Loose toilets are a normal occurrence in most homes. However, the issue is not typically addressed by most home owners or tenants until one of two things happen: One, the toilet starts leaking and creates bigger water related issues like floor damage, structural damage, or even worst, mold in the bathroom floors, walls and surrounding areas, or: Two, the house is up for sale and an inspector finds the toilets loose.

In either case, the fact remains that the toilets should be secured. If a toilet is already leaking, the removal of the unit and replacement of, at the minimum, the wax seal should be expected. If the toilet is loose but no leaking is present, securing the toilet is a simple task.

How is the toilet secured?

Floor toilets are secured by two fasteners located at either side of the base by the drain connection point. These fasteners must be of non-corrosive material and are designed to hold the toilet in place. However, the size of the fasteners and attachment method has always been under-engineered and is improperly designed for the loads applied to the toilet through normal use. I know, I know, toilet manufacturers may be crying “foul” on this one but the fact remains that if the fasteners were sufficient to hold the toilets in place, no one would ever get a loose toilet.

Why does the toilet come loose?

Toilets become loose with normal use. Toilets installed on top of carpet will particularly be susceptible to getting loose since the fasteners do not have a hard surface to secure the base to.

If this is a typical problem, why hasn’t anyone done anything about it?

Funny you ask! For years it has been know throughout the industry that the fasteners on the side are not sufficient. This includes the toilet manufacturers, but they have never made an attempt to re-design the fastening method of the floor toilets. Instead, code and quality of construction experts, forced by the lack of effort from toilet manufactures, developed a solution that would prevent toilets from becoming loose.

This solution was written in the UPC (Uniform Plumbing Code) and the IRC (International Residential Code) and it is a simple solution, the codes simply say that any water fixture (including toilets) should be made water tight at the wall and floor joints.

The UPC1997 says the following:
408.2 Joints. Where a fixture comes in contact with the wall or floor, the joint between the fixture and the wall or floor shall be made watertight.
408.3 Securing Fixtures. Floor outlet or floor mounted fixtures shall be rigidly secured to the drainage connection and to the floor when so designed, by screws or bolts of copper, brass, or other equally corrosion resistant material.

The IRC says it very similar:
P2705.1 General. The Installation of fixtures shall conform to the following:
1. Floor-outlet or floor mounted fixtures shall be secured to the drainage connection and to the floor, when so designed, by screws, bolts, washers, nuts and similar fasteners of copper, brass, or other non-corrosion resistant material.
3. Where fixtures come in contact with walls and floors, the contact area shall be water tight.

Missing sealant at the base and floor joint. A JC Media Photo

  Where the words “water tight,” are used for a fixture installation it means “to seal,” or in plan terms “caulk,” so that no water can penetrate through the joints.

So how would the caulking at the base work to hold the toilet?

It has been established that the fasteners on the sides do not hold the toilet permanently. Once the toilet becomes loose, the seal created by the wax seal at the drain is broken due to the toilet movement. When this happens, waste water will leak through the gaps created between the wax and the base of the toilet and drain fitting.

Adding sealant at the base of the toilet on a properly cleaned joint will help secure the toilet and prevent it from moving. Historically, when a toilet has the base properly sealed at the floor, leaking has never been a problem through the wax seal. It is important to point out, that the key to this is to have the joint cleaned prior to applying any sealant.

Well, I’ve talked to the plumber and he says that if the base of the toilet is caulked, you can never tell if the toilet leaks.

A typical argument for some plumbers, contractors, and handymen, especially the good-old-boys that have been doing things the same way since 100 BC.

The problem with this argument is that it is much like the chicken and the egg. If you don’t caulk or seal the joint, especially on a hard floor surface, it is a fact that the toilet will become loose over time unless it is never used. With no sealant at the base, you are guaranteed to see some leaking once the wax seal is broken from the normal use of the toilet.

Leak from toilet drain fitting at the wax seal. A JC Media Photo

  This is precisely the reason why the base should be sealed at the floor. If sealed correctly (it is not rocket science), the toilet would not become loose which would prevent the wax seal from breaking, hence avoiding the leak all-together!

OK, I got it! So what type of sealant should I use?

For water tightness applications I personally prefer to use a product called Sika-Flex manufactured by the Sika corporation. Either sealant 221 or 1A. Another product I like better than over-the counter products is manufactured by Sonoborn. These two companies manufacture products with a urethane base which are by far some of the best products available.

If you cannot get your hands on any of these two products or are not familiar with their application (which could get a little messy if you are not used to working with them), the next best thing is a Silicon sealant. Preferably a 100% silicon. GE manufactures some of the best over-the-counter silicones and you can buy them at places like Home Depot or Lowe’s. I especially like the products that contain antifungal agents that inhibit mold growth.

In general, the only products I don’t recommend for water proofing any joints are sealants based on latex, regardless of their percentage composition and/or the manufacturer claims of their sealant being for Bathroom & Tub application. My rule of thumb is, if it contains latex, it will fail within 3 to 6 months and you’ll need to re-apply it again.

What that says is only that the building inspector did not do his/her job and probably never went to actually check the finished work. It also says that no one paid attention during the construction process to have it done and thus, it is easier to argue it as not being a valid issue rather than admitting that they did something wrong.

My suggestion is, if it becomes an argument with an irrational builder, then forget about it and just get it done yourself. It is not worth the hassle to deal with the contractor. I would however, let your realtor and friends know the poor service you got from the builder.

I just bought my house and the seller does not want to seal the bases, even though the inspector said it was an item that needed to be corrected.

If your real estate agent can’t negotiate something this simple or get someone to fix it for you, then you better get a new agent the next time you buy a house.

 Again, if it becomes a hassle to deal with the seller or the agents involved in your transaction, much like dealing with an irrational contractor. Then you are better off doing it yourself.

Who can do the work?

If you have a caulking gun in your garage, you can probably do it yourself. If you don’t own a caulking gun or never used one, then you are better off paying a handyman to come to your house and do it for you. You can have them go through all the fixtures and seal around the tubs and shower enclosures as well as the sinks in addition to the toilets, just to make sure there is no water penetration around any fixture.

For good measure, you can even please some of the good-old-boys that claim that you would never see the toilet leak if you seal the base. You can do it by sealing around the base at the sides and the front and leaving an unsealed gap at the back of the toilet. This way, if the toilet ever leaks through the drain (which it won’t if you seal it properly), you’ll be able to see water at the back of the toilet when you clean it!

I have a carpet floor. How can I make sure the toilet stays put?

I still don’t know who in their right mind would install a toilet on a carpet floor. Without even dealing with a loose toilet, there are a lot of hygienic and health issues involved with a carpet floor by the toilet. From not being able to vacuum around the toilet thoroughly, to men or boys not aiming properly and getting the carpet dirty and stinky. As for the toilet, you can never secure it with just the two fasteners because the carpet creates a non-solid barrier and you cannot seal the base because it would be worthless since the carpet is not solid.

LEak from Toilet Drain at wax seal and sub floor damage. A JC Media Photo

  If you have a carpet floor in your toilet room or area, my recommendation is that you replace the floor with linoleum, tile or a properly installed and sealed wood floor or laminated flooring. However, sealing of wood and laminated flooring and minimizing water exposure on these materials is imperative.  

Once you replace your floor, then you can seal the base. In most areas, the installation of carpet in bathrooms is no longer accepted and builders of new homes will not install the carpet near showers, tubs or toilets. However, this is still done by some remodeling contractors or home owners as a preference of the home owner.

My toilet was loose and the leaking caused damage. What do I do?

Remove the toilet, repair the damage and install new flooring and…. Seal the toilet at the base with a good quality sealant this time.

My toilet was sealed at the base and still became loose!

This will typically happen when the sealant used was a low quality latex based product or the sealant was applied over old failing caulking or a dirty surface at the base of the toilet or floor.

On a personal note, I’ve sealed the toilet in my master bath with sika-flex to the laminated floor in the summer of 2003 and my guest bathroom toilet to the tile floor in 2004 and both toilets have not needed re-sealing and still in place with no leaking! The caulking looks great too!

John Chavez
http://www.askhomepedia.com/

If this article did not answer all your questions regarding this topic or you have other questions, please fill our request form with your specific question and information and we will provide you with the information you need.

© Copyright 2007 John Chavez, All rights reserved. http://www.askhomepedia.com/  

No parts of this publication can be reproduced in any format without the express written permission of the author.

John Chavez is the founder and president of Nevada Home Inspection Group, Inc. established in 2000 in Carson City, NV and BLUEsky Home Services. He is a Nevada State Certified General Inspector of Structures and a former California State licensed general contractor. His construction (hands-on) experience spans over 22 years in all areas of commercial and residential construction throughout the United States.