# Forum Home Renovation Plumbing  Toilet seat won't stay up

## seth

I'm staying at my inlaws during renovations. 
They replaced the old toilet seat with a new one that won't stay up. :Biggrin:  
Any tips on getting it to stay up?

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## Barry_White

A couple of velcro dots. Put the loop one on the seat the others are very scratchy.

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## scooter

Seth, the seat mounting bolts are sometimes offset or eccentric, to allow for variances in hole spacing in the pans they are mounted to I think. 
Try loosening the seat mounting bolts, move the seat as far forward as possible, then retighten. 
If this doesn't help, I dunno. Maybe if the whole suite was replaced the pan was mounted too close to the wall, not allowing the seat & lid to "lay back" far enough to stay up. 
Good luck............cheers.............Sean

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## seth

Yeah,
Already tied moving the bolts, no success. 
It is not the original seat which is the problem. 
A Caroma seat on a Fowler pan. 
Barrys idea appealls to me but may not to the Mother inlaw.  She likes the caroma seat as "it's comfortable".

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## seth

Have to add I can't have a logical conversation with a female about it.  I'm trying to compare it to them complaining about the toilet seat always being up.

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## Skew ChiDAMN!!

Just point out that if it falls down during a 'transaction' you ain't the chief floor-washer & seat-cleaner...   :Innocent:

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## flynnsart

:Biggrin:  We have a couple of new ones in the motel where I work, one visitor had enough know how to fix it. We found it gaffer taped up :2thumbsup:  Worked a treat. They are a bugger for whoever cleans it too you know :Sneaktongue:   
Donna

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## johnc

Seth, 
I think the easiest way to fix the problem is to learn to pee sitting down :Cool: , either that or tactfully buy a seat that "works". 
John

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## joe greiner

Does the lid have one of those fluffy covers on it? They'll shift the centre of gravity enough to keep it closed. Surely an invention of the devil. 
Joe

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## Andy Mac

Can't help you with the problem (every option short of moving the bowl out, has been covered), but I've been in loos like that... sure is a pain to do your business with one leg planted against the seat to keep it in position! :Mad:  
Cheers,

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## mixin

If it's a plastic cistern you may be able to turn off the water, flush it to empty it, and then use a heat gun to soften the plastic & mould in a depression for the lid to angle past the gravity point. 
You can always tell the M-I-L you're doing a water-saving mod to the toilet  :Wink:

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## flynnsart

perhaps a small magnet, and an opposing piece of (decorative)metal glued in strategic positions? 
donna

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## Sturdee

Buy her a lemon tree in a large pot. Put it just outside the back door and use that instead.  :Biggrin:   
Before to long she'll get a new toilet with a lid that will stay up. :Biggrin:    
Peter.

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## keith53

I like the velcro idea.  Or, what about leaving a lump of blue tack on top of the cistern.  Just wedge it between the lid and the cistern at certain times, then remove for others!

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## Skew ChiDAMN!!

A rare earth magnet glued under the lip of the seat (where it won't be sat on  :Wink: ) and a thin metal plate glued to the cistern?

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## Hootsmon

Take the seat off? 
Apparently it's character building particularly during a Melbourne winter  :Shock:

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## bsrlee

The ugly way is to make a hook out of doubled up coathanger wire, one end is wrapped around some internal fitting in the cistern, the other end is bent to fit closely to the lip & lid of the cistern, then down to where it loops over the lid/seat. You just lift it a bit to slip the lid under, then reverse to put it down.  
Looks daggy, mostly used in outside/spare dunnies, not the Royal suite.

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## rrich

Assuming that there is no fluffy lid cover installed, try moving the tank backwards slightly. The three screws that hold the tank to the bowl usually have a lot of room for play. Just besure that there is enough room between the tank and the wall to replace the tank top.

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## journeyman Mick

Rich,
cisterns here are usually wall hung, meaning you can't move them back. If they're mounted on the pan they're generally close-coupled and have very little, if any, room for adjustment. 
Mick

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## Mcblurter

Isn't there some electric toilet seat lifters around?  Not sure how they work but the lift/close seat as needed.  Might be worth a look as to how they work.
Is moving the cistern upwards an option?
Cheers
McBlurter

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## Barry_White

> Is moving the cistern upwards an option?
> Cheers
> McBlurter

   Like the old days of the loo down the back where the concrete box cistern sat overhead on a couple of pieces of waterpipe. 
Trouble is they were a bit uncomfortable leaning back while reading the morning paper. 
Perhaps you could get a slimline cistern or put it on the wall outside or in the next room covered with a nice decorative box.

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## seth

> Isn't there some electric toilet seat lifters around?  Not sure how they work but the lift/close seat as needed.  Might be worth a look as to how they work.
> Is moving the cistern upwards an option?
> Cheers
> McBlurter

  Yes on my trip to tokyo, we stayed at the Park Hyatt.  My missus said when she went to the dunny at the bar, when she entered the cubical the seat lifted by itself. 
I think that is the best idea so far blurter.  Mind you I should do something about it soon, or I will go with the other option I have drempt up which involves a large sledg hammer, some tiles and a new dunny :Biggrin:

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## junction box

Maybe you should give up on the wrong type of seat. You need one with a more forward hinge mount. If you measure the distance from the mounting holes to the hinge and check your local hardware/plumbing supplies stores you might find something more suitable.

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## totoblue

We had that problem when we moved into this house.  I removed one of the rubber pads (one of four) on the bottom of the lid, which allows the seat to move back a little bit closer to the cistern and it's dropped down accidentally for 10 years.  A similar idea would be to shave a bit off the rubber pads. 
You could also just remove the lid, which would allow the seat to go back a bit further.

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