Replies

1. 
   Gabriel24 | Feb 03, 2008 09:42am | #1

   Sometimes, I find a special metal attachment going under the flange. If the floor is plywood,then it is O.K.; but, if it is concrete, then it is going to take a lot of effort.

2. 
   xxPaulCPxx | Feb 03, 2008 10:12am | #2

   Look at the non wax rings.  They will adjust to whatever level you need.

   Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA

   Also a CRX fanatic!

   If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts.  You nut, you.

3. 
   dude | Feb 03, 2008 02:18pm | #3

   when i tile a floor i use a over thickness wax seal with the plastic nose piece and new hold down bolts

   to seat the seal just sit on the toilet as per normal  and wiggle slightly to get in down flush

   if you bring in a seal from your truck and it is cold warm it in the microwave in 1 minute increments to soften it up

   caulk toilet to floor if you want to be sure it dosent move around after setting as happens often with small children  and drunk tenants

1. 
   DanH | Feb 03, 2008 04:12pm | #5

   I always shim a toilet to make sure that it absolutely doesn't rock. Then caulking is optional.
   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader

2. 
   Link | Feb 03, 2008 08:14pm | #7

   I would never caulk around the bottom of a toilet.  If the toilet ring starts to leak I want to know.  Also, caulk is not a shim.  I would use actual shims for that as another poster said.

1. 
   KELLY1 | Feb 03, 2008 10:51pm | #8

   Thanks everyone for all the replys.

   Since the flange is at floor height and maybe 1/8" above, I'll give the standard wax ring a shot.  Great point on not caulking so you see a leak.  I will need to shim the front side slightly and use a cedar shim.  Just curious if you use something else.

   Thanks again,

   Doug

1. 
   Link | Feb 03, 2008 11:25pm | #9

   I guess I've been lucky with the toilets I've installed.  Once I bolted them down they didn't rock.  If you have a problem you could try cedar shims or maybe a small dot or two of epoxy.  You would want the epoxy dot to be small enough that you could break it loose incase you needed to remove the toilet.

   Another thing I do when installing a toilet is take some extra wax and use it to seal the gap between the closet flange finish floor before I set the toilet so as to keep any leak from going down into the floor.  And, while you're at it, spread a thin coating of wax to where the new wax ring has to seal to the toilet.

1. 
   KELLY1 | Feb 04, 2008 12:26am | #10

   Damn, some great ideas! 

   I've got an extra wax ring I'll use to seal around the flange.  Also love the epoxy idea . . . I'll put a shim in place and then slip a couple small dabs of epoxy under the base and pull the shim out after it hardens. 

   Thanks!

2. 
   seeyou | Feb 04, 2008 01:31am | #14

   I will need to shim the front side slightly and use a cedar shim.  Just curious if you use something else.

   They make polyester shims just for this task. Check your big box plumbing department (I got some at Lowes).

   View Imagehttp://grantlogan.net/

    

   I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish.        Pete (I am so in love with myself) Draganic

   
2. 
   emerconstruction | Feb 04, 2008 01:10am | #11

   inspector wants to see caulk around the toilet here.

1. 
   Heck | Feb 04, 2008 01:15am | #12

   If I'm made to caulk, I always leave a small section out at the back, where it can't be seen, so that any leak of the seal will be apparent.                        

2. 
   DanH | Feb 04, 2008 01:20am | #13

   That's a regional thing. Very rare to see caulked toilets around here.For shimming, plastic toilet shims, plaster, or some sort of cement compound works better than wood. You want something that won't absorb water and won't compress with use.
   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader

3. 
   plumbbill | Feb 04, 2008 02:05am | #15

   Yes caulk is not a shim.

   I live under the UPC code, & that code requires all fixtures to have a water tight seal to the surround area.

   Caulk also provides a bond of the fixture to the surface to prevent lateral movement. Water closets only have those two little bolts holding it in place & most of the time they fastened to the plumbing not the surrounding surface.

   “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

1. 
   DanH | Feb 04, 2008 04:12am | #16

   It's been my experience that if a toilet is absolutely wobble-free then nothing's gonna move it. If there is the slightest wobble, however, all the caulk in the world isn't going to keep it in one place.
   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader

1. 
   plumbbill | Feb 04, 2008 04:33am | #17

   We use polyseamseal¯, when I had to remove some undermount lavs the marble counter broke before the caulk broke loose.

   “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

4. 
   DanH | Feb 03, 2008 04:11pm | #4

   Depends on the toilet, but my experience has been that anything above flush you can usually get away with a standard. Or freeze an extra thick one and saw off about half the excess thickness.

   This also might be a good place to use a waxless seal.

   If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
5. 
   plumbbill | Feb 03, 2008 07:25pm | #6

   We mainly use the deep seal wax rings & anything that is flush or higher is usually fine on its own.

   If I have to double stack rings I put a shallow ring on the toilet & the deep ring on the flange then squish away.

   “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein
   

6. 
   ptp | Feb 04, 2008 07:23am | #18

   I just replaced my bathroom floor and reset the toilet this weekend. I asked a plumber I know what I sould do and this is what he told me:

   Dry fit the toilet first and shim it level. Use plastic shims. Mark the locations on the toilet and cut the shims off to the correct size. Next, remove the toilet and apply wax rings. Place shims in correct location on floor.

   Always use two standard wax rings. Even if the closet flange is higher than the floor, use two. The extra wax will just end up in the hollow area under the toilet. Set the toilet, making sure that your shims are in the correct locations. Rotate just a little to seat the rings. Bolt it down and cut off bolts. After cutting, snug up the nuts just a bit in case they wiggled during bolt cutting. Check for leaks. Caulk.

   I used his method and everything is great. My crapper is solid and leak free.

1. 
   BillHartmann | Feb 04, 2008 11:00am | #19

   Sometimes went too much wax is used it will squeeze into the drain line and partial block the water flow and cause poor flushing..
   .
   A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

7. 
   Taxidis_Pamela | Jun 23, 2022 05:01am | #20

   When installing the toilet, one of the key points you need to know is: should toilet flange be flush with floor. Otherwise, if the flange is positioned wrong, the toilet will be tilted and water can leak from the toilet base. In the face of such a situation, you will have to remount the flange.

   
8. 
   user-1116010 | Sep 10, 2022 11:57am | #21

   There's a great article on this exact scenario in a back issue of FHB. Look for " Trouble Free Toilets "; the author shares his 50 years of experience with toilet repairs & installations....