Removing a bottom fitted toilet seat from a sealed pan.

[SwarfegaHead]

My girlfriend and I just moved into a new apartment, and the toilet seat is in desperate need of replacing. I didn't think it'd be too much hassle, but I've run into a bit of trouble. The seat seems to be fixed from the bottom, but there's no way to access the bolt as its "inside" the toilet. There is a top screw on the seat fitting and I loosened it just enough to see a steel washer on the underside of the hole which just turns with the screw, so I'm guessing there's a bolt underneath.

Is it possible it is top fitted and just needs a bit of WD40 and some elbow grease? If not, any recommendations on how to get the seat off without having to get the whole toilet uprooted?

 

[Aire]

Any pics of the fittings? Alot of toilet seats now are mounted from the top, some are easier than others to remove and refit.

 

[SwarfegaHead]

This is one of the fittings as it sits on the toilet, and my best attempt at showing whats going on underneath. I can take more if needed. Thanks!

 

[Ben-gee]

Try pulling the screw upwards as you undo it, this should stop the washer/nut/fixing which is inside the toilet from spinning. It will drop away and be lost forever inside the toilet but don’t worry you’ll get new fixings with your next seat.

 

[Aire]

Could be on some sort of butterfly clip. When you try unscrewing it, lift the seat to keep pressure applied to the underside of the screw. If it still keeps slipping, as your replacing it, you can either drill the screw out or if you can lift it enough, get a hacksaw to the screw and cut it out.

 

[Welder]

Could be on some sort of butterfly clip. When you try unscrewing it, lift the seat to keep pressure applied to the underside of the screw. If it still keeps slipping, as your replacing it, you can either drill the screw out or if you can lift it enough, get a hacksaw to the screw and cut it out.

Make sure your new seat has 'top mount' fixings. When youve removed the old ones clean it to within an inch of its life including the mounting hole. BEFORE you assemble CLEAN EVERYTHING. Assemble using gloves if you can so you dont transfer oil to the parts. If you can, dry off the porcelain with a hairdryer.

The point of all of this is because ANY moisture acts as a lubricant and WILL cause it to move.

 

[SwarfegaHead]

Hi guys, thanks for the suggestions! It worked, for the most part. Pulling the screw upwards to stop the nut spinning worked for one of the fixings. The other one got a wee bit of movement but then just wouldn't screw out any more. I'll grab a hacksaw tomorrow to cut the remaining screw. Along with new seat fittings that fix from the top. Whoever installed the toilet must have put the seat on before fixing the toilet to the floor and just not thought that someone might need to replace it at some point.

I'll try my luck with the saw tomorrow, thanks a bunch for the help lads!

 

[susaninoz]

Had this same issue and thanks to Alanka’s understated but utterly correct response on the prior version of this forum, I found the solution. Yes, if the screws are just spinning the fixing below without coming out, remove the screws by prizing the top of the fitting upwards with a flat-head as you unscrew with the Phillips-head. The bottom fixing will fall to the floor as mentioned above. Then install new fixings called blind screw fixings through the hole in the pan - you don’t need a new toilet seat, and you can do this without access inside or under the pan. Thanks also to this guy: