A leaking toilet isn’t something to be taken lightly. It can cause significant damage to your bathroom floor, and maybe even the sub-flooring beneath. In some cases, you might have to completely replace the toilet. However, the problem may only need an easy fix by replacing the wax ring underneath the stool.
The wax ring keeps noxious fumes from entering your home, and helps seal the toilet to the drainage pipes. Water leaks and a toilet that becomes loose, are only a couple of the reasons that a new wax ring needs to be implemented. It causes the ring to break away, and can also allow mold to grow in this area. Replacing the ring is a simple fix and only requires a few tools and an inexpensive replacement ring.
Before getting too far into the project, you’ve got to shut off the water and empty the bowl and tank of the toilet. There should be a shut-off valve behind your toilet. Once this is done, flush your stool to empty out the water. Once this is done, you can move on to the rest of your project. Disconnect the water lines to the toilet, and remove the nuts attached to the bolt that hold the stool in place. These may be a little rusted and hard to loosen. If so, simply add a little W-D 40. This should take care of the problem.
To remove the stool, pick it straight up from the floor so as not to damage the bolts still placed within the floor. If these are severely damaged, you may have to replace them along with the wax ring. Lay the stool upside down on a piece of carpeting to catch any lingering water. Next, use a putty knife or something similar to scrape away the old wax ring. Chances are that it will have become stuck to the bottom of the stool.
Some wax rings come with a plastic funnel attached. Check to make sure the old ring either didn’t have one of these, or that you remove it before going on. In some cases, this may be stuck to the flange, which will also need to be cleaned before adding the new ring. Once both the bottom of the stool and the flange are cleaned, you’re ready to put your new wax ring in place.
Put the ring around the bottom of the stool’s discharge outlet. Be sure to press it into place, as it may fall off once you pick up the toilet. Check the washers around the floor bolts before replacing the stool, and replace if needed. Next, slowly replace the toilet back to its original position. Tighten down the nuts to the floor bolts and replace the water lines. Make sure everything fits well before turning the water back on.
Once you’ve taken care of everything else, turn on the water and your toilet should be ready to go for another few years. Make sure to check for leaks before calling the project complete. If done properly, this entire project should only take about an hour of so to finish.
