Egads - Leaky Toilet!

In a perfect world, the flange is installed on TOP of the finished floor and is anchored well through it into the subfloor. If your flange is not installed this way, you may need an extra thick wax ring. If the flange is too high, the toilet may not fit or it may squeeze out all of the wax. A low flange is risking wax seal failure.

Toilet

It is too tedious to try to read through all the previous replies, but I had a two year old toilet a month ago, that would do the same thing, after I had reset it, (not using one of those rings with the plastic insert). After trying a couple of repairs I turned it over and finally found a very small dent in the bottom. I asked the customer if she had a broom and I pulled one piece from it and stuck it into the dent. It went all the way through the toilet into the water way. I had to contact the Kohler company because the normal guarantee is for just one year.

hj said:

It is too tedious to try to read through all the previous replies, but I had a two year old toilet a month ago, that would do the same thing, after I had reset it, (not using one of those rings with the plastic insert). After trying a couple of repairs I turned it over and finally found a very small dent in the bottom. I asked the customer if she had a broom and I pulled one piece from it and stuck it into the dent. It went all the way through the toilet into the water way. I had to contact the Kohler company because the normal guarantee is for just one year.

Click to expand...

YES!!! I pulled the toilet off this morning, flipped it over and could clearly see where water had been running down the back of the bowl...inside the bottom, not on the outside. The unglazed portion of the bowl was wet, and yet, the water level in the tank hadn't gone down during the night. That got me to thinking that it must be a tiny pinhole somewhere near where the trap (I think that's the correct terminology) is. I shined a flashlight in there, but couldn't see any defects or holes, but did notice some dimples and a spot where a number was stamped into it. I knew it wasn't the tank since I'd drained it yesterday and disconnected the water supply.

I smiled lovingly at my hubby, and he agreed to return the bowl and get a new one. Gosh I love that guy...lol

So here's the "funny" part. When he went into the store and told the guy what was happening the guy says "Oh gee, we had a whole shipment of bad bowls come in two months ago, but I thought we had returned them all...sorry. I'll get you a new one and make sure it's from the new shipment."

Great guys, huh?

I installed the new bowl this morning after checking the horn one more time to be sure it was all level n stuff. Didn't use a wax ring with the polyethelene insert this time...just a plain old wax ring.

Topped it off with the original tank and so far so good. No leaking at the base!

Then again, it's only been 4 hours, so I'm still holding my breath. Prolly won't breathe again for another 24 hours or so...hehehe...I'll be as blue as the rest of the bathroom, huh?

About the flange, since I've had so many questions on it. It's securely attached on top of the flooring, has no cracks in it and sits about 1/4" above the floor. That's a guesstimate on my part...it's just a hair above the floor.

The floor is nice and level, so hopefully with this shiny new porcelain bowl the whole thing is going to work as intended and I won't have to scrape any more wax rings off.

On a side note, a lot of my girlfriends pay big bucks to a manicurist every month to have their hands dipped in parafin. It's sposed to make your skin all soft and smooth. Have I got news for them, my hands have never LOOKED so good! LOL

Strawberry

Congratulations on a successful install of your Cadet 3.

It is a brilliant toilet. You will be thrilled with it. I have a post in this section for a number of modifications you can make to it at a later date if you are so inclined.

Surprised to hear about the rogue shipment of bowls. I guess it happens even when the highest standards are being met. Strange eh?

Thank Ian, I read your thread on the Cadet mods and loved the handle! I'm not sure what the Korky stuff is, but I'll read up on it for the future.

I do love the way this thing flushes! Whooooooooooooooosh! It fills so fast too...quite a shock after living with the old water saving toidy's, huh?

I'm hoping this means that I'll do less scrubbing and won't get that nasty little ring around the water line so quickly. I do know that the Cadet in my master bath has stayed clean and shiny inside for the entire 2 weeks that I've been in my new house. No moldy ick, no crusty line...just easy breezy brushing every coupla days and she looks purty as new.

I can't thank you guys enough for all the helpful info and advice yesterday. I was at my wits end when I found this forum and you guys gave me the confidence to just keep going and get it right.

You can count on hearing from me when we start the remodel process too. Thankfully the kitchen and other bathrooms are all custom upgrades and in good shape...just hafta deal with this one icky throne room. =)

SB

Good story Red. Now caulk the thing to the floor so it doesn't start rocking! I usually leave the back un-caulked. The official reason for this is that if the wax ring leaks you'll find out sooner, but the real reason is that its too damn difficult to caulk back there!

Southern Man said:

Good story Red. Now caulk the thing to the floor so it doesn't start rocking! I usually leave the back un-caulked. The official reason for this is that if the wax ring leaks you'll find out sooner, but the real reason is that its too damn difficult to caulk back there!

Click to expand...

Whoa, haven't been called Red in ages...talk about a flashback! (I was known out here in webland as LeggyRedHead for over a decade) LOL

Caulk it to the floor, eh? Ugh. Ok ok ok, I'll go dig the caulk out of a box in the garage and get busy on it.

Can't tell you how many times I've read on the internet that you should leave the back uncaulked so that you can find any leaks. Just smoke and mirrors, huh Southern Boy?

Strawberry

Before you two get re-married...

I can only imagine what life is like in the Back of Beyond, Idaho and Yadkin Valley.

Has the railroad reached you guys yet?

Ian Gills said:

Before you two get re-married...

I can only imagine what life is like in the Back of Beyond, Idaho and Yadkin Valley.

Has the railroad reached you guys yet?

Click to expand...

Railroad??? You mean there are trains out here? LOL

Seriously, it's not all that bad in back of beyond Idaho. The weather is gorgeous high desert dry and the mountains are breathtaking. The rattlesnakes aren't cool, but so far I've managed to avoid them.

Now about the south....

Can we say heat, humidity and pine roaches? Sweet tea is good, roaches are bad. Banana pudding is good, mosquitoes are bad. You get my drift, right Ian?

SB

That's actually pretty funny about the railroad, because the largest City in the Yadkin watershed does not have passenger rail. It’s been an ongoing issue for a long time, and most suspect its due to political differences with Forsyth being the only urbanized county that is not “blue”.

Red, I suspect that you are thinking about the coastal plane region (which is about ½ the State land mass). Subtract about 5-10 degrees of heat and 10-20 humidity and you’re in the Piedmont. Move as far west and north that you can before you’re in the mountains and there’s Yadkin County; where Daniel Boone married Rebecca Bryan and they lived for 10 years; where NASCAR was born of moonshine, and is now home to over two dozen wineries: God’s Country. The only roaches I’ve seen here are German cockroaches, brought here by our ancestors, and they pretty much stay out by the wood shed.

By the way, if you order “tea”, its always sweet and cold. You have to specify “hot tea” or, if you’re a Yankee, “unsweet tea”.

Yup yup southern guy, until 2 months ago I lived directly south of you. Smack dab in the middle of South Carolina, where humidity trumps all and a trip to the mailbox meant you had to do the backstroke to get back up the hill to the AC.

So you don't have pine roaches in Yadkin? HUMPH! No fair!! LOL South Carolina is swarming with them...along with plenty of yeller dogs, lots of sweet tea (also referred to as just "tea") and low country shrimp n grits.

Yadkin sounds lovely. Not sure how I missed it on all my trips to explore. Maybe next year when I'm back to visit family, huh? I did hear you say wineries, right?

Update on the toidy:

It's caulked and flushing like a trooper this evening. Nary a leak or a drip. In fact, I was so thrilled with my success that today I took apart my microwave oven hood thingy and replaced the circuit panel and control pad!

No telling what I might do tomorrow...lol

Strawberry

Ian Gills said:

Surprised to hear about the rogue shipment of bowls. I guess it happens even when the highest standards are being met. Strange eh?

Click to expand...

Hmmmm No wonder here!
Fits right in with my experience thats why I only install Am. Std.when customer supplied with a warning that If it proves to be defective as long as I installed it properly replacement cost is on them.

#1
When you mount the toilet can you feel the wax ring compressing? If not you may need 2 rings.

#2
Try not using a horned ring... If your going to use the horned ring be sure the wax is flat on the flange B 4 mounting...I have seen where the ring seems to be sitting on the flange but isn't...it will slide/wobble a bit on the horn, and if it is it will kink when you try and use it.

StrawberryBlonde said:

Yup yup southern guy, until 2 months ago I lived directly south of you. Smack dab in the middle of South Carolina, where humidity trumps all and a trip to the mailbox meant you had to do the backstroke to get back up the hill to the AC.

So you don't have pine roaches in Yadkin? HUMPH! No fair!! LOL South Carolina is swarming with them...along with plenty of yeller dogs, lots of sweet tea (also referred to as just "tea") and low country shrimp n grits.

Yadkin sounds lovely. Not sure how I missed it on all my trips to explore. Maybe next year when I'm back to visit family, huh? I did hear you say wineries, right?

Update on the toidy:

It's caulked and flushing like a trooper this evening. Nary a leak or a drip. In fact, I was so thrilled with my success that today I took apart my microwave oven hood thingy and replaced the circuit panel and control pad!

No telling what I might do tomorrow...lol

Strawberry

Click to expand...

You go girl!

NC is a very different place. Last weekend we went up to our mountain cabin and had to turn the heat on (gas stove). It got down to 52 that night, August 8. No roaches there- just mice!!!