Caulk toilet to floor

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jm10701

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Caulk to keep toilet from moving.

Rant all you want. I believe my own eyes. I can see the little part of floor that used to be covered by the toilet but isn't any more, and when that appeared the water did too. The toilet was bolted securely to the floor, and the toilet rotated. Just a little bit, maybe an eighth of an inch at the front, but enough to break the wax seal. The first thing I did was check the nuts, and they were tight. How it happened I don't know, but that it happened I'm absolutely sure of because I can see it.

These are huge old toilets; the front edge at the floor is 16" from the flange, and the edge of the bowl itself is another five inches, so sideways pressure at the front puts a lot more torque on the bowl than in a newer toilet. There's enough of a gap in the holes around the bolts to allow that amount of rotation, and the porcelain can't stand enough pressure from the nuts to guarantee that it never moves. Maybe on a vinyl or wood floor, but not on ceramic tile. That just isn't possible, regardless of what they may have taught you in plumber school. That may be why they put the extra set of holes closer to the front on these old monsters.

Regardless of what anybody here says, I'm counting on the caulk to help keep the thing in place because I've seen with my own eyes that the two bolts aren't enough, and I can't think of anything better, and I need to caulk anyway, and nobody here is offering anything useful, just attitude.

Sometimes you guys seem more interested in playing expert than in actually helping anybody. I guess that shouldn't be surprising. I'd probably be the same way if I were you. We all like to show off.
 

Joe the Plumber

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One thing I noticed is that the horn and the area around it are glazed, so that wax doesn't stick to it very well.

Most of the time, toilets are NOT glazed underneath, for just that reason. Wax won't stick to it. That maybe one thing I know. And that's not a rant.
Truely not a rant. You may want to caulk it to keep it from sliding arund on your tile floor. You know, the bowl.
 

99k

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Our inspectors specifically check the back of the toilet to make sure it WAS caulked competely around the whole base.

Dido. My inspector mandated caulk around the entire perimeter. I argued that I would like an opening in the back to let water out if the wax seal failed ... he didn't want to hear it...
 

Southern Man

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Dido. My inspector mandated caulk around the entire perimeter. I argued that I would like an opening in the back to let water out if the wax seal failed ... he didn't want to hear it...
I think he just want y'all to do that because its so hard to get a caulk gun back there. Personally I leave out the back for that specific reason, then tell people its to show a leak quickly if it does occur.... :)
 

Terry

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toilet-mold.jpg


This is what a fully caulked toilet can look like. There was a weep under the front of the bowl here. It wasn't a wax seal leak, it was a bowl leak. They had caulked all the way around. The only way for water to drip away was either through the floor around the flange, or through the wood. Look at all the white and green mold. It was dusty in places from the mold. I felt the inside of the bowl, and it was damp. Normally I use a clear caulking that goes on white can dries clear. If there is a problem, the clear turns to white and it can be caught before it damages the floor like this. This toilet had never been touched in sixteen years. There was a double layer of caulking, like someone was trying to seal it that. The bowl is pulled and in the garage for the husband to see. After the floor is dried, and hopefully refinished, a new toilet will be installed.
 

Jadnashua

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FWIW, if your bathroom is tiled, with most toilets, there isn't enough friction between the toilet and the tile to keep it from moving if it is bumped hard. The only thing that will keep it in place is a bead of caulk - I don't care how tight you get the bolts (caution, you can crack it if you go too far). If it's say a cushioned vinyl, yes, it will tend to be pretty stable, but still, it should be caulked. IF the toilet does move, it's possible it will break the wax seal, so that's a secondary reason to stabilize it other than the sanitary reason to prevent spills from weeping underneath.
 

Slomoola

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I use real 100% silicone just to keep the bowl from rocking. Never caulk the back unless it is code in your area.
 

Jadnashua

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100% silicon can make the toilet REALLY hard to remove when the time comes. There are better choices.
 

Reach4

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I use real 100% silicone just to keep the bowl from rocking. Never caulk the back unless it is code in your area.
Shims are the way to prevent rocking. If using wax, position the shims before dropping the toilet on the wax. That way you don't un-compress wax.
 

Cacher_Chick

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I have had 2 jobs where the wax had been leaking a little and soaked into the subfloor. When I pulled the bowl, the tiles came up still adhered to the bottom of the bowl by caulk. So much for quick and easy work.
 

Terry

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I have had 2 jobs where the wax had been leaking a little and soaked into the subfloor. When I pulled the bowl, the tiles came up still adhered to the bottom of the bowl by caulk. So much for quick and easy work.

That's why I don't use Silicone, but use the polyseamseal. It will lift up from the floor, unlike the Silicone which has pulled tiles on me too.
Also......pulling on a bowl that won't lift is not good on the neck, and back.
 

Slomoola

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100% silicon can make the toilet REALLY hard to remove when the time comes. There are better choices.

All you have to do is take a box knife and cut the silicone seal. Then take a 5n1 tool and scrape it off the floor. Sounds like you have never tried it before?? Pretty easy for me. Those easily removable caulks will not stop the possible bowl rocking.
 

Terry

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A toilet set in Silicone is very hard to pull up. I would never recommend Silicone. The bowl gets shimmed before it's set down on the wax. When the bowl is shimmed it doesn't need to be glued to the floor.
Silicone is almost impossible to remove from a floor too.

ms604-584-2.jpg


loctite-tub-tile.jpg


 
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Jadnashua

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At my sister's house, I cut what silicon I could, and when I then tried to lift the toilet, it was a major pain. It ended up actually lifting one of the smaller tiles up. Now, the reason I was removing the toilet was to fix the lousy tile in the area, but I take Terry's thoughts to heart...there are better seals out there for this purpose than silicon. IF the tile is at all textured, you'll probably not get all of the silicon off, either. Maybe not a big deal if you're putting the same toilet back, but a new one will likely have a different footprint, and it could end up showing. The stuff suggested will lift off, but still seal around the base from liquid incursion and help hold the toilet.
 

AH81

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caulk

Our inspectors specifically check the back of the toilet to make sure it WAS caulked competely around the whole base.

Sadly I had to teach my local plumbing inspector code the other day. He even scoffed and asked that I cite it. Pulled out the IPC code book and showed him. You can not use a toilet and shower as a combination waste vent. Thanks Inspector, you passed this plumbing 4 years ago under a concrete floor and inspected it twice.

This was done by a master plumber. I am not a plumber.
 

AH81

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A toilet set in Silicone is very hard to pull up. I would never recommend Silicone. The bowl gets shimmed before it's set down on the wax. When the bowl is shimmed it doesn't need to be glued to the floor.
Silicone is almost impossible to remove from a floor too.

ms604-584-2.jpg


loctite-tub-tile.jpg

Thanks Terry. I thought about silicone, but thought it may be too difficult to remove later. Plus I have Polyseamseal sitting on the basement shelf.
 
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