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Original poster

People keep breaking my toilet seats

89 replies

Menora · 19/01/2020 10:01

I am having a final straw moment AngryBlush

Is this just how toilet seats are? Or is everyone else inconsiderate?

My DC are small built but for some reason in every house we have ever lived in and every toilet they have somehow managed to break or skew the fixings of toilet seats. I have had to repair more toilet seats in my life than surely is normal

I have 2 toilets now that have fixings that you screw into the bowl and then you place the sweat on to 2 pegs. Whenever I go into the toilet and go to sit down, the toilet seat is loose. My mum does this to my toilet and my DC.

OP posts:
Original poster
Menora · 19/01/2020 12:11

Right I have ordered the loo roll holder £10 amazon 😂

Now just to fix the bloody seat

OP posts:
Gemma2019 · 19/01/2020 12:13

Exactly the same happens to us, in every house we've ever lived in. I can't even count the amount of toilet seats I've had to replace. It doesn't make the slightest difference if they cost £20 or £150, they still break. We also currently have the ones with screws you mention, as they seemed sturdy and robust. They aren't, and they slide forwards when you sit on them. I can't tell you how much the toilet seat situation pisses me off!

BillHadersNewWife · 19/01/2020 12:16

It's the WAY people sit down on them. Some people sort of go on sideways...with all the pressure on one bum cheek. This pushes the seat to one side and snaps it.

pineing · 19/01/2020 12:18

I've had my own home for over 45 years and I can honestly say that this has never happened to me. Toilet seats are made to be sat on. The only thing I can think of is that you aren't getting the bolts at the back done up tight enough.

thetreeisstressingmeout · 19/01/2020 12:20

We went through at least 5 seats ranging from cheap to very expensive.
Even the non slip ones moved eventually and I don't want to be tightening a toilet seat every day.

I ended up using a bit of clear masstick stuff under the rubber to stick it to the bowl.

Everyone sits in our house and I think it was my husband and BIL and the 'lean to clean' action that causes the issues.

Since the masstick I haven't had to tighten once

LemonPrism · 19/01/2020 12:21

I've never had a toilet seat break in my life? Are they cheap seats?

thrre · 19/01/2020 12:21

I think it's the angle they're sitting on it, probably off to the side where the toilet paper is.

Magicpaintbrush · 19/01/2020 12:23

After a bout of gastroenteritis my DD recently projectile vomited over all of the toilet and bathroom and the acid literally melted the rubber in the hinges of the toilet seat - we've had to replace it.

scoobydoo1971 · 19/01/2020 12:25

We run holiday chalet rentals. This is a common problem throughout the season. It is sometimes wear and tear or tenant abuse as they are not always respectful. It is sometimes poor quality fittings. Be careful not to overtighten the fittings as you may cross-thread them, and then they will need cutting off...not fun in a small space as I have discovered in the past. I have found that getting modern toilet seats to fit older style ceramic toilets is solved by building up the fitting at the back with extra washers...far more than supplied in most packs. It allows secure fitting, and they stop wobbling. You can get washers from a hardware store and experiment with them until you get the right fit for your toilet. Your toilet may be modern but it could be a design issue where it is not aligned with commonly manufactured seats. That can cause a poor fit between the unit and the seat.

fridgegrazer · 19/01/2020 12:26

I think it's a problem with top fixing toilet seats - that is the ones you have to use if your toilet is fixed flush against the wall. Our downstairs one is like this and honestly I have had this problem for 25 years.

The upstairs one is a standard toilet where you can screw the seat from beneath and it has never happened to this one. I even bought a special seat designed for toilets in public places so able to take heavy use which cost £50 from a company called Not Just Taps! It lasted slightly longer but now we still have the same problem.

Later this year I am going to get a plumber in and see if the toilet can be replaced. I don't mind replacing the toilet and wash basin but I really would like to keep the tiles, but we'll see. Sorry I can't be more positive OP but I wouldn't fit an against the wall toilet again if I could help it.

Roussette · 19/01/2020 12:26

I hear you OP!

OMG don't get me started. We had a new toilet put in downstairs just a few years ago. We could not tighten the seat, it was a bloody danger. Could I get a new seat to fit it? NO. We honestly had to get a new toilet.

Then there's the toilet upstairs from the same company (better bathrooms online co, I will never touch them again) and the fixings of the toilet seat just snapped and broke. Can I get a toilet seat to fit that D shaped toilet exactly... NO. When I ask Better Bathrooms what I'm supposed to do, they have no answer. So we have a seat on there that is not an exact fit and looks ridiculous.

Original poster
Menora · 19/01/2020 12:27

I don’t think it’s cheap I think it can be the shape of the bowl and the fixings. Wall mounted toilet seats do not seem to be cheap

Mine just seem to slide easily if you are slamming your bum down and then turning round to get loo roll. I’m one step closer to stopping this outrageous behaviour on my poor toilet 😂

OP posts:
Roussette · 19/01/2020 12:27

p.s. have to add ... I have spent hours and hours searching for a toilet seat to fit, from every company known to man who stocks toilet seats

Lunafortheloveogod · 19/01/2020 12:29

We’ve got little L shaped pegs screwed into the bottom of our seat. I don’t know how but DP must fucking surf on the bloody thing Grin, it came loose constantly, he blamed me I blame him. We bought a naicer more expensive one.. same thing. The L bits were a fiver on amazon n I’m assuming if your seats not thick or it’s plastic that wouldn’t take screws you could use some silicone/gorilla glue combo (ours are glued n screwed). Seat hasn’t budged in a year now.

Still none the wiser as it’s never happened to either of us before this toilet. It’s just a standard one not wall mounted or fancy.. I wonder if it’s a combo of seats not made the same and the actual loo itself being made cheaper too.

Roselilly36 · 19/01/2020 12:35

I was guessing it would be a top fix seat! We are often replacing ours too.

Jux · 19/01/2020 12:38

This used to happen to us when we used the really cheap seats. When we replaced them - one from Homeland and one from Lidl - we No longer had the problem.

AutumnRose1 · 19/01/2020 12:40

I've only ever used cheap plastic ones and recall replacing 2 in about 20 years, in spite of having a lot of people stay on the sofabed and so on.

I have heard that swinging around to reach toilet roll can be a thing, so wonder if wherever you have that is causing a problem.

Neptunesgiraffe · 19/01/2020 12:43

We've got through loads of loo seats because of the fixings. In the end, I bought some slightly different but easier to install fixings from amazon, they cost about 8 pounds and my loo seat doesn't move at all.

eddielizzard · 19/01/2020 13:14

I've got the same issue and people were swivelling round to get the loo roll so I moved the loo roll to in front of the loo hence no swivelling. I'm afraid to say it just took longer for the seat to loosen, but loose it is. I have the same style loo that you can't access the screws as it's all enclosed. Haven't seen any solution that would work yet...

MidnightBlue28 · 19/01/2020 13:37

We bought these and our seat hasn’t moved since (check you get the right size for your toilet)

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B005U281KE/ref=yo_ii_img?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

Original poster
Menora · 19/01/2020 14:08

I have something called Croydex easy fit

IT WAS NOT EASY TO FIT

but it’s on Grin

OP posts:
fridgegrazer · 19/01/2020 14:08

Is that one suitable for a top fixing toilet seat though MidnightBlue28? It looks like the sort you can screw underneath to me.

Original poster
Menora · 19/01/2020 14:09

For anyone with a top fit, I think it’s worth using the rubber plugs that you screw into - this is what this loo seat came with

Also a toilet roll holder thing from amazon

Overall £38 to stop people wrecking the toilet so far...

OP posts:
Original poster
Menora · 19/01/2020 14:11

I got this one

And yes it’s top fit I could only get wooden which I hate but it seems ok so far

www.argos.co.uk/product/7239434

OP posts:
GlamGiraffe · 19/01/2020 15:37

I feel your pain op. I have two very ecpensivexwall hung loos. Every time their seats suffer the same issue you are describing they are broken. They cant ge tightened or readjusted. Because of the shape of the two loos (different brands) I need to get the matching seats as standard ones dont fit on. They are replaced and almost instantly thamey are loose again. I dont use one of the rooms at all so I am not the culprit. Its DH and grown up DS. They are either leaning back too far causing the seat to pull forward away from the hinges or forcing the sort close mechanism shut, although that foesnt make the hinges loose. I did think they must wriggle on the loo but I think the reclining on the loo with a hefty weight is most likely the cause.
Its bloody annoying.
To make matters worse, one of mine is ultra complicated to fix and even the plumber said it was a bit of pain last time. We are now tolerating a broken seat . I've got over thinking about it as I'd never stop so it just exists now!🤷‍♀️