gap between bottom of toilet and tile floor

[momTZ]

Hello

New here. Just a quick question. We had tile placed in a bathroom just recently. As I was cleaning the floor, I noticed that the Toto Soiree we had installed by the tile person, has a gap between the floor and bottom. This is not the case with our other bathroom, where the toilet is flush with the vinyl floor.(installed by a plumber) Just wondering if I need to have a plumber take a look. Thanks for the advice.

Denise

[jadnashua]

I'd take a long straightedge and see if the floor isn't flat. But, that's actually not uncommon. The important thing is: does the toilet rock, or is it steady? If it is steady, then I'd just put some caulk around the toilet. Some people prefer polyseamseal. If it rocks, call the tile installer back. He should have shimmed it so it was stable, and by rocking, the wax seal is almost certainly shot.

[hj]

The real concern is why the toilet is not setting on the floor. If it is because the flange was too high, then you have a ready made leak.

[tubeornot2b]

if as you say the bowl rocks, then the wax seal is shot, does that mean that aside from tightening the mounting bolts on the socket and rough in I will also have to replace the wax seal?

[Gary Swart]

The flange should be flat on top of the finished floor (tile) and be screwed through the tile into the sub floor. It sounds to me like the flange is too high. Did the installer put in a new flange and set it too high or was an old floor taken out that was perhaps thicker than the replacement? You can not have any rocking movement when the toilet is set, and you should not have to use shims unless the floor is not level. The toilet does not make contact with the flange. The base rests on the floor, and the wax ring seals the space between the flange and the toilet. When you pull the toilet, remove the wax ring and set the toilet back over the flange. It should not touch.

[jadnashua]

If I remember, the Aquia uses an adapter that fits on the flange, then the toilet fits to the adapter. So, if the toilet is moving, it just needs to be shimmed, the gasket to the adapter should be okay.