Is Your Toilet Tight

This is no joke! My last sale had this EXACT issue! Very loose toilet, leaking occurred and rotted the floor boards. This created water stains on the drywall behind the water heater in the garage, so of course we had to cut a hole in the drywall to see what the heck was going on. So what was the resolution? New wax ring, removal of rotted wood, new plywood and 2x4's, and new tile to replace the old that had to be ripped up. A $2 wax ring and a little labor would have prevented this $800 repair.

I find that loose toilets are not uncommon. Also the tank to bowl connection. It may sound nitpicky but as above, it could be a very expensive fix if ignored.

Alaska Don

A loose toilet is an excellent example of how a minor problem can turn into a major one.  I also see alot of toilets caulked between the base of the bowl and the flooring.  I advise not doing this either.  If there's a leak you want to know about it and caulking tends to hide it till the damage is done.  If the flooring is so uneven that shims created an unsightly wide gap in the front, then just caulk the gap and leave the rest open.

I'd like to throw in my 2 cents and remind sellers that if they tighten the toilet themselves be careful!  I've seen several of my clients here in Illinois take a wrench and tighten that baby and CRACK.  Tightening it too much cracks the toilet and here youa re running out to buy a whole new toilet!

Fluidmaster has the answer to wax rings. They are a plastic insert with "O" ring gaskets. A local plumber gave me one to try out, and pointed out to him that I have five bathrooms, so he gave me five of them and they've been installed for over eight years with NO problems. I threw away all the spare wax rings I had.

Alaska Don

Jim

I have seen this quite often when I do my inspections. I know it sounds picky but  it becomes a serious problems at a later date. Better to be picky now and  prevent finger pointing later. 

For those of you checking for loose toilets, I hope that you are not grabing the bowl with your hands!  The best way is to straddle the toilet and gently try to rock it with your legs.  For those of you that wear shorts during the summer, I don't know what to tell you!

I have seen some inspectors who try to rock the toilet while sitting on the seat.  This is the wrong way, as your weight might keep it from moving.  I would say that about 60% of the homes I inspect have a loose toilet.

It's not that my toilet is tight, I think my butt's too big.  LOL

Sorry, couldn't resist the straight line.

Dana