Leaking Toilet: How to Replace Wax Seal and Bolts

LESLIE: Patricia in Wisconsin needs some advice about water saving. What can we do for you?

PATRICIA: Well, I have a toilet that is leaking water [1] around the inside of the stool. I know it’s not coming out of the tank because I’ve put color dye in the tank and the water stays the same through …

TOM: (overlapping voices) OK. So the bowl is leaking itself.

PATRICIA: Mm-hmm.

TOM: OK. So the reason that would happen is because you have a bad seal underneath it.

PATRICIA: Oh, OK.

TOM: And that’s called a wax seal [2]. It kind of looks like a big, wax donut. And …

PATRICIA: Right.

LESLIE: And it does break down over time and get compressed and not function as well as it used to.

TOM: So basically, what you need to do – or have a plumber do – is disconnect the water lines and unbolt the toilet from the floor and basically lift it up; clean off the old wax seal and put in a new one; and then press it back down. And the wax seal is pretty thick and as you press the toilet in place, it sort of squishes out and creates a new seal. So get the old one off and do a good job of cleaning it off. It looks pretty disgusting, I will tell you, but it’s just wax. It’s dark, black, gooey wax but it’s just wax. (Leslie chuckles) So you need to clean that off.

And sometimes it’s a good idea also to replace the bolts [3] that hold it down to the floor at the same time. But there’s one thing very important to remember and that is, when you do replace the toilet, don’t over-tighten the bolts because people tend to do that and toilets crack very, very easily. You only have to make it snug. Essentially, a toilet stays in place based on its own weight. It doesn’t really get bolted to the floor, so to speak; so just make them snug and then just fight the urge to make that one additional turn. Because otherwise you may crack the base.

PATRICIA: OK, well that sounds great.

TOM: Alright, Patricia. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.