How to Install a Wax Ring On a Toilet Bowl

3. Install The New Wax Ring.

• Wearing a pair of disposable gloves, remove and discard the old wax ring. Make sure you allow plenty of ventilation, as it can get smelly. Clean any remaining wax from around the toilet anchor flange and the drain on the bottom of the toilet with a plastic putty knife to be followed by a rag soaked in mineral spirits. Remove the old mounting bolts and check if there is damage to the flange. After removing the ring, plug the drain right away with a ball of an old towel or rags that is large enough not to fall into the pipe. Remember that not being able to plug the drain would allow toxic sewer gas to enter your house.
• After you remove the old mounting bolts from the flange, check the component for missing pieces or cracks, and install any spacers or repair parts that are required before inserting the new bolts, as this can cause your toilet to fall over if not properly anchored down. If you have a broken flange, then the anchor bolt would also be useless, so you might want to install a flange repair kit.
• Press the new wax ring into place around the raised ring at the bottom of the toilet drain on its underside. Make sure you seat it firmly enough to hold it in place, but do not press to a point that it will become out of shape.
  Now, you can lift the toilet with the bowl drain directly over the floor drain and then carefully lower it in place, ensuring that the mounting screws come up through the holes in the base. In a gentle manner, press and rock the toilet slightly to help the new wax ring form a tight seal.
• After you have positioned the toilet base firmly against the floor, attach the nuts and washers that hold it in place. Tighten them just enough to keep the toilet from rocking and then add in the decorative caps. Stop tightening as soon as the nuts are snugly in place to keep the toilet from tipping. Keep in mind that too much torque can damage the drain flange or crack the porcelain.
• Finally, apply some fresh thread tape to the tank’s inlet threads and re-attach the water supply line to complete the project. As a precaution, check the toilet base for leaks about an hour after flushing it to make sure that the ring has successfully formed a waterproof seal around the drain.

More Useful Tips

Every time you remove your toilet for some reasons, make sure you replace the wax ring seal. Basically, this component is made from a molded wax loop around a short plastic tube and is inexpensive, pretty foolproof and designed to fit almost any floor drain and toilet. It can also resist bacteria and mold, and retain their sealing properties after years of use. If your toilet wobbles even a little bit from side to side, you may have a broken toilet anchor flange, which means you have to get a flange repair kit.

When it comes to floors, replacing your sheet vinyl flooring with something thicker, like ceramic tiles, will create a gap between the toilet and the anchor flange, which means that you will need a flange spacer to fill the gap.

If you remove your toilet due to a leak at its base or water damage in the ceiling of the floor underneath, you should inspect the damage before heading to the hardware store. For one, you can determine whether you need to cut away the subfloor and replace it.

There you have it. By following the steps presented above and considering the relevant tips, you will be able to install a wax ring on your toilet bowl in no time!

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