How to remove a soft close lid and seat where no visible button or bolt? | Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board | Plumbers Forums
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Discuss How to remove a soft close lid and seat where no visible button or bolt? in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at Plumbers Forums

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my soft close lid and seat are loose and no longer soft close. I cannot see a bolt or button to release them...

There is no hole for an Allen key or any kind of release mechanism. It’s a wall hung toilet.

Underneath the seat there are no bolts/screws visible.

Help!
Thanks

image.jpg
 
either it justs lifts up of the bottom pegs it is secured o'rings on the bottom fixings or the chrome covers slide off thats my best guess
 
my soft close lid and seat are loose and no longer soft close. I cannot see a bolt or button to release them...

There is no hole for an Allen key or any kind of release mechanism. It’s a wall hung toilet.

Underneath the seat there are no bolts/screws visible.

Help!
Thanks

View attachment 38231
Try the grey ends on the each side of the chrome hinges, they are buttons or covers that allow the seat to be lifted clear.
 
either it justs lifts up of the bottom pegs it is secured o'rings on the bottom fixings or the chrome covers slide off thats my best guess
Thanks for your reply. I have tried pulling it up/off but doesn’t budge - I can try pulling harder...The chrome bits are part of the hinge ie they don’t slide off to the side.
 
That is a weld line so no it won’t slide apart.
Quite simply two and only two possibilities:
1) grub screws at the back of the hinges
2) it just pulls off vertically

Nothing else.

Note the pulling off type can require extreme force after a few years, eat a can of spinach and get on with it.
 
That is a weld line so no it won’t slide apart.
Quite simply two and only two possibilities:
1) grub screws at the back of the hinges
2) it just pulls off vertically

Nothing else.

Note the pulling off type can require extreme force after a few years, eat a can of spinach and get on with it.
Result! Got it off with a stronger pull - many thanks! Looks like a nut has come off the back of the right hand hinge fixing. Does it use some kind of plastic expanding nut to hold it on? I could see a white plastic thing has dropped inside the loo base that looked like a plastic nut with a flared edge but can’t get to it.
 
That is a weld line so no it won’t slide apart.
Quite simply two and only two possibilities:
1) grub screws at the back of the hinges
2) it just pulls off vertically

Nothing else.

Note the pulling off type can require extreme force after a few years, eat a can of spinach and get on with it.
These are the fittings - one attached, one off - what do I need on the back of the detached one to re-attach? Thanks again for your help!

A90E8380-F10B-4090-92D4-F72084DFF2BE.jpeg


AAEB8094-5296-4F1F-9B34-AA82DC60E08C.jpeg
 
You'll have to take the toilet out to get the fixing that fell in Or order a new fixing kit
Is it a villeroy and boch toilet?
 
You actually had no need to remove the toilet seat as you could have tightened it up in place.
If it's not soft closing though you may need a new seat all together.
 
You actually had no need to remove the toilet seat as you could have tightened it up in place.
If it's not soft closing though you may need a new seat all together.
Hi - it’s loose and not soft closing. There was nothing to tighten up without removing the seat - no nuts or Allen key holes. It needs a new fixing or well nut and that should sort the looseness. I can live without the soft close for now, but thanks for your reply.
 
Hi - it’s loose and not soft closing. There was nothing to tighten up without removing the seat - no nuts or Allen key holes. It needs a new fixing or well nut and that should sort the looseness. I can live without the soft close for now, but thanks for your reply.
Half way down the fixing bolt is a little square slot. Your seat would have been supplied with a small thin spanner to slot into this. All that you needed to was tighten it up from there.
 
I registered an account just to pass on my thanks for the information found in this thread, and to add some information I found with my own toilet seat.
Mine was a Laufen Pro fitted in (circa) 2007. The seat was listed as "soft close" which, at the time, was somewhat new to toilet seats. I didn't give much regard to how it fitted and let my professional plumber do it. I remember reading the instructions at the time (before they were thrown out) and they said the seat needed to be in a particular angle before it could be lowered into place. This would be the same in reverse were it to be taken off. The angle I discovered later is "flat" as in it is how the seat would be were it in the closed position. This is really obvious when you buy a new one but completely obscured the moment you move the seat.

Like @Ben-gee said, giving it a bit of extra force is the only way to really get it out after a few years. In my case it had been 15 years, but yes, a strong tug was enough to free one side. The other side wasn't budging so easily but one ear-piercingly loud CRACK later and I had the seat in a few more easily managed sections!

TLDR Advice to the next person who finds this thread; use brute force and have a replacement loo seat (and fitting) to hand.

(quick edit) for me at least the fitting pegs were unwound with an 11mm straight edged spanner on the top and, even though they are square nuts underneath, a 12mm circular spanner was perfect to capture the nut.
 
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