Toilet install etiquette regarding tank bolts and wax rings? Slow leak
Comments (8)
kudzu9
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Do the wax rings on my toilets need to be replaced?
Comments (8)as hendricus has said, tighten it up, if thefloor is not leval and it still rocks, i have used plaster of paris to 'caulk' around the base of the toilet when it hardens the rock will go away. it will also not stick to the tile and ruin it as grout will do BUT...do this ONLY if the toilet is not leaking...See MoreIs it okay to lower toilet down onto wax gasket?
Comments (6)Although it is a common "Jury rig" fix, Code does not permit the use of two wax rings. In fact, the double thick wax rings we commonly find in hardware and home supply stores are not code approved. Per Code, the underside of the closet flange is to be in firm contact with the finished floor, which then leaves the top of the flange extended about 3/8" above the finished floor (The thickness of the flange itself.) The concern here is that if the wax seal is too thick, if it becomes necessary to plunge the watercloset there would be a very high risk of the plunging action blowing out the wax seal.In instances such as when additional subfloor material or ceramic tile is built up on the existing floor, leaving the flange flush with or recessed below the finished floor level, the proper solution is to: 1.Reposition the closet flange 2.Add a "Build up flange" to extend the top surface of the flange up to the prescribed level....See MoreWax seal on toilet
Comments (10)saltidawg, Which part of my statement is incorrect? The part about "the bottom of the toilet flange is supposed to be flush with the top of the tile floor" or the the first part about if the flange is too low, there could be some lateral pressure on the wax ring which could eventually lead to the wax ring leaking. I agree that the usual causes of a wax ring failure is movement of the toilet or a partial blockage in the drain line, but if neither of these is the case (which remains to be determined) then the too-low flange could be the culprit. Everything I read when I was redoing a bathroom said that "the bottom of the toilet flange is supposed to be flush with the top of the finished floor" which surprised me since that meant every flange I had seen in real life previously was installed wrong. I know it is common to use a larger ring or use two rings when the flange is too low (like two of the posters here suggest), but won't that just make time to failure proportionately larger?...See MoreToilet leaking at wax seal. What can I do until I can get it fixed?
Comments (8)Hi again. The leaking toilet is from the late 50's by Richmond. The two closet bolts that are missing are located at the rear of the toilet. Are there replacement bolts for a toilet this old? The other two bolts look original. I cannot understand why that plumber I hired six months ago didn't replace the missing bolts and didn't fix the movement in the toilet. Shouldn't he have addressed these issues when he was here, since I told him about them? When a plumber comes to fix the currently leaking wax seal, what if he finds that the wood structure underneath is wet or rotted? There could have been a small leak that I didn't know about. Is it the plumber's job to replace rotted wood, or does that require hiring a builder/carpenter? If the wood is only damp, then can the plumber go ahead and replace the wax seal and set the toilet that same day without waiting for the wood to dry? If there is damage/rot to the wood, how long does a repair like this usually take to fix? I only have one toilet in this house. Thank you for any help....See MoreMongoCT
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoJust so we're all on the same page...
Tank bolts secure the water-filled tank to the bowl. If the gasket that goes on the tank bolt inside the tank is not put in compression, a leak could originate from the tank bolt hole. So a loose tank bolt could result in a leak.
The flange bolts secure the bowl or the toilet base to the toilet flange that is secured to the floor. Cranking the flange bolts down hard really won't stop a leak at the flange, you're more likely to crack the china. It's really up to the wax seal to prevent a leak between the bowl and the flange.
Hmmm...when I made my post last night, I though I included a drawing, and I thought it displayed. It doesn't display for me today. Here's a different drawing. In this one, "C" is the tank china and "F" is the bowl china.
The gasket "B" is slipped over the tank bolt "A" and the tank bolt is inserted into the tank hole. From below, washer "D" and nut "E" will be snugged up, putting the gasket "B" in compression and eliminating the chance for a leak from the tank bolt hole.
The tank is then placed on top of the bowl. Gasket "G" is slipped over the tank bolt threading and pushed up to contact the bowl china. Then washer "H" and nut "I" are threaded on and snugged up little by little, just enough to level the tank and eliminate and tank wobble.
Well, for some reason the top and bottom of the drawing are being cropped, at least on my monitor. The drawing can be seen here.
When I found the drawing, I also noted that Fluidmaster has leak solutions here and here.
kudzu9
8 years ago
Errant_gw
8 years agoMongoCT
8 years agokudzu9
8 years agoTom Damratoski
8 years ago
MongoCT