subject: Changing A Toilet Wax Ring [print this page] If there's water gently leaking around the base of your toilet, or you regularly smell a bad odor in your bathroom, odds are the toilet wax ring has started to fail and it is time for it to be replaced.
A toilet wax ring is pretty much described by its name. It's a 1 to 2 inch thick ring of wax, frequently located encircling a plastic funnel. The toilet wax ring functions by forming a water/air tight seal between the base of the porcelain toilet base and the toilet flange (plastic or cast iron).
If a toilet moves when it is sat upon, with time the toilet wax ring will breakdown and fail. This failure manifests itself in the formation of small water and odor leaks around the base of the toilet. If left unchecked, damage could happen to the bathroom floor and dangerous sewer gasses may build up in the home.
A new toilet wax ring should also be replaced whenever a toilet is removed (e.g. in the course of the installation of a new bathroom floor).
Replacing a toilet wax ring is easy to do and could be carried out by the do it yourself homeowner with a little knowledge and some preparation. Replacing a toilet wax ring can be carried out in around one hour if it turns out there are no extenuating circumstances.
The basic steps needed to change a toilet wax ring begin with switching off the water supply line and emptying the tank and bowl of water. The supply line also needs to be disconnected from the toilet.
Next the anchor nuts, attached to the Hold-Down bolts, have to be unscrewed.
The toilet is subsequently lifted off the toilet flange and turned over.
The old toilet wax ring can then be scraped and removed off the base of the toilet, and the floor can be cleaned of any previous wax ring residue.
The new toilet wax ring is then pressed onto the base of the toilet and the toilet is then reseated onto the toilet flange.
The anchor nuts are then re-screwed back again onto the Hold-down bolts and the supply line reconnected.
The water supply line to the toilet can then be turned back on and the toilet is back in business.
For much more help on changing a toilet wax ring, see the Changing a Toilet Wax Ring Ebook from HomeAdditionPlus.com. The Changing a Toilet Wax Ring Ebook will quickly show you in detail the step-by-step process for replacing the wax ring on a toilet and contains how-to pictures for every key step in the process.
