Installed anew wax seal twice now and still have leakage at the base of the bowl.Flange is pvc and is about 1/4" above floor level.what might be the problem.How do I fix this.tx

Are you sure the floor is stable and the toilet isn't moving at all when its in place? If the toilet moves at all, you will break that seal over time. And it sounds like that's what is happening.

Hi all:

Did you install an entire new toilet or working with an older toilet... let me know?

Mark

Hi mark-this is a new toilet.

The toilet should absorb that 1/4". I would not use wax ring with flange but rather the "skinny" wax ring. That's because there is less to compress. As a result it will allow toilet to go down as much as possible.

Hi Nantiluk:

If a new toilet install I wanted you to double check the tank to bowl connection. Sometimes, when a new toilet gets installed a leak can occur between the toilet tank and the toilet bowl connections and it can show up looking like a wax ring seal issue... ;) Check the rear of the toilet just below where the toilet connects to the tank... use toilet paper to check for wetness here... could be the issue, too!

Otherwise, tell us a little more about what the wax gasket looked like after you lifted the toilet after the first wax gasket leaked... was it a good looking seal or was it offset or squished to one side?

Did you set the toilet bowl first and then connect the tank to bowl? If not, this would probably aid in setting the bowl squarely and level...

Back to you...

Mark

Milo-tx for the reply.But that's exactly what I used on my 2 previous attempts.yet got a leak in both cases.so there's got to be something else.maybe I did something wrong.

Do you install the wax ring first and than toilet on top of it ? Or, do you put wax ring onto the toilet and then set them on the closet ring ?

It seems to me you are not setting the toilet straight onto the hole. Any movement left or right will move wax ring causing a leak.

There is a certain skill every plumber develops in installing toilets. If you are doing it for the first time - then I would suggest you utilize help of another person. Set toilet directly down and onto the bolts. Straight on. One movement in downward direction. Toilet will be guided by the bolts. Once bolts are through the opening in the base of the toilet, gently press on the bowl. It will compress the wax ring and eventually sit on the floor. Tighten up the bolts. Do not overtighten. See what it does...

Mark-there was no leakage between the bowl and the tank.I checked it very carefuly.I set the wax seal on the flange then the bowl on top of it.Dint pay attention to the seal after removal

Milo-yes I put the seal down on the flange then the bowl.well I aligned the bolts very carefully and didn't encounter any problem in slidiong the bowl down.then I sat on it.

Mark-the bowl is sitting on the floor right now,no seal(dont have any.)checked the level and it is off by about 1/8"to the right.(lower).marked the contour of the bowl with tape on the floor.

Does the water appear with every flush? Or is it only wetness around the base of the toilet ?

Milo-the odd thing is that after having poured in a great quantity of water in the bowl everything remains dry for quite a while,then the water appears at the base,evrytime after I flushed??

Milo-by the way the water always appears on the right side of the bowl when facing it

Open the lid and make sure the 1/4" fill tubing is inserted into the overflow tube. Sometimes it sprays onto the lid and outside the tank.

Also, make sure toilet doesn't fill too high. Some toilets have overfill tube too tall allowing tank to fill all the way to the top. In this case, water would overflow through handle opening.

In addition to wax leak: It can leak from the seal bet. The tank and bowl. Also, it can leak from tank bolts.

I would also check the angle stop and water supply. They may drip on the floor, travel to the base...

Please, check it out. Observe tank filling with lid off. Watch for oversprays or any abnormality during fill up.

There could be hair line crack in the bowl. Such cracks are hard to notice. Go over the porcelain surface with your finger nails and feel for cracs. Or take cigarette ashes and spread them over the bowl. It will show the crack

Milo-tx but for the time being I can't do anything,everything is dismantled and will have to wait until the next reinstallation.


Mark-how do I send you the pictures I took of the seal and the flange after I just removed the bowl.



Mark

Mark-I just installed my bowl for the 3rd time.For a long while I thought evrything was OK.no leakage at the base.but then,there was the water again.How do I insert a picture of the seal

To attach a picture to your post, do the following.
1. Click advance
2. Scroll down and click on the manage attachment.
3. Manage attachment window will open.
4. Click on Brows, chose your picture where it is located.
5. Double click on the picture.
6. Once it in the box to the left of the Brows, then click on the upload to the right of the brows.
7. Now it will show in the upload file from a URL box.
8. Close the manage attachment window and hit submit answer and you are done, good luck.

John

Thank you very much John.it worked nicely

Thanks for the photos. Closet ring and wax ring look good to me. I would concentrate on :

1. Tank to Bowl connection
2. Angle stop
3. Flexible Water supply
4. Crack in the Bowl ?