little “handier” around the house than most when it comes to things like this. Or at least attempting them, anyway. Allow me to say that this particular task is a bitch. I’m not even going to go into my tank nut removal saga. When I got to this part, though, I had it at the same angle that you do, only initially I had it sitting on top of the lid/bowl and tried to hold it against my midsection, hunched over it, while trying to loosen the nut (because I *am* Superwoman, after all). When I quickly figured out that that wasn’t going to work, I did like you and laid it on its front. That worked a little better, I was also using a channel lock. Still not making notable progress, I got the bright idea to put the tank on its top, on top of the bathroom rug, and then I straddled it to keep it still and started trying to remove that nut again. This time it loosened up well enough to where I could complete the task by hand! Happy day! (Replacing my toilets guts is a task that, although doable by one person, I don’t plan on ever doing again. Even if I had the help of 10 people. No sir, I don’t like it.) Thanks for this video, Joe, your efforts were not in vain!
So awesome & read your entire message! Great job with getting it done. Note the title of this video is your toilet too! Thanks for stopping by! Woman power for sure!
I hear ya. I recently had to cut one out. Don't remember the circumstances. On a rectangular tank, I've found it helpful to take it to a table and secure it vertically with a clamp. This allows you to more easily use one hand inside the tank to hold the drain tower and simultaneously crank the nut. Also, if you have enough exposure of the nut, an oil filter wrench will sometimes make it easier.
i gave it 3 tries with the channel locks, 2 tries with the pipe wrench and finally used a saw and cut it off. Plan d was bolt cutters, plan e was hammer and chisel. You have to take that part to the hardware store but then throwing it away so ok to destroy in the process of taking it out.
Also, for folks that are doing it for the first time: If your tank is a regular size rectangular tank, take a look at the drain tower inside. Most of the time, the tower will be held by the tank wall when twisting that nut - it just might take a minute to get to that position. So see if that is the case before you get frustrated and just stick with it. I think Joe's tank is probably too wide for this benefit.
I had my girlfriend manage the other side still with a wrench while I turned it from the side you are turning it from. Worked SO much better than doing it myself.
I had to laugh when I heard the deep breathing at the beginning of the video and you saying I broke a sweat because that is what brought me to TH-cam I canNOT remove this darn mounting nut. Like WTF I want to break it off!
All I had to do was grab the flush post INSIDE the tank and turn it by hand. The rubber held the nut enough so I could loosen it from inside the tank. Sometimes the part you expect you need to remove is the wrong place to start!!! It was so easy!!!!
It's almost like you were filming me trying to do this in the bathroom. I was saying the same things. I tried with my wife holding from the other side but the plastic was so old and flimsy it was breaking apart from the stress. Not enough to be helpful of course. Going to use my saw on it.
Ha! I hear your pain.....that's why I called this the toilet from hell! I did lots of things to this toilet for sure. Glad to see that you got the nut off by cutting it off! I have a ton of toilet & plumbing videos if you end up needing more insight down the road. Just go to my main TH-cam channel page then click on playlists then scroll through the many topics I have on my channel. I know you will save even more money around the house. Take a peek when you get a chance!
They could be evil......especially if you can't get the spud nut off. Sometimes, toilets don't want to cooperate. I don't know why that is....that's when they're evil! Joe :0
I wonder if he ever figured out that the gasket (the part he tried cutting with his sheet rock knife) just pulls off, leaving plenty of room to use the channel lock pliers.
thanks for this video I'm putting new guts in my toilet as we speak and you said just when you think it ain't coming off give it another go and hey it took some time and cussing but dog gone it I finally got that dang thing off lol.
The only EVIL part is the 3 bolts holding the tank to the toilet. On mine two were so corroded there was almost nothing left so I had to cut as much rubber gasket away from them as I could then grab them with a vice grip and untighten from below with a socket wrench....the whole 3". Then, for the one behind the flush tube, I had to restore what I had of the screw slot with a small grinding wheel on a moto-tool. Then make a long 3/4" wide McGiver screwdriver from a piece of steel stock 1/8" x 3/4" stock, putting on a 1 1/2" dia wood handle to give me enough grip on the screw head to turn it. Tools make all the difference in the world. If any of you home repair people dont have a mototool and a tool like the Feintool "plungesaw", get them!
Yes channel lock pliers will do the trick! I was just having a hard time trying to get the nut off since it was so tight & I didn't have anyone helping me. Thanks for your message!
Hey brain stem...you're working on a Kohler toilet. Did it ever dawn on you to remove the gasket...? Amazing how much bite you now have for your channel locks (which you shouldn't be using anyway) to remove the nut... ahhh, you are entertaining...
LMAO you will have to remove I am an average Joe helping average Joes who are not professional plumbers! Note the video title...?! At the end of the day I still got it fixed without having to call a plumber out there to hold my hand. Isn't that the point of these videos?....to help people around the house to fix things so they can save their hard earned money rather that to pay out the nose every time one little thing happens at their house? Thus VideoJoe!
The best way to take it off is with a straight blade hacksaw, cut right thru the plastic flush valve until the large plastic nut(ring) is broke, then it all comes apart. Repairing a toilet is serious business, I've seen hundreds of floods, u must know what u r doing!!!
+stretch it Ha again. Some viewers just want to learn how to do things on their own since why pay a plumbing service tech to do something they can do themselves, especially if they can't afford to pay out through the nose. Yes this is a serious money saving video series in deed! Joe :0
So glad you were able to watch this video. I have more toilet from hell videos for more learning or any DIY topic. Just go to my main TH-cam channel page then click on playlists then scroll down & you'll find all kinds of ways to save money around the house!
I agree the channel locks are tricky to get on there to remove the nut. There's is in fact a flat wrench you can get to remove the nut more easily. This flat wrench will also help you install the new spud nut way better than the channel locks. Joe :0
Thanks. Watched this video for ideas on getting that piece off. Thought I would need an adjustable wrench that opens to 4" and mine was just a little too small. I ended up opening it until it was no longer attached and just holding the pieces together on each side of the nut and it gave me the leverage I needed. It's off! On to the next hassle.
LMAO thus the title name & no I don't have that kind of wrench & not planning on paying for something I may never use again either....as of yet I've run across this same thing ever again....as of yet I say! Just wanted to make this video anyway to show the average Joe what they might be up against....from One to another! Thanks for your message!
Haha I would have to agree with you for sure! Here's something to consider too....if you have a really old toilet then if you install a new toilet instead, you will be saving lots of water per flush as well since the new toilets you won't be using as much water to flush every time so something to think about for sure!
Well then you will have to break down & pay a plumber or....you could rip out the entire leaky toilet & go down to the hardware store & pick up a brand new one without all of the problems with your old toilet! How about that?
You are not alone! This is the only TH-cam Video I have every commented on. This is hands down, the best TH-cam video I have ever seen. Your measured frustration is on point. This is what most people go through with home projects. BTW, I went through the exact same thing on this project.
Dude that's why I make all my DIY videos....to show viewers (you) how to do things around the house & how to get them done no matter what! I made a ton of videos for this toilet from hell so I have a ton more to show you if interested. It was frustrating for me for sure since I was the only one there & of course it would've been easier if there was someone helping me but no. I wanted to do it this way to show viewers (you) that if I could do it then they (you) could do it. Just go to my main TH-cam channel page then click on playlists & scroll down to toilet or plumbing to find all the other videos for a few laughs & to learn more.! Hey thanks so much for taking a few minutes to send your message to me. Thanks & hope to see you again!
I also enjoyed hearing from you & thank you for your first comment ever on TH-cam! Message me anytime!
Same with mine as well. And I had the proper wrench. What a nightmare. I was able to get it off with a lot of effort. Your dedication inspired me.
Awesome! That's what I like to hear! Keep it going. Now you are inspiring ME!
Like others, when I got channel locks around the spud nut, the whole assembly spun. Luckily, I took a nail punch, and with a few slight taps with the hammer on the corner of the nut, it started to move. A few more taps and I was able then to hold the nut and grab the assmbly on the inside of the tank and spin it free....thanks for the help!
Wow nice job with getting it off with the nail set!
Thanks for the video, but I ended up doing it a different way. After manhandling the upper tower, I managed to get it the slightest bit loose. I popped the gasket out of the three holes and pulled the ears down to use them as a gripper. I finally got some traction! I was replacing the gasket anyway, and I didn't want to wait on a $10 nut if I had chosen to cut it off.
Nice job as there is always two ways to do something so way to go with your fix! Thanks for stopping by!
This is the step I'm at and I'm so pissed. Why is the mounting nut impossible
If you have two people then it's easier as one person holds it & the other person can use two hands on the pliers. did you ever get it off? or has the toilet been laying in your living room for the last two years?
I had a metal one that wouldn’t come off, I just cut the plastic valve part, with a sawzall into a couple pieces and it slid right out. I thanked god right away nothing ever works out that smooth lol
That's a great idea! Unfortunately I didn't have a sawzall with me. Nice job for getting it out! Thanks for the suggestion for next time...
After fighting that nut for 3 hours, I took a break drink a glass of wine determined to get that ?!$&!?!/ off! Grabbed my dremel with cutting disk and cut that bad Boy off! 2 seconds later....done . Wasn't reusing any of it anyway. Wish I could post picture to simple
You are my type of woman! You saved me so much time! Going to pour some wine before I go back to it.
Awesome job! Well done!
Thanks for your video of 9 years ago. I had the same tank and the same problem. Another video showed the wrench you should have for this. It wouldn't fit around the rubber. I used the long pair of adjustable pliers as you did. The idea occurred to me to use a small spreader bar on the inside of the pipe to help provide reverse torque. I eventually got it off. Teflon tape will be used on the threads of the replacement toilet guts. I even have a blue kneeling pad like in your video. Deja Vu all over again.
Ha! Way to go with your efforts Dude. Yes this was in fact the toilet from hell. I know you saw a couple other videos of this toilet from hell series but did you see all of them? You can go to my main TH-cam channel page then click on playlists then scroll down to toilet from hell or toilets & you will find all of them & more! You will also find all kinds of DIY topics in the playlists area. Check that out as I know you will save more money around the house!
Thank you Joe. I'm dealing with the toilet from hell as well! This is exactly the place I am in. I'm going to try what you did. Thanks!
Well what did you end up doing to fix your toilet from H?
Now you know why this is the toilet from hell! Watch the entire series & you'll agree. Thanks for commenting! Joe :0
Good suggestion batman! yes, some smaller tanks will let you do just that. This tank was an old style beast of a tank. They don't make them like this anymore as most tanks are smaller for to save water on every flush. Thanks again for your comments. Much appreciated! Joe :0
Joe, you were my inspiration. I replaced the insides of my toilet today, and I could not get the mounting nuts for the flush valve or fill valve off. I would just stop and take a break, try again, stop and take a break. I was about ready to just buy a new take and then I found your video. Finally, I succeeded, but I do not want to have to do that again!
Wow cool! So glad you were able to do it yourself! Thanks for letting me know! Joe :0
God bless you, Joe!! Man, I just did this. The lesson to be taught by working on a toilet is this: use TWO people whenever possible! I am a woman who belongs to that group of women who are a little “handier” around the house than most when it comes to things like this. Or at least attempting them, anyway. Allow me to say that this particular task is a bitch. I’m not even going to go into my tank nut removal saga. When I got to this part, though, I had it at the same angle that you do, only initially I had it sitting on top of the lid/bowl and tried to hold it against my midsection, hunched over it, while trying to loosen the nut (because I *am* Superwoman, after all). When I quickly figured out that that wasn’t going to work, I did like you and laid it on its front. That worked a little better, I was also using a channel lock. Still not making notable progress, I got the bright idea to put the tank on its top, on top of the bathroom rug, and then I straddled it to keep it still and started trying to remove that nut again. This time it loosened up well enough to where I could complete the task by hand! Happy day! (Replacing my toilets guts is a task that, although doable by one person, I don’t plan on ever doing again. Even if I had the help of 10 people. No sir, I don’t like it.) Thanks for this video, Joe, your efforts were not in vain!
So awesome & read your entire message! Great job with getting it done. Note the title of this video is your toilet too! Thanks for stopping by! Woman power for sure!
I hear ya. I recently had to cut one out. Don't remember the circumstances. On a rectangular tank, I've found it helpful to take it to a table and secure it vertically with a clamp. This allows you to more easily use one hand inside the tank to hold the drain tower and simultaneously crank the nut. Also, if you have enough exposure of the nut, an oil filter wrench will sometimes make it easier.
i gave it 3 tries with the channel locks, 2 tries with the pipe wrench and finally used a saw and cut it off. Plan d was bolt cutters, plan e was hammer and chisel. You have to take that part to the hardware store but then throwing it away so ok to destroy in the process of taking it out.
Makes alot of sense. I would have gone with sledge hammer the 3rd time though.....!!
Thanks for the video. Saved me a lot of time.
Thanks for stopping by!
Also, for folks that are doing it for the first time: If your tank is a regular size rectangular tank, take a look at the drain tower inside. Most of the time, the tower will be held by the tank wall when twisting that nut - it just might take a minute to get to that position. So see if that is the case before you get frustrated and just stick with it. I think Joe's tank is probably too wide for this benefit.
I had my girlfriend manage the other side still with a wrench while I turned it from the side you are turning it from. Worked SO much better than doing it myself.
Yes another person is a must for just to get the nut removed! I finally got it after I created some new words! LOL Thanks for stopping by!
I had to laugh when I heard the deep breathing at the beginning of the video and you saying I broke a sweat because that is what brought me to TH-cam I canNOT remove this darn mounting nut. Like WTF I want to break it off!
All I had to do was grab the flush post INSIDE the tank and turn it by hand. The rubber held the nut enough so I could loosen it from inside the tank. Sometimes the part you expect you need to remove is the wrong place to start!!! It was so easy!!!!
Oil filter wrench huh? That would possibly work, but I didn't have one....wah wah! Joe :0
Sounds to me, you are do JUST that.....learning! Hey the more you watch, the more you learn. That's what I say! Thanks for your comments. Joe :0
Hi, I used an oil filter wrench, 3-7/16 in to 3-3/4 in Brand Kobalt #0752171, to remove the spud not. I bought it at lowes.. thanks.
Wow cool. Great idea!
It's almost like you were filming me trying to do this in the bathroom. I was saying the same things. I tried with my wife holding from the other side but the plastic was so old and flimsy it was breaking apart from the stress. Not enough to be helpful of course. Going to use my saw on it.
Ha! I hear your pain.....that's why I called this the toilet from hell! I did lots of things to this toilet for sure. Glad to see that you got the nut off by cutting it off! I have a ton of toilet & plumbing videos if you end up needing more insight down the road. Just go to my main TH-cam channel page then click on playlists then scroll through the many topics I have on my channel. I know you will save even more money around the house. Take a peek when you get a chance!
Cool. I'm glad to hear "joe's" videos are helping you learn! :0
They could be evil......especially if you can't get the spud nut off. Sometimes, toilets don't want to cooperate. I don't know why that is....that's when they're evil! Joe :0
I wonder if he ever figured out that the gasket (the part he tried cutting with his sheet rock knife) just pulls off, leaving plenty of room to use the channel lock pliers.
Help him Bill...please
Mine wouldn't come off, that's why I'm here.
Good thought for sure but this particular gasket would not do that. Even the one I got to replace it with was the same as this one.....
Yes I wish he was here to have helped for sure! LOL
Well did you ever get it off before you took a sledge hammer to the issue? LOL
Did you get it off? :0
A small ball hammer with a small punch got it loose pretty easily.
Or a very large sledge hammer....!! LOL
thanks for this video I'm putting new guts in my toilet as we speak and you said just when you think it ain't coming off give it another go and hey it took some time and cussing but dog gone it I finally got that dang thing off lol.
+amanda white Wow awesome! Thanks for sticking with it! Joe :0
Even better would be to give you useful info based on experience but hey, anyone can publish what they don't know. Nice guy though.
Thanks Joe! those toilets are "Evil" ;D
The only EVIL part is the 3 bolts holding the tank to the toilet. On mine two were so corroded there was almost nothing left so I had to cut as much rubber gasket away from them as I could then grab them with a vice grip and untighten from below with a socket wrench....the whole 3". Then, for the one behind the flush tube, I had to restore what I had of the screw slot with a small grinding wheel on a moto-tool. Then make a long 3/4" wide McGiver screwdriver from a piece of steel stock 1/8" x 3/4" stock, putting on a 1 1/2" dia wood handle to give me enough grip on the screw head to turn it. Tools make all the difference in the world. If any of you home repair people dont have a mototool and a tool like the Feintool "plungesaw", get them!
Good luck with your toilet! Joe :0
So I take it you got the entire toilet repair job done.....? :0
Channel lockers did the trick!
Yes channel lock pliers will do the trick! I was just having a hard time trying to get the nut off since it was so tight & I didn't have anyone helping me. Thanks for your message!
Why would you not take off the rubber washer 1st?
That entire rubber gasket was under the nut & the nut had to be removed first...
Useful as usual ! I try to learn.
Thanks
Hey brain stem...you're working on a Kohler toilet. Did it ever dawn on you to remove the gasket...? Amazing how much bite you now have for your channel locks (which you shouldn't be using anyway) to remove the nut...
ahhh, you are entertaining...
Gee brain stem---getting the nut back on has the same issue. eyeroll
LMAO you will have to remove I am an average Joe helping average Joes who are not professional plumbers! Note the video title...?! At the end of the day I still got it fixed without having to call a plumber out there to hold my hand. Isn't that the point of these videos?....to help people around the house to fix things so they can save their hard earned money rather that to pay out the nose every time one little thing happens at their house? Thus VideoJoe!
Love the, "Try one more time". :))
LMAO! Note the title of the video LOL
You rock! Joe :0
The best way to take it off is with a straight blade hacksaw, cut right thru the plastic flush valve until the large plastic nut(ring) is broke, then it all comes apart. Repairing a toilet is serious business, I've seen hundreds of floods, u must know what u r doing!!!
+stretch it Ha again. Some viewers just want to learn how to do things on their own since why pay a plumbing service tech to do something they can do themselves, especially if they can't afford to pay out through the nose. Yes this is a serious money saving video series in deed! Joe :0
super helpful!! thank you!! :)
So glad you were able to watch this video. I have more toilet from hell videos for more learning or any DIY topic. Just go to my main TH-cam channel page then click on playlists then scroll down & you'll find all kinds of ways to save money around the house!
an better tool would help...i tried using one of those and it's not easy using it.
I agree the channel locks are tricky to get on there to remove the nut. There's is in fact a flat wrench you can get to remove the nut more easily. This flat wrench will also help you install the new spud nut way better than the channel locks. Joe :0
Do you know what a spud nut on a toilet is? It might be important! :0
OMG!? lol.. kills me watching this lmao... get a slip nut adjustable wrench! B- for effort but knowledge F lol...
Thanks. Watched this video for ideas on getting that piece off. Thought I would need an adjustable wrench that opens to 4" and mine was just a little too small. I ended up opening it until it was no longer attached and just holding the pieces together on each side of the nut and it gave me the leverage I needed. It's off! On to the next hassle.
LMAO thus the title name & no I don't have that kind of wrench & not planning on paying for something I may never use again either....as of yet I've run across this same thing ever again....as of yet I say! Just wanted to make this video anyway to show the average Joe what they might be up against....from One to another! Thanks for your message!
Wow great job...he-man!! Way to go....yes on to the next hassle...well said!
Im learning thanks
This shit is so funny.
Note the title...right?
Dude you farmed it
I just did what I had to do to get the toilet fixed. Note the video title!
alright...thanks for the demo--wish me luck
Much luck for sure....how did you do?
(not a spud) just get a sawzall and cut that shit out
Thus the title name!!
0:52 this is what i'm trying to do right now lol
Well did you ever get it off? Or did you end up using a sledge hammer.....!
Just buy new damn toilet hell with that shit
Haha I would have to agree with you for sure! Here's something to consider too....if you have a really old toilet then if you install a new toilet instead, you will be saving lots of water per flush as well since the new toilets you won't be using as much water to flush every time so something to think about for sure!
yep!
I know!
I literally don't think I can do it. So gay.
Well then you will have to break down & pay a plumber or....you could rip out the entire leaky toilet & go down to the hardware store & pick up a brand new one without all of the problems with your old toilet! How about that?
You’d be a lot further ahead if ya got a new toilet
Ha! I didn't realize that until I got well into all of these repairs for the toilet from hell. At least it gave me a lot of videos to make! LOL