Am I an idiot to pull up my toilet?

[Petros]

I'm off to home depot for a wax gasket when I put the toilet back down. Anyone done this before and know of any hiccups I could run into? Am I a fool? I do have five years of maintenance under my belt, but I hear plumbing can be tough.

 

[VenomXt]

thats the easy part just make sure you buy a good wax ring.

 

[LeeJend]

Common problems: Age makes these higher risk

The screws that hold the toilet down may be so corroded they shear when you try to pull them.

You can crack the toilet base if you over torque the screws.

The drain seat in the floor may be badly corroded and not reusable (older cast iron ones). Removal of the screws make break off part of the drain seat.

If you do have to get new screws they may be the wrong length unthreaed shank too long or entire bolt length too long.

You may have problems getting the water line re-sealed after disconnecting it.

The gasket at the water line entry to the tank may start leaking from being moved around.

The water line shut off valve will most likely leak after turning it on and off (just retorque the top part to solve this.

The toilet may (probably will) rock after you put it back down unless you get the wax just right. (Bead of caulk around base solves this.)

The tank to base seal will probably start leaking after being disturbed. Screws holding tank to base may be too corroded and sealing washer cracking from age.

That pretty much sums up 25 yeare of lanlord problems.

Have fun.

PS Start the job early Saturday morning so you have 12 hours of hardware store access if anything goes wrong.

 

[Tittles]

Make sure it has a good seal otherwise you could see some problems right away or a few months later.

 

[j79zlr]

Once you set it, don't remove it, do not tighten the tank bolts too much or you can crack the water closet

EDIT: I agree with LeeJEnd, usually when I remove the tank for any reason, I pretty much replace the entire guts since its only around $20.

 

[fitz]

and make sure you drop the toilet correctly on the wax ring and make sure not to move it around too much once you get it on - if possible, have someone help you.. I ruined 2 wax ring trying to get it to line up right before I called someone over to help guide it down.

 

[fitz]

Once you set it, don't remove it, do not tighten the tank bolts too much or you can crack the water closet

Dang it.. beaten by a couple seconds

 

[cat826237]

Plumbing 101

You only have to know 2 things. Crap flows downhill and payday is Friday.

 

[Electronic Punk]

You can't beat a good wax gasket.
I have no idea what I am about.

 

[Petros]

All right! The toilet is back down, and I bought the super-premium "Crapload O' Wax" gasket at home depot. All seems good. Thanks for all your help, everyone. It's nice to draw from LeeJend's and others' experiences rather than increase the risk of failure for myself. The reservoir tank was loose and leaked a tiny bit, but repositioning the rubber gaskets and tightening it up made it work like new!

By the way, I didn't say why I was doing it... Let's just say my wife will have her cell phone in her purse when she puts her makeup on, rather than the edge of the vanity (which happens to be four inches laterally from the edge of the toilet)

 

[fitz]

By the way, I didn't say why I was doing it... Let's just say my wife will have her cell phone in her purse when she puts her makeup on, rather than the edge of the vanity (which happens to be four inches laterally from the edge of the toilet)

LOL.. classic.

I wonder though, did she flush with the phone in it? why not just grab a glove and reach in to fish it out without pulling the whole thing off?

 

[Mastershakes]

All right! The toilet is back down, and I bought the super-premium "Crapload O' Wax" gasket at home depot. All seems good. Thanks for all your help, everyone. It's nice to draw from LeeJend's and others' experiences rather than increase the risk of failure for myself. The reservoir tank was loose and leaked a tiny bit, but repositioning the rubber gaskets and tightening it up made it work like new!

By the way, I didn't say why I was doing it... Let's just say my wife will have her cell phone in her purse when she puts her makeup on, rather than the edge of the vanity (which happens to be four inches laterally from the edge of the toilet)

Priceless.

Also, is it seriously called Crapload O' Wax ? LOL !!

 

[Petros]

Well, fitz, the phone did that magic "bloop" thing where it goes deep into the neck of the toilet. You know, like a ghost poop.

Mastershakes, lol I just made up a brand name. If you saw it, though, you'd know exactly what I mean It has almost exactly one crapload of wax, give or take a few ounces.

 

[Mastershakes]

ahahhahaa... that made my day. We should get a photoshop competition going for it.... design the product. heh.

 

[muzikool]

You can't beat a good wax gasket.

Nope, especially not when they come in purple. :ermm:

 

[X-Istence]

Mastershakes, lol I just made up a brand name. If you saw it, though, you'd know exactly what I mean It has almost exactly one crapload of wax, give or take a few ounces.

I know exactly which one you mean. We bought the same one when we got our new toilet. It was one freaking huge wax ring.