A toilet wax ring is what seals your toilet base to the floor/toilet flange below it. There may be a breakage of the wax seal if you start to notice any of the following:

– your toilet is loose or wobbles from side to side

– there is water or dampness around the base of your toilet

– your toilet leaks and leaves stains on the ceiling below

Toilet wax ring replacement is not extremely difficult, but be prepared because it can be a messy, heavy task. If you are replacing the seal yourself, you will need: a replacement wax seal and wax seal installation kit (available at most hardware stores), a trash bag, gloves, and a plastic putty knife.

How to Replace the Wax Seal

1. Turn off the water supply

2. Flush the toilet a couple of times to empty the water completely.

3. Use a sponge to dry up the remaining water in the bowl.

4. Unscrew the nuts on the base of the toilet that holds it to the floor.

5. Disconnect the supply line for the water (the silver coil connected at the back of the toilet).

6. You will have to rock the toilet side to side to loosen it from its current seal and to break the caulking that is keeping it in place.

7. When it is disconnected, be sure to grab the toilet from the bowl and not the tank. Move the toilet and flip it on its side so the base of the toilet is facing up.

8. remove the wax and old rubber seal from the floor and the remaining wax on the bottom of the toilet.

9. Take the new seal and put it in place.

10. Seal the toilet on the new ring. This can be easily done by sitting on it and rocking it side to side to make sure the seal had adhered to the wax base.

11. Replace the bolts and caps to the base and reconnect the water line.

12. Turn the water supply back on and let the bowl fill with water.

13. Flush the toilet and do a damage check for leaks or problems with the newly installed wax ring.

If you are having trouble with the project on your own and would feel more comfortable contacting a professional, try using TalkLocal to find one near you. TalkLocal is a FREE service that will connect you with top-quality, reliable plumbers in your neighborhood, within minutes. Just enter in your problem, location and availability and TalkLocal will contact multiple companies, who will then call YOU directly, ready to help. Save time and stress from searching for the right, most affordable plumber on your own, and let TalkLocal do it for you!

This entry was originally posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2012 at 10:00 am and is filed under Plumbers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.