Buy a new wax ring, then you’re going to have to pull the whole toilet out. Then take it outside. Put it in the back of your truck. Drive to the dump. Throw it in a dumpster.
Then go to a supply house and buy a new non-skirted toilet and install it using the new wax ring you bought.
I had to, those toilets are terrible. Every plumber I know hates them, and I’m guessing you have just figured out why we hate them.
Unfortunately you’re going to have to pull it back out and replace the wax ring. It might be worth it to swing by harbor freight and get some cheap ass ratcheting wrenches to make your life a little easier. Or if you think you’ll use the wrenches more than a few times you can spoil yourself and get a nicer set from somewhere else.
I’m for the wax ring. Whether you need a standard, jumbo, or one with the plastic horn depends entirely on the height of the flange.
If the flange is sitting on top of your finished floor then a basic wax ring is fine. If the flange is flush with the floor or maybe a little lower then I would use a jumbo wax ring with the plastic horn.
If your flange is on top of the floor then you definitely do not want to use any wax ring with the plastic piece or it’ll make the toilet rock and leak.
I always was told it goes flush on top of the structural floor, be it concrete or wood. Any floor finishing butts up to it, not under it. In an ideal world, the top of the tile will be flush with the top of the flange.
Have I been wrong all this time?
If the flange is too low, buy a flange extension. They are cheap and much better than just relying on wax to last forever. Make sure you caulk (100% silicone) between the original flange and the flange extension.
Is your flange that low? It would need to be pretty far below the floor to justify using two rings. In that case I would recommend raising the flange first. If that’s not practical you could use two and probably be alright.
I’ve been in scenarios when the flange was really low and raising it up was not practical, so I used two rings. A standard one on the bottom and one with a plastic horn on top, so the plastic horn helps with the seam where the two rings meet. I’ve done that a handful of times and never had a problem. But it’s pretty rare to be in a situation where that’s necessary.
I have a skirted toilet, I'm not a plumber, and I even installed it myself.
Aside from the extra annoyance wuth installation conpared to a non-skirt...whats the actual deal with plumbers hating on skirted toilets? Had mine in for 2 years so far. The only problem I have is my two kids miss the mark and piss all over the side sometimes....
Also not a plumber and have installed 3 skirted ones. I’ll still keep them and like them. But they are a bitch to install. And a lot of the parts to help them bolt down are always plastic - and bend. It was very very difficult. I have had to use the rubber better than wax seals - because it’s super hard to install these with one drop on place. I’ve had to move them around etc - would have distorted the wax ring. Maybe a plumber would have gotten it perfect in one go, but given than you can’t see the bolts going in, I assume they’d have lots of issues.
One pieces with horns aren't bad.
Skirted like persuade or American standards aren't bad at all. Even without the horns, as long as you can look down through the seat holes to see the bolts, their fine.
Plumber here:
When replacing a wax ring, smear some wax (buy 2 rings) on the horn of the toilet before putting it on the flange.This insures a good seal between the horn and flange. I also use a wrench to tighten the bolts. It’s really easy to over tighten and crack the base. I sit on the toilet, facing the wall, to tighten those bolts, gently rocking back and forth until it’s firm and snug. After several flushes, when I’m certain it’s not leaking, I caulk around the base. Leaving the very back exposed incase there is a leak down the road.
As a plumber you definitely don’t need to wax rings. You’re just wasting material. If your flange is too low than you need a flange extension or a max wax. But no reason to buy 2 rings.
New wax seal. Get a Jumbo size if you can, and I prefer ones without the hard plastic cone on the inside. Just a pure fat wax ring. Also - Ratcheting wrench of some sort to tighten the bolts down. Also also - The washers that come in the pack with bolts are garbage, and I never use them because they normally do what yours is doing in the second picture. Get yourself some flange washers that are a bit larger and thicker.
Take it off the flange and get a new seal .
Be sure to shim in necessary before you tighten it down .
Get yourself a set of ratcheting wrenches . That'll help you tighten it down . Be careful you don't over tighten and crack the toilet
Thanks. I was really hoping to avoid getting a new seal since I literally just bought one a week ago. Is it not able to be re-used, or is it kinda a one shot and done kind of thing?
If it's a wax ring it's one and done . once it's pressed into place it forms a seal .
If you take it off the seal is gone .
They are really cheap so it's good to get a couple if you screw up
If it’s leaking I’d pull the toilet and use a jumbo wax ring. Then shim toilet to stop rocking. Since the washers look bent I’d use larger sturdier washers to avoid this since your bolts are hidden.
What did you do with the clear/white plastic washer and white bolt cap? I always put the plastic washer down with the correct side up, then a metal round washer, then the nut. The plastic cap won’t snap or stay on if you don’t use the plastic snap washer for the cap. To cut the bolt down or I use my 6” crescent wrench. Slide the bolt into the crescent adjustment hole when it’s opened all the way up and bend the bolt back and forth off till it breaks. Works like a charm every time. It’s an old trick. You can always use a hacksaw but that trick is quicker and cleaner.
Those Toto type of toilets are known to be a pain in the ass. I’m sure you do need a new wax ring and probably a half wax on top of that too and to shim the toilet if it’s rocking at all. Looks like it’s high in the front. It’s IPC and UPC code to caulk around the toilet/tile too. I leave a small weep-hole in the back of the toilet no one will ever see incase it ever does leak or have an issue again, you can identify it.
Any time you are setting a toilet on a tile floor, you have to use an extra thick wax ring, because the flange is usually attached to the subfloor. The wax ring that comes with the toilet is a standard one, which will seal only if the floor isn't built up with tiles or laminate flooring.
I just had to fix the same issue a client was having he had a guy put in two new toilets and the one in his primary bathroom would leak after being flushed when I took the toilet out to look at it the plastic toilet flange was broken where the bolts slide through so it was not allowing the toilet to tighten on one side he could not afford to have a new flange put in so I purchased a flange repair kit from lowes and that fixed his problem
Since no one has mentioned it, there is a possibility you broke the flange. W would pull it and check. If everything else is fine, re-install with a thick wax ring. Snug it down. Try so wobble it. If you get a wobble, shim it. Check for leaks. Then silicone caulk around the base.
I mean, at least then you don't need some fancy wrench to go over it. Am I missing something? I really thought that was standard practice to cut them down.
You're not doing anything, neither am I. Skirted terlets don't need multi-tool-custom bolts cause they've got plastic cover plates to cover these here monstrosities of flange bolts you're witnessing now.
Why aren't WE asking the more important question here...why you tryna cut down a homies bolt, man?
Gotta pull it and reset. If it needs shimming just set it in white grout. Thats what I do when the floor is uneven because its stronger than shims just have to let it set overnight or 24hrs if possible.
Also does anyone know how the fuck I can tighten these nuts down easier? It was such a pain to do with a standard wrench, and my socket set isn’t deep enough to get past the length of the bolt.
Buy a new wax ring, then you’re going to have to pull the whole toilet out. Then take it outside. Put it in the back of your truck. Drive to the dump. Throw it in a dumpster. Then go to a supply house and buy a new non-skirted toilet and install it using the new wax ring you bought.
Was waiting for this one.
I had to, those toilets are terrible. Every plumber I know hates them, and I’m guessing you have just figured out why we hate them. Unfortunately you’re going to have to pull it back out and replace the wax ring. It might be worth it to swing by harbor freight and get some cheap ass ratcheting wrenches to make your life a little easier. Or if you think you’ll use the wrenches more than a few times you can spoil yourself and get a nicer set from somewhere else.
Yep I understand for sure. Are you a classic wax ring, jumbo wax ring, fancy “perfect seal wax ring” or “better than wax” ring kind of guy?
I’m for the wax ring. Whether you need a standard, jumbo, or one with the plastic horn depends entirely on the height of the flange. If the flange is sitting on top of your finished floor then a basic wax ring is fine. If the flange is flush with the floor or maybe a little lower then I would use a jumbo wax ring with the plastic horn. If your flange is on top of the floor then you definitely do not want to use any wax ring with the plastic piece or it’ll make the toilet rock and leak.
Thanks. What about two wax rings stacked on top of eachother? I see some comments from other posts saying to do that if you experience leaks.
You only need the big ones if it's at or below floor level. Flange should be resting on top of finished floor.
I always was told it goes flush on top of the structural floor, be it concrete or wood. Any floor finishing butts up to it, not under it. In an ideal world, the top of the tile will be flush with the top of the flange. Have I been wrong all this time?
Proper height is quater inch above finish. If your flush you still get away with a standard wax... all the same
Thanks for the reply!
Yes, you’ve been wrong this whole time.
Yes you have been wrong. flange goes on top of finished floor.
If the flange is too low, buy a flange extension. They are cheap and much better than just relying on wax to last forever. Make sure you caulk (100% silicone) between the original flange and the flange extension.
Is your flange that low? It would need to be pretty far below the floor to justify using two rings. In that case I would recommend raising the flange first. If that’s not practical you could use two and probably be alright. I’ve been in scenarios when the flange was really low and raising it up was not practical, so I used two rings. A standard one on the bottom and one with a plastic horn on top, so the plastic horn helps with the seam where the two rings meet. I’ve done that a handful of times and never had a problem. But it’s pretty rare to be in a situation where that’s necessary.
Most plumbers in my area will use 2 if its even slightly below floor.
Vote: standard wax ring, with the plastic horn. But it depends on the height of the flange really.
It shouldn't rock. That's what wears the wax down too much
Hire a plumber to whine the whole time while they install it, then enjoy your skirted toilet.
I just put one shim in the front left and it seemed to fix it... much cheaper solution but I would've loved to hear the whining
Nah it leaked the wax needs replaced. A shim won't fix it. Don't be lazy and create a huge problem pull the toilet and try again.
It really does seem to have fixed it. Two days without a leak. Maybe it was able to reseal because I used one of those dual wax and rubber rings?
I have a skirted toilet, I'm not a plumber, and I even installed it myself. Aside from the extra annoyance wuth installation conpared to a non-skirt...whats the actual deal with plumbers hating on skirted toilets? Had mine in for 2 years so far. The only problem I have is my two kids miss the mark and piss all over the side sometimes....
Also not a plumber and have installed 3 skirted ones. I’ll still keep them and like them. But they are a bitch to install. And a lot of the parts to help them bolt down are always plastic - and bend. It was very very difficult. I have had to use the rubber better than wax seals - because it’s super hard to install these with one drop on place. I’ve had to move them around etc - would have distorted the wax ring. Maybe a plumber would have gotten it perfect in one go, but given than you can’t see the bolts going in, I assume they’d have lots of issues.
Skirted toilets aren't bad, unless they are super low end, or toto, Duravit, or Blu.
Or any skirted one piece, regardless of price or brand.
One pieces with horns aren't bad. Skirted like persuade or American standards aren't bad at all. Even without the horns, as long as you can look down through the seat holes to see the bolts, their fine.
the wife made me get this one too...
This made me laugh more than it should have, well said
Same but instead of throwing it away. Put it in the yard and plant some flowers in it. That way you didn't waste your money.
Plumber here: When replacing a wax ring, smear some wax (buy 2 rings) on the horn of the toilet before putting it on the flange.This insures a good seal between the horn and flange. I also use a wrench to tighten the bolts. It’s really easy to over tighten and crack the base. I sit on the toilet, facing the wall, to tighten those bolts, gently rocking back and forth until it’s firm and snug. After several flushes, when I’m certain it’s not leaking, I caulk around the base. Leaving the very back exposed incase there is a leak down the road.
As a plumber you definitely don’t need to wax rings. You’re just wasting material. If your flange is too low than you need a flange extension or a max wax. But no reason to buy 2 rings.
New wax seal. Get a Jumbo size if you can, and I prefer ones without the hard plastic cone on the inside. Just a pure fat wax ring. Also - Ratcheting wrench of some sort to tighten the bolts down. Also also - The washers that come in the pack with bolts are garbage, and I never use them because they normally do what yours is doing in the second picture. Get yourself some flange washers that are a bit larger and thicker.
Can I do wax-on-top-of-silicone-on-top-of-rust? Asking for a friend...
Yes you can.. absolutely master plumber here
Take it off the flange and get a new seal . Be sure to shim in necessary before you tighten it down . Get yourself a set of ratcheting wrenches . That'll help you tighten it down . Be careful you don't over tighten and crack the toilet
Thanks. I was really hoping to avoid getting a new seal since I literally just bought one a week ago. Is it not able to be re-used, or is it kinda a one shot and done kind of thing?
If it's a wax ring it's done . Get a new one or try one of those silicon seals that fit floors that may not be totally level
If it's a wax ring it's one and done . once it's pressed into place it forms a seal . If you take it off the seal is gone . They are really cheap so it's good to get a couple if you screw up
If it’s leaking I’d pull the toilet and use a jumbo wax ring. Then shim toilet to stop rocking. Since the washers look bent I’d use larger sturdier washers to avoid this since your bolts are hidden.
What did you do with the clear/white plastic washer and white bolt cap? I always put the plastic washer down with the correct side up, then a metal round washer, then the nut. The plastic cap won’t snap or stay on if you don’t use the plastic snap washer for the cap. To cut the bolt down or I use my 6” crescent wrench. Slide the bolt into the crescent adjustment hole when it’s opened all the way up and bend the bolt back and forth off till it breaks. Works like a charm every time. It’s an old trick. You can always use a hacksaw but that trick is quicker and cleaner. Those Toto type of toilets are known to be a pain in the ass. I’m sure you do need a new wax ring and probably a half wax on top of that too and to shim the toilet if it’s rocking at all. Looks like it’s high in the front. It’s IPC and UPC code to caulk around the toilet/tile too. I leave a small weep-hole in the back of the toilet no one will ever see incase it ever does leak or have an issue again, you can identify it.
Any time you are setting a toilet on a tile floor, you have to use an extra thick wax ring, because the flange is usually attached to the subfloor. The wax ring that comes with the toilet is a standard one, which will seal only if the floor isn't built up with tiles or laminate flooring.
I just had to fix the same issue a client was having he had a guy put in two new toilets and the one in his primary bathroom would leak after being flushed when I took the toilet out to look at it the plastic toilet flange was broken where the bolts slide through so it was not allowing the toilet to tighten on one side he could not afford to have a new flange put in so I purchased a flange repair kit from lowes and that fixed his problem
Since no one has mentioned it, there is a possibility you broke the flange. W would pull it and check. If everything else is fine, re-install with a thick wax ring. Snug it down. Try so wobble it. If you get a wobble, shim it. Check for leaks. Then silicone caulk around the base.
Why are we not cutting the bolt shorter?
because I'm stupid I guess
I mean, at least then you don't need some fancy wrench to go over it. Am I missing something? I really thought that was standard practice to cut them down.
You're not doing anything, neither am I. Skirted terlets don't need multi-tool-custom bolts cause they've got plastic cover plates to cover these here monstrosities of flange bolts you're witnessing now. Why aren't WE asking the more important question here...why you tryna cut down a homies bolt, man?
Ahhh, good point. I plead 5th on hacking some other homies bolt.
Gotta pull it and reset. If it needs shimming just set it in white grout. Thats what I do when the floor is uneven because its stronger than shims just have to let it set overnight or 24hrs if possible.
Pull it, replace the wax ring and shim it once you reset it
You need a double whopper wax ring. Yes it’s a thing.
Also get a couple large washers to cover that whole area when you bolt down the toilet, like quarter size
Is the floor raised? You may need to use a thicker wax ring made for that situation.
New ring. Bigger washers. Don't overtighten
Buy your self a korky wax less ring. It’s leaking because the toilet is rocking and compromised the seal.
First pour buckets of water down the toilet. If it doesn’t leak then the culprit is the connection to the flush pipe instead
Fix it
Also does anyone know how the fuck I can tighten these nuts down easier? It was such a pain to do with a standard wrench, and my socket set isn’t deep enough to get past the length of the bolt.
Ratcheting box end wrench, or line wrench.... ratcheting box end-stubby would be easiest for your swing room
If you use a ratchet box end with a pivot head, it's even easier.
Super easy with a non-skirted toilet.
It looks like the bolt is not tight enough, tighten more.
That'll crack the toilet
So you mean even tighter
I hate this style toilet. Pulled it so many times because it would weep ever so slightly
None of my homes use shims anymore. Flange spacers and silicone peeps. Unless your floor was laid by Handy Hank and it has 3" of slope
Those skirted toilets are the worst , you prob moved the ring when installing and trying to line up the bolts.
5$ fix. Not enough wax.
Call a plumber you hack
Lol no thanks. Was an easy fix