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mofstead · Jun 21, 2004, 05:16 PM

Could you help us settle an argument? One of our toliets is loose from the floor and I say the ring is broken (AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED). My husband says that it only moves like 5 mm but it definitely rocks when you sit on it. The floor is not level in the bathroom. The tile next to the tub (which is not used) has dark grout that is at least 1/2 foot away from the toilet. The toilet IS used daily. What do we do? THanks!

speedball1 · Jun 21, 2004, 06:55 PM

If the closet flange were broken the bowl would come up higher then 5mm. And if it were cracked or broken they make a repair kit for broken flanges that puts it in the range of the average homer to repair. If the floor's uneven and snugging up the closet bolts don't stop it from rocking, ( Careful! Cranking down on the closet bolts. You're working over china which is very brittle and will crack under too much pessure) you will have to shim the bowl. You will need a small amount of sheet lead to do this. If you find that you have to shim, click on back and I'll walk you through the process including directing you to a supply of sheet lead and all the materials you will need to complete the job. Regards, Tom

mofstead · Jun 22, 2004, 05:59 PM

I don't think tightening up the bolts will work. I would appreciate the help to shim it. And there is no worry about the seal? Thanks!

speedball1 · Jun 23, 2004, 06:09 AM

Let me walk you through the process of shimming a toilet bowl. First you will need some sheet lead. Go to any plumbing shop and tell them you're shimming a bowl and want some sheet lead from roof flashing scrap. We use lead because the china bowl is brittle and lead won't crack it when we tighten down. Fold and cut the lead to about 1/2 to 5/8" squares to the thickness of the shim area, in your case about a little over 3/8" thick. Now loosen the closet bolts securing the bowl to the floor and place your shims just so they clear the rim but don't slip into "the void" under the bowl. If you lose any simply take a table knife and retrive them. Gently tap any shims back under the rim that peek out. When the bowl seems set and doesn't rock, snug up the closet bolts to where the bowl is pulled down on the shims and is tight to the floor. You are now ready to grout the job. Use a small tube of White Dap Tub & Tile Caulk. Run a bead all the way around the bowl filling the open spaces and smoothing it out with your finger. If the shims peek through add a little more caulk. Wipe the excess off with a damp cloth and let it dry for a few hours. You have just shimmed and caulked your toilet. Hope this helps Tom

DustinBH · Feb 14, 2005, 04:34 PM

I was replacing the wax seal today and accidentally put a little too much into tightening the bolts. When I did this the flange broke. It is a pvc 3" flange glued to the pvc drain pipe, how would I go about removing this and what will I need to replace. It doesn't seem too hard but I figured advice never hurts. Thanks for the help.

tommytman · Feb 14, 2005, 10:23 PM

They sell repair parts check

http://www.fernco.com/SF.html (fix a flange) for an example

And look for something similar at the store. If you have room to work and do not like this option you could replace the whole flange.

They sell plastic shims you can use to shim the toilet instead of lead. I had a rocking toilet as well and used these shims and they were great.