Monday 16 January 2012

Fixing a Rocking Toilet and Toilet Leakage

The causes of Toilet Rocking and Leakage
A Toilet rocking and leaking is one of the most common problems that a property owner may face. leakage on the floor, coming out from under the toilet, is sometimes caused by rocking toilets. The leakage can also be caused by sewer back-ups breaking the wax seal or leaking supply lines. The rocking toilet is usually caused by a problem with the toilet flange height compared to floor height, or the floor being slightly off level from the original construction.

How to fix a Rocking Toilet
If there is no water on the floor, no odor, and the toilet is only rocking, sometimes the rocking problem can be fixed without the need of a plumber. Home Depot, Lowe's and other Hardware stores sell a part called a wobble wedge. These wedges can be slipped in under the high edge of the toilet. They also are made of plastic and can easily be trimmed to be even with the outer edge of the toilet. If you have caulk around the base, you may need to trim this caulk off before installing the wobble wedges. Place the wedges into the largest gap area, pressing them firmly under the toilet. Then check to see if that solved the rocking. If the toilet is still rocking you may need to loosen the bolts on each side next to the floor, and push the wedge under a little further. Check again after tightening these bolts to see if that corrected the rocking.

How to fix Toilet Leakage
If you have water coming out from under the toilet, it will need to be reset because the wax seal or the flange could be broken. To reset the toilet yourself, you will need to turn off the water to the toilet. Then disconnect the pipe going to the flush valve. Then remove the bolts holding the toilet to the floor. Drain off all the extra water with a wet/dry vacuum, or by dipping it out of the toilet. Place a tarp or plastic trash bag on the floor to set the toilet on. Pick the toilet up and set it on the tarp. Then scrape off the old wax seal and replace it with a new wax seal. Also, place your bolts into the slot for the bolts on the flange. Then reset the toilet, being careful to line up the holes with the bolts. Tighten all the bolts and supply line. Also, add the wobble wedges to help level the toilet. Then check for leaks and adjust the wobble wedges, as in the instructions above, until rocking stops.

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