[__Vizion__]

1st time poster so here goes:

I noticed my toilet slowly leaking from the bottom of the base,
So I placed a new wax ring on the bottom and all was
Good. Until the next day, I noticed a sewer smell in the bathroom so
I assumed the wax didn't really seal itself properly. 2 years ago we
Had our bathroom remodeled so the workers placed a new tile floor and
I noticed that the flange was sitting lower than the floor. I've
Attempted again with a wax ring except this time I used a wax ring
With an extra 40% wax and that had an extra flange in the middle.
I've been setting the ring on the end of the toilet and then placing
It on the floor flange, and this time I noticed for the first time I
Had to press down on the toilet to really seat it which is a good
Thing that I had to compress it myself. The day passes and after
Cleaning the floor and using the suction fan of the bathroom it still
Smells like sewage, but of course the floor isn't leaking. Any advice
For a young plumber in training? My next option was to place a basic
Wax ring on the floor flange, and then use a wax ring with flange on
The end of the toilet, and would caulking around the toilet help trap
The sewer gas? Could I be approaching this entirely wrong? Thanks and any help would be greatly appreciated.

[speedball1]

My next option was to place a basic wax ring on the floor flange, and then use a wax ring with flange on the end of the toilet,

The problem with that option is that if you don't form and bevel the wax outward so it doesn't spread inward and impede the flush action, (Read on.) When I was the warranty man and trouble shooter for a large plumbing company we used to get calls like "The toilet does not overflow; the water reaches the rim and gradually subsides, leaving the waste and a small amount of water in the bowl."
As a rule in older toilets this would mean a blocked jet butI was getting these calls on toilets that we just installed in our new construction. So when we got a complaint that one of our new toilets was having a flush problem I went out on the call. After a few calls I found the trouble. When our installers set a toilet the wax ring would spread in instead of out. This choked down on the opening setting up a back pressure that stopped the siphon action of the flush.
The remedy was to pull the toilet and form the wax seal so it beveled out and would spread out instead of in blocking the drain opening. I would have this checked first. After our plumbers began to bevel the ring out out complaints stopped.
So if you double seal, bevel the wax out.

would caulking around the toilet help trapthe sewer gas?

Not only does caulking the bowl with Dap White Tub and Tile Caulk give your job a neat professional look but it traps any odor that may be down there.
Having said that, have you sniffed around the other drains in the bath? A toilet isn't the only fixture that sewer gas can escape from. Good luck, Tom

[__Vizion__]

If I tried the bevel option, should I only bevel the wax ring on the floor flange? I been sniffing around every few hours, and when I used the suction fan I still smell and odor low to the ground near the toilet.

[dmrlook]

I too have tile in my bathroom and the flange is level with the plywood under the tile, not the tile itself. Thus, I have about an inch between the flange and the toilet. This was done by the original builders, long before I owned the house. I never had a sewer smell. When I recently remodeled the bathroom, I noticed the original install had 3 wax rings. After I retiled, I purchased 3 rings (one with the plastic boot, the other two without). Placed the one with the boot against the toilet, and the other two rings on top of that (as you are looking at the toiler upside down), and then used my hands to shape press the three rings together, fanning them out slightly as Tom is suggesting. Next I put the toilet in place and pressed it all down. No flushing issues, and no smells. Sp perhaps you just need 3 rings instead of one that is 40% larger.

Hope this helps!
Rob

[__Vizion__]

Thanks for the help guys, I'll try this next week if the stench doesn't clear up after the weekend.

[ronnn]

I have two toilets on the same 1st floor (concrete) level. Our septic system gets saturated during heavy rains and tends to back-up. Under these conditions one toilet always leaks at the base while the other does not. I replaced the wax seal and it still leaks. What else would cause this leak at the base?

[massplumber2008]

Hi Ron...

It could just be different toilets where one needs more wax than the other one for a good seal... could be? Here, I would recommend that you consider installing an EXTRA THICK wax gasket (sold at the larger "box stores") with long closet bolts at the trouble toilet and see how you make out with that.

Here, it could even be that the toilets are the same type of toilets but the closet flange of the troublesome toilet is set deeper into the floor... maybe? Here, the same EXTRA THICK wax gasket with long closet bolts would still be a reasonable next step.

Be sure you give the wax gasket time to come to room temperature before installing the toilet and take your time in cinching down the closet bolt nuts. Here, I set a toilet and tighten the nuts on the bolts to a reasonable tightness. Then, I start cleanup and 5 minutes later... tighten the nuts on the bolts a little more. Finally, after is all cleaned up and I've let another 5 minutes or so go by I cinch the nuts on the bolts again and then cut the bolts flush with the top of the nuts and install the toilet bolt caps. Test the toilet, etc...

I'd recommend trying this and if the issue comes up again pop on back... could be hydraulics/pressure issues that exceed what the wax gasket can hold back... *shrugs*.

Let me know what you think...

Mark