Wax Ring Replacement

maleman · 01-13-2011, 06:45 PM

I am removing my toilet to paint behind it. Do I need to replace the wax ring every time I take the toilet off?

dvatt · 01-13-2011, 07:01 PM

Yes! They r like 5 bucks

maleman · 01-13-2011, 07:19 PM

I thought so, but figured if I could do it all without leaving the house, even better. Thanks for the input.

Grampa Bud · 01-13-2011, 07:27 PM

Actually you only have to replace the wax the times you don't want sewage spewing down into the floor below you or sewer gas filling the walls and rooms in your home.

LateralConcepts · 01-13-2011, 07:30 PM

Also don't forget to re-caulk when you're finished setting the toilet. Whether you're a good aim or not, it's important for sanitary reasons...

Grampa Bud · 01-13-2011, 08:00 PM

To Lateral: Never ever caulk a toilet base to any floor. Doing so may look pretty, but if there is any leakage -gas, solid, or liquid- you will never know about it until you and the toilet go through the rotted floor. The only caulk you should ever need is the wax (or putty ring if the toilet is set on concrete) ring. If the home owner isn't a very good shot suggest that they put the seat down and join the ladies.

**TheEplumber** · 01-13-2011, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grampa Bud

To Lateral: Never ever caulk a toilet base to any floor. Doing so may look pretty, but if there is any leakage -gas, solid, or liquid- you will never know about it until you and the toilet go through the rotted floor. The only caulk you should ever need is the wax (or putty ring if the toilet is set on concrete) ring. If the home owner isn't a very good shot suggest that they put the seat down and join the ladies.

Sorry Bud, but as a plumber trying to get my final inspection, I must caulk my fixtures. WC, urinals, sinks, lavs, tub/shower trim, etc.

LateralConcepts · 01-13-2011, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grampa Bud

To Lateral: Never ever caulk a toilet base to any floor. Doing so may look pretty, but if there is any leakage -gas, solid, or liquid- you will never know about it until you and the toilet go through the rotted floor. The only caulk you should ever need is the wax (or putty ring if the toilet is set on concrete) ring. If the home owner isn't a very good shot suggest that they put the seat down and join the ladies.

Sorry, but it's required by code for health reasons. It needs to be done. There should be a small section in the back of a water closet left open.

COLDIRON · 01-14-2011, 07:53 AM

Anytime I remove a toilet I replace everything , bolts, washers, nuts, wax ring. It's not worth messing with.

Grampa Bud · 01-14-2011, 10:02 AM

Caulking fixtures such as sinks to walls, or caulking openings in walls or floors to seal around drain lines or water lines or gas lines is acceptable and in many cases a code or ordinance requirement. However wall hung urinals and W.C.'s and floor mounted toilets where the seal from the fixture to the drain line is hidden must NOT be caulked to the surface they are mounted on. For every plumber or plumber wannabe that caulks even one toilet, urinal, W.C. to a mounting surface I hope the customer gets his (or her) name, address, license, and phone number just so that if the worst case scenerio does happen, that plumber can come back and fix the mess.

braindead · 01-14-2011, 07:31 PM

Grandpa Bub:

>>>Caulking fixtures such as sinks to walls, or caulking openings in walls or floors to seal around drain lines or water lines or gas lines is acceptable and in many cases a code or ordinance requirement.<<<

Most codes that I deal with that is a requirement.

>>> However wall hung urinals and W.C.'s and floor mounted toilets where the seal from the fixture to the drain line is hidden must NOT be caulked to the surface they are mounted on<<<

Thats is still a requirement.

>>>For every plumber or plumber wannabe that caulks even one toilet, urinal, W.C. to a mounting surface I hope the customer gets his (or her) name, address, license, and phone number just so that if the worst case scenerio does happen, that plumber can come back and fix the mess<<<

How can you figure that a plumber would be in a negative situation when he follows code?, since everyone that I have ever worked for has all of my info. I've yet had anyone call me back to complain that the fixtures where not caulked right?

>>>The only caulk you should ever need is the wax (or putty ring if the toilet is set on concrete) ring.<<<

This is from one of your posts, where do you use putty pertaining to a toilet?, putty was banned in most areas back in the 60"s ?

I guess you never worked on a multi-story or a restaurant?

braindead · 01-14-2011, 07:44 PM

[quote=LateralConcepts;569598]Sorry, but it's required by code for health reasons. It needs to be done.

LateralConcepts:

>>>There should be a small section in the back of a water closet left open.[/quote<<<

I don't know where that comes from but, it doesn't make sense, water goes down not up, by leaving the back open you leave it wide open to have any splashing or water on the floor to leak into the ceiling below.

Jim F · 01-14-2011, 08:36 PM

So what's the right answer? I've always left the caulk out of the equation for the reason above that if your wax ring does fail, it is better to see the water seeping out from under the toilet so you can fix it. On the other hand, for sanitary reasons it does seem to make sense to caulk. I did not realize caulking was required by code.

Now I'm thinking maybe I should caulk around the front since my 7-year-old does pee all over the place and I do not want to teach him to sit like a little girl. But even if you do leave an opening in the back, doesn't that still allow the possible of trapping water and rotting the floor.

LateralConcepts · 01-14-2011, 10:22 PM

[quote=braindead;570223]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LateralConcepts

Sorry, but it's required by code for health reasons. It needs to be done.

LateralConcepts:

>>>There should be a small section in the back of a water closet left open.[/quote<<<

I don't know where that comes from but, it doesn't make sense, water goes down not up, by leaving the back open you leave it wide open to have any splashing or water on the floor to leak into the ceiling below.

That's just the way I was taught in my area. Caulking was required by code (health or plumbing? I'm not sure). Obviously we all know that water will follow the path of least resistance. So what difference does it matter whether it's caulked or not in that aspect? The likelihood that you'd notice a leak (unless there was a blockage) is almost nil. Any small leak or break in a wax seal would be undetectable for quite some time in most cases.

LateralConcepts · 01-14-2011, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim F

So what's the right answer? I've always left the caulk out of the equation for the reason above that if your wax ring does fail, it is better to see the water seeping out from under the toilet so you can fix it. On the other hand, for sanitary reasons it does seem to make sense to caulk. I did not realize caulking was required by code.

Now I'm thinking maybe I should caulk around the front since my 7-year-old does pee all over the place and I do not want to teach him to sit like a little girl. But even if you do leave an opening in the back, doesn't that still allow the possible of trapping water and rotting the floor.

JimF - As a child I was trained with Cheerios. Make it fun for him.. shoot the bullseye!