Does the toilet REALLY need tightened?

traylor1 · Apr 20, 2012

Hello:

I am currently selling my house. The inspector came this week and one of the things he stated to the prospective buyers, is that the toilets needed tightened down. They in turn want it fixed by a licensed plumber.

I went in to check both of them. I have never had any issues with leaking, and I can not get either of them to budge. I basically can not see where he thinks this toilet is loose at.

I have already responded to the buyers with my offer to repair, so how do I know what to look for since he saw something I did not.

Thanks

Smooky · Apr 20, 2012

If you don’t care whether you sell it or not, don’t tighten it. If you really want to sell it, get a licensed plumber.

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

traylor1 · Apr 20, 2012

Smooky said:
If you don’t care whether you sell it or not, don’t tighten it. If you really want to sell it, get a licensed plumber.

Why did you even bother responding to this? You did not even address my question. I have made my response to the seller which for the purpose of this post is not relevant and they have accepted. So I don't need to have it done by a licensed plumber.

DonL · Apr 20, 2012

traylor1 said:
Why did you even bother responding to this? You did not even address my question. I have made my response to the seller which for the purpose of this post is not relevant and they have accepted. So I don't need to have it done by a licensed plumber.

If you do not get it fixed like the inspector says then the loan may not go thru for the buyer.

Or you will have to pay for another inspector, that says it is OK.

Have a great day.

Terry · Apr 20, 2012

The bowl needs to be firmly attached to the floor.
Some tanks will have some movement. There's not a lot you can do about that. The inspector may be over thinking things.

Jadnashua · Apr 20, 2012

On a two piece, you have the tank/bowl junction that might be loose, but not leak. That's easy...tighen the nuts, a little one each side alternately until the tank can't move (don't overtighten - porcelain isn't really elastic!).

Then, you have the bowl to the toilet flange...this is also easy to tighten, again, don't overdo it or you'll crack the toilet. But, on some flooring, regardless of how tight you try to tighten those, the toilet can move if pushed sideways (at least a little). Many codes require you to use caulk around the edge of the bowl against the floor. This does two things: anchors it so it doesn't move, and prevents spills or misses from leaking underneath where they can't be cleaned up without removing the toilet.

Neither of those should require a licensed plumber to fix...Both could result in breaking the toilet if you get overzealous. Neither should take more than a few minutes to resolve.

hj · Apr 21, 2012

Ask for an explanation of WHAT is loose, if you cannot move the toilets. I have had inspection reports that had "ambiguous" items which I could not find out what the problem was, and when the homeowner asked, the situation went away.

traylor1 · Apr 22, 2012

Thanks Terry for the reply. After Googling the problem, it brought me back to a post on here. I figured out the rock was front to back and found a reply you had given earlier to someone else with this problem and suggested using the plastic shims. Fixed it right up. I appreciate the response and taking the time to give me a straight forward answer.

traylor1 · Apr 22, 2012

hj - I think that was the issue with this inspector, however, I did finally find there was a small looseness from front to back.

traylor1 · Apr 22, 2012

jadnashua said:
On a two piece, you have the tank/bowl junction that might be loose, but not leak. That's easy...tighen the nuts, a little one each side alternately until the tank can't move (don't overtighten - porcelain isn't really elastic!).

Then, you have the bowl to the toilet flange...this is also easy to tighten, again, don't overdo it or you'll crack the toilet. But, on some flooring, regardless of how tight you try to tighten those, the toilet can move if pushed sideways (at least a little). Many codes require you to use caulk around the edge of the bowl against the floor. This does two things: anchors it so it doesn't move, and prevents spills or misses from leaking underneath where they can't be cleaned up without removing the toilet.

Neither of those should require a licensed plumber to fix...Both could result in breaking the toilet if you get overzealous. Neither should take more than a few minutes to resolve.

Thank you for the help . This was some good information to use.

Jadnashua · Apr 22, 2012

All toilets must be firm, they can't rock or you'll break the wax seal. If it did rock, just shimming isn't enough, you need to pull the toilet, shim, then reinstall with a new wax ring...wax isn't elastic...it rarely maintains the seal if a toilet is rocking. Doesn't mean it will leak liquids (unless the pipe gets clogged), but it could leak sewer gas.

Does the toilet REALLY need tightened?

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