? about caulking toilet bowls

[WV Hillbilly]

I have read several people state that they caulk around the bowl where it meets the floor . This doesn't seem like a good idea to me . If the wax ring was to leak the water would be trapped under the bowl & you wouldn't know there was a leak untill the floor rotted out . I have also read about toilets that had holes in the bottom that were manfacturing defects . Opinions please .

[nhmaster]

I.P.C requires caulking for sanitary reasons.

[Verdeboy]

Some people leave the back of the toilet uncaulked. But even if the base is caulked, a leak should manifest itself well before the floor is rotted out: a little bubble in the lino, a wet spot in the room or crawl-space below. On floors with ceramic tile, it may be more difficult to detect.

[Howard Emerson]

I have read several people state that they caulk around the bowl where it meets the floor . This doesn't seem like a good idea to me . If the wax ring was to leak the water would be trapped under the bowl & you wouldn't know there was a leak untill the floor rotted out . I have also read about toilets that had holes in the bottom that were manfacturing defects . Opinions please .

GE white silicone all the way around, using electrical tape to mask both sides of the joint, then pulled.

If it leaks, the dropped ceiling panel underneath will tell me.

HE

[kingsotall]

using electrical tape to mask both sides of the joint, then pulled.

This is going to save me a buttload of time spent wiping and making it look all purdy like...

[burleymike]

Yep it is best to caulk it. My wife used to own a house cleaning business. She can tell you some real horror stories about what is around and under toilets, especially houses where they have little boys. If there was no caulking she could never make a toilet stop stinking.

[Jay Mpls]

Caulk toilets and things that come in contact with the floor and form a joint.
If you get too droonk and pee in front of the toilet instead of in it..or if the bowl goes over!!!Caulk all the way around..or you could have bugs,mold or even sewer corn start growing underneath.

[hj]

Here, it is not an option. The inspectors REQUIRE the bowl to be caulked all around it, and will look at the back to be sure it was caulked there also.