Toilet that moves side to side

[DIY_Noob]

Hi all,

Wrapping up a complete bathroom remodel and am now putting in a toilet. I have never replaced a toilet so that my background on the matter. At any rate, I used a regular old wax ring after a misadventure with a ‘perfect’ seal and have the toilet set, I think. There was a little wobble and so I did some lite shimming and now we’re good. No rocking when sitting and shifting. There is however some rotation/twist with the toilet.

I installed it two nights ago but I have not had a chance to caulk it yet and wanted to explore this further before I did. So question for you pros- is this normal for the toilet to be able to rotate? What sort of adhesive properties does Caulking have and will it solve the twist?

Thanks a ton!

 

[WorthFlorida]

Should never rotate. Obviously you do not over tighten the flange bolts but they may need to be snug up perhaps a little more. It is possible that you cracked the flange ring if it is PVC but since it doesn't rock you're probably OK. If you used nylon shims to shim up the toilet, they are a bit slippery and might be acting as a bearing since the rest of the bowl bottom is not touching the floor that has more friction.

I prefer to use grout under the bowl instead of caulking when setting on tile. It takes up some of the load from the weight of the toilet instead of it concentrating at the shim points. But everyone has a different opinion and way. Over a two year period I remodeled two bathrooms in my home and two different plumbers used grout. Both times they asked me for grout since with new tile work I had plenty and the right color. I didn't insist on it either. The grout really needs to be pushed under it so you get about a 1-2" pad.

 

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[JohnCT]

I wouldn't use caulking. If you develop a leak under the bowl, the caulking will mask the leak and you won't discover it until the subfloor is ruined.

The bowl shouldn't rock, roll, or rotate. You should retorque your bolts. After setting the bowl down, the wax ring will slowly relax, so it's a good idea to retorque an hour or so after you install the bowl.

 

[Terry]

I use clear caulking most of the way around the bowl. I leave it open at the back so that if the seal is bad we know quickly.
I place the bowl down without wax first to see if it needs shimming and where. If needed, I place the shims, then pull the bowl drop the wax(s) and then the bowl back down again.
Finally I run some clear caulking around the bowl, leaving it open at the back.

Toilets I've had to remove that were grouted in were pretty much broken up to remove them.
Toilets that were installed with Silicone had to be cut from the flooring, sometimes pulling up floor tiles in the process.
I use the caulking below in a clear format.

Goes on white, dries clear. Water cleanup with a sponge.

 

[MACPLUMB]

Go to your nearest big box store and get about 10' of nylon rope when you get back home tie that toilet up in knots where it don't move anymore !

 

[ImOld]

Don't need no stinkin' shims, caulk, grout, rope!

 

[DIY_Noob]

Thank you all for the really helpful responses on this. A great point on the wax ring settling and this allowing for the bolts to loosen.

I was pretty conservative to start with tightening the bolts and didn’t overtorque because of the instructions on the toilet and risk of cracking. I assume though that this is them trying to protect the bowl.

I’m halfway tempted to pull up the toilet and redo everything. The really good thing about this toilet is that it is easily accessible from the garage as that’s where the drain pipe runs into the main stack. So a part of me says seal and monitor? Do you guys have any guidance on how I know if the seal is still good (or was good to start) or is that just trial and error?

Thanks again. This site is awesome!

 

[DIY_Noob]

Dang! I really wish I would have watched that video to start, Terry. Thank you for sending!

 

[Jadnashua]

It's best to actually use your body weight to settle the toilet down fully, then tighten the bolts.