Hello,
I'm new to this forum, so this is my first post. I'm trying to help a neighbor who has a leak at the base of his toilet. His American Standard toilet is about thirty years old, but there are no cracks, etc. Other than the slight leak at the base, everything in it works fine.
Some time ago, I replaced the wax ring at the base of one of my toilets, and I was completely successful in stopping its leak. I also recently installed a new toilet in my other bathroom, and of course, I installed a new wax ring for that toilet at that time. For both of my own wax ring jobs, I used NO plumbers putty, and NO caulk at the base of the bowl, and everything works perfectly.
But, after I replaced the wax ring on my neighbors toilet, the leak continued. I must add that my neighbor bought the wax ring almost two years ago, so it had been sitting unused for two years. I know that the leak is at the base of the bowl and nowhere else.
So my questions are:
Did I make a mistake in not using plumbers putty and/or caulk around the base? Is this a recommended procedure that I failed to follow?
Could the wax ring, being two years old, have lost its ability to function properly?
I intend to try the repair again, but I first want to make sure that I have the advice of the members of this forum.
Thanks,
Louis
I'm new to this forum, so this is my first post. I'm trying to help a neighbor who has a leak at the base of his toilet. His American Standard toilet is about thirty years old, but there are no cracks, etc. Other than the slight leak at the base, everything in it works fine.
Some time ago, I replaced the wax ring at the base of one of my toilets, and I was completely successful in stopping its leak. I also recently installed a new toilet in my other bathroom, and of course, I installed a new wax ring for that toilet at that time. For both of my own wax ring jobs, I used NO plumbers putty, and NO caulk at the base of the bowl, and everything works perfectly.
But, after I replaced the wax ring on my neighbors toilet, the leak continued. I must add that my neighbor bought the wax ring almost two years ago, so it had been sitting unused for two years. I know that the leak is at the base of the bowl and nowhere else.
So my questions are:
Did I make a mistake in not using plumbers putty and/or caulk around the base? Is this a recommended procedure that I failed to follow?
Could the wax ring, being two years old, have lost its ability to function properly?
I intend to try the repair again, but I first want to make sure that I have the advice of the members of this forum.
Thanks,
Louis
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