Kholer Ready Lock installed with double wax ring --> bowl clearing slow

[jimmyjohn]

I installed a toilet a couple of years ago, one of the new Kholer Ready Lock ones with the side skirts. The wax seal failed after about 18 months, I suspect when large guests used it. I replaced the wax ring, and it promptly failed again. Annoyed, I decided to call a plumber to replace the drain pipe because it's an old style lead flange hammered flat on the floor, because it wasn't really a great setup for this ready lock system to start.

Plumber doesn't want to do that and instead reinstalls the toilet with a double wax ring. When he's putting the ready lock system on the floor, he's got to squish a lot of wax out, maybe like an inch comes out of the outside of the base.

Now after getting it installed, the toilet bowl is clearing VERY slow with just water being flushed. I afraid a lot of the wax ring was squished inward into the connection at the flange, which is reducing the drainpipe size at the flange. Without pulling the toilet again and trying yet again with a single wax ring, is there a way to clear the excess in the drainpipe? It seems like a snake, due to the bends of the catchway, will only clear it on one edge of the drain, but not the other 3 edges. It's hard to get a plumber into this area, which is pretty remote. These stupid new toilets have small trapways and are prone to clogging anyway without a quick drain of the bowl.

Pic of the ready lock as it's supposed to look:

This was the original wax ring install that failed (no pics of the new install)

 

[Reach4]

Failure in the old wax could have been from movement of the adapter, caused by movement of the toilet. It could have been a partial clog in the drain line, followed by strong plunging. Plunging into a partial clog can cause high pressures that can blow out wax. See https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/blocked-toilet-tried-everything.86961/#post-623986 item 2 where short strokes are suggested to set up a rhythm.

With a Toto Unifit, it is important to keep the toilet base from moving, and that is done by the caulking with something like Polyseamseal. That is an acrylic caulk that resists the toilet from moving side to side, but it does not glue the toilet into place as silicone RTV would.

When I did my Unifit, I shaped the wax ring into the plastic with gloved fingers to get the amount closer to ideal. I am not a plumber, so I was not on the clock

 

[Sponsor]

 

[jimmyjohn]

Failure in the old wax could have been from movement of the adapter, caused by movement of the toilet. It could have been a partial clog in the drain line, followed by strong plunging. Plunging into a partial clog can cause high pressures that can blow out wax. See https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/blocked-toilet-tried-everything.86961/#post-623986 item 2 where short strokes are suggested to set up a rhythm.

With a Toto Unifit, it is important to keep the toilet base from moving, and that is done by the caulking with something like Polyseamseal. That is an acrylic caulk that resists the toilet from moving side to side, but it does not glue the toilet into place as silicone RTV would.

When I did my Unifit, I shaped the wax ring into the plastic with gloved fingers to get the amount closer to ideal. I am not a plumber, so I was not on the clock

Thanks, wish I would have known this before. I believe the wax ring failed after being plunged as you describe. It hasn't been caulked yet, so I can use the polyseamseal. So now that it's been installed, what do I do now? Any ideas on how to remove all the extra wax at the flange?

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

I don't see why a double wax ring would be used for a flange that is sitting atop the floor. A regular wax ring is more than enough to make that seal. And since you're using an exposed trap before setting the toilet, there should be no way to have a wax failure. Unless the flange or adapter weren't completly dry, or the excessive wax was allowed to block the drain.. which I can't see happening since the adapter is a 2" target over a 4" hole.

The kohler system uses the lever locks that are attached to the closet bolts to the flange, which creates a very solid installation.. I really like this design.

 

[John Gayewski]

A toilet auger will clear any obstruction.

 

[jimmyjohn]

A toilet auger will clear any obstruction.

That's the next step. I'm just worried the toilet auger is going to be insufficient to clear the wax ring, because it has to go around the bends and will be forced to only one side of the trap way exit, so it will clear one side but not the other.

I don't see why a double wax ring would be used for a flange that is sitting atop the floor. A regular wax ring is more than enough to make that seal. And since you're using an exposed trap before setting the toilet, there should be no way to have a wax failure. Unless the flange or adapter weren't completly dry, or the excessive wax was allowed to block the drain.. which I can't see happening since the adapter is a 2" target over a 4" hole.

The kohler system uses the lever locks that are attached to the closet bolts to the flange, which creates a very solid installation.. I really like this design.

I think it was used because a single wax ring failed multiple times, and to my view when installing the single wax ring didn't have enough purchase on the flange of the sewer pipe.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

A toilet auger will clear any obstruction.

I had a tough one that i cleared on 2 trips with the auger, but it persisted.. So on the 3rd trip I pulled the toilet and found a toy that was a pink cylinder that would roll out of the way of the toilet outlet, but then roll back into the center to collect TP... The homeowner was shocked that the toy was actually a tampon applicator.

 

[jimmyjohn]

Well the auger didn't clear it. The plumbing manager at ACE recommended melting it away with hot water. Tried that in an old water bottle and it left a wax coating on the surface. Doesn't seem like the best idea to do in a sewer pipe.

Looks like I'll probably be pulling it again myself and custom packing the wax ring into this stupid Kohler system.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

Well the auger didn't clear it. The plumbing manager at ACE recommended melting it away with hot water. Tried that in an old water bottle and it left a wax coating on the surface. Doesn't seem like the best idea to do in a sewer pipe.

Looks like I'll probably be pulling it again myself and custom packing the wax ring into this stupid Kohler system.

The kohler adapter is the best one on the market IMO. Its the easiest way to visually see that you haven't messed up the wax or it hasn't moved while you're setting the toilet. Its basically fool proof.

Toilet wax will only begin to melt at 150°. I doubt you will be able to.