Our toilet was leaking slowly. I tried a little Vaseline on the gasket, no help. I felt around the rim of the disc that seals the hole and felt some calcification on the edge. We put a couple glugs of vinegar in the toilet each night to slowly leak around the buildup. After a few days, calcification was gone. Vinegar to the rescue!Thought we'd share.

That is interesting. I guess the calcification was basic and the mild acid melted it. Thanks for the tip.

That is a great cure. I learned if from a good friend who swears by it. And it does work...I just don't tell him how well it works...neither of us like to be one-upped by the other :)I used to replace the gasket in our toilet about twice a year (fulltiming). So much that I got really good at cleaning the calcium off the old one and just alternating. I can't remember the last time I replaced the gasket since vinegar.

Olive oil seemed to help mine.. for a while. i'll have to try the vinegar. Thanks.

Vinegar cures leaky toilet | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

larry_barnhart
Explorer
Dec 19, 2013
I have used vinegar for years and have shared the idea on rv.net many times so it is not a new idea to me plus after having a leaking relief valve on the water heater I removed it and soaked it for 2 days in vinegar. It was new clean and has not leaked a drop since I installed it. the water in Arizona build up on the rubber seal and it shows grey in color and black after it soaks with the vinegar mix over night. Might be best to drink the vinegar and then it would get a treatment on a regular basis.

chevman
64thunderbolt
Explorer II
Dec 19, 2013
a vinegar wash will indeed allow paint to bond with galv & alum.
Gale_Hawkins
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
vinegar was the battery acid of choice thousands of years ago I read. You and wash new galvanized roofing with vinegar then paint it OK I have read as well. Good to know to keep it in the MH. It is good for cleaning up CPAP hoses, etc too.
army_guy1
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
I'll have to try the vinegar and see how that works. Thanks for the tip.
FlatBroke
Explorer II
Dec 16, 2013
hershey wrote:
I tried CLR as a replacement for vinegar but it made the pickles taste funny :)

I actually did LOL on that one!
Me. I just dive in with both hands and piece of terry cloth towel and clean it up. Then massage the seal towards the ball/slide. Works for me and I don't have a pickle problem.
64thunderbolt
Explorer II
Dec 16, 2013
I've had great luck with Thetford toilet seal condtioner. But vinegar works for a lot of things. soak concrete splatters with it and it will come right off. The vinegar will break the bond of the concrete. I have used it on vehicles that got splatters on them. It should work on the toilet as well. If calcification is the problem. If it's the seal try the Thetford stuff.
beemerphile1
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
Good tip. Sometimes when I need to rebuild a faucet I will soak it overnight in white vinegar. In the morning it looks like new.
Rockrash
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
hershey wrote:
I tried CLR as a replacement for vinegar but it made the pickles taste funny :)

Are you storing pickles in the toilet? Yuk!
usmohls2
Explorer
Dec 15, 2013
hershey wrote:
I tried CLR as a replacement for vinegar but it made the pickles taste funny :)

If you eatin them hershey pickles, They would taste nasty!!!
usmohls2
Explorer
Dec 15, 2013
docj wrote:
After reading a thread on one of these forums I started using CLR which is designed to remove mineral deposits. I think it works better than vinegar alone. JMO

At 4X the cost!

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Vinegar cures leaky toilet

20 Replies

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