A toilet seat is a complex piece of the water closet, and often it starts leaking. There are many reasons why a toilet bowl might start leaking, but most commonly, the problem lies with the toilet’s wax ring.
If there is an issue with the wax ring, you might notice water leaking from the edges of your toilet from where it is attached to the floor. But, before jumping to a conclusion, you should check the other components of the water closet to find out any other source of leakage. If you are still unsure, you must call a professional to help you with the leakage.
A plumber may be able to identify the exact cause of the leakage and take care of it appropriately. If the wax ring is causing the leakage, it may have to be replaced.
Here are some steps on how to replace wax ring on toilet. The process is easy, but if you haven’t performed the task before, you might consider hiring a plumbing contractor for the job.
1. Drain and disconnect
Firstly, you must cut off the water supply to the toilet to prevent water from gushing out when you are replacing the wax ring. If there is water in the toilet bowl, the tank, or any other component of the toilet, you must flush it until it is empty and dry.
You can even use a vacuum or a blow-dry to speed up the process of drying.
2. Remove the toilet
To remove the toilet, you must be equipped with an adjustable wrench or a wrench of proper size. Using the wrench, loosen the bolts on the base of the toilet. These bolts might be hidden under protective caps in some modern water closets. But, if you’re unable to find any bolts or screws, you must refer to the user manual of the toilet.
After loosening the bolts, wiggle the toilet to free it from the caulk beneath. If the toilet is heavy, you might need the help of another person to pull it and set it aside to access the wax ring.
3. Scrape the wax ring
After removing the toilet, you will see the wax ring attached to the floor or the flange. Depending upon the make and model of your toilet, some wax rings are either applied on the floor or the base of the toilet, so refer to the user manual of your toilet.
Take a sharp tool like a knife and scrape away the wax ring from the toilet’s base and the floor as much as possible. You must scrape away as much of the old wax ring as you can to ensure that there is space to install the new wax ring.
4. Put the new wax ring
Commonly, there are two types of wax rings that you can find; self-adhesive and the ones that require adhesive.
With the wax ring in your hand, you must apply it to the toilet base on the floor or at the bottom part of the toilet.
Once you have applied the wax ring, you must install the toilet back to its original position, ensuring that the original bolts and caps are lying perfectly.
5. Give it time to dry out
After installing the toilet and fastening the bolts, you must put some weight on the toilet to help the wax ring set onto its place and stick to the surfaces.
Reconnect the water supply and run a couple of flushes through the toilet while carefully monitoring the base for any leaks.
If there are no leaks, then you have completed the job. However, if you still notice any leaks, you must call plumbers to deal with the problem.
So, this is how to replace the wax ring on the toilet if you notice any leaks. Remember, even after you replace the wax ring, you will still need to ensure that your toilet is fixed back in place in order to avoid future leaks. By hiring a plumbing service, you can be assured that you will get the best quality work.