How to Fix a Loose, Rocking Toilet

Rocking is for concerts and chairs—not toilets. If your toilet is wobbly or loose but not leaking, this band aid could be just what you would like. Toilets usually rock because they're not resting flush against the ground. Underneath the rest room base may be around toilet flange that connects the rest room to the drain pipe. If the flange may be a little above the encompassing flooring, the rest room becomes raised slightly within the center, allowing it to rock to either side.

This problem can develop over time, like when caulk hardens or when a surrounding floor settles a touch. In any case, you'll steady the rest room by shimming under its base. But before you are trying that, confirm the bolts at the bottom of the rest room are snug.

The best shims for this project are small, plastic shims with ridges that help the shims stay in situ. they're commonly sold reception centers, hardware stores, and restaurant supply stores. Wood shims aren't recommended because they will compress over time and are susceptible to moisture damage.

Instructions

01 Check the Bolts First

Sometimes a rocking toilet is often fixed by tightening the 2 bolts at the bottom of the rest room, called flange bolts or closet bolts. Do that carefully! Tightening the bolts an excessive amount of can crack the brittle porcelain of the rest room, that there's no repair.

Check the flange bolt at all sides of the rest room, employing a pair of pliers or alittle wrench. If a bolt is loose, tighten it slowly just until it's snug. Check the opposite bolt to form sure it's equally snug, then test the rest room for rocking. If it still rocks, proceed with shimming the bottom.

02 Search for Leaks

Start the repair by confirming that your toilet isn't leaking. Check carefully for water around the base of the rest room. If water isn't present, you'll proceed with the repair. But if there are signs of leaking around the base, it likely means the wax ring sealing the rest room horn to the rest room flange has got older and compressed. During this case, you want to remove the rest room and replace the wax ring.

03 Locate the Gaps

Examine the bottom of the rest room, and identify any gaps between the rest room and therefore the floor. It's going to help to rock the rest room from side to side. Even alittle space is often the source of the matter. If the gaps are too small to ascertain, try sliding a shim under the bottom to ascertain how far it goes in.

04 Insert the Shims

Level and steady the rest room by inserting shims into any gaps you've identified. You'll need to try them during a few different positions to properly level the rest room. As you're employed, check the rest room for stability by sitting on the seat and rocking altogether directions. Repeat until the rest room doesn't move in any direction.

05 Trim the Shims

Trim the shims on the brink of the bottom of the rest room, as needed, employing a sharp utility knife. Take care to not dig the flooring.

You can add a dab of caulk below the shims to assist them stay in situ. Let the caulk dry overnight before trimming the shims.

06 Caulk around the Base

Apply a skinny, even bead of caulk around the base of the rest room to hide the gap along the ground and conceal the shims. If necessary, smooth the caulk together with your finger, wiping your finger clean frequently with a towel or a rag.

Caulk is vital for a finished look and to stay mop water and crud from getting under the rest room base, but if you seal all the way around the base, the caulk can hide a leak by trapping the water. For this reason, some plumbers leave the backside of the base—the side you cannot see—without caulk in order that leaking water will announce itself by running out onto the ground.

07 Let the Caulk Dry

Allow the caulk to cure as directed before using the rest room. Once it dries fully, your toilet should be nearly as good as new.

If the restroom Won't Stop Rockin'

If tightening the flange bolts or shimming the rest room base doesn't stop your toilet from rocking, there could be more significant problems down below. The flange bolts that secure the rest room base are themselves held by a metal or plastic ring at the highest of the rest room flange. The ring can corrode or break, loosening its grip on the bolts.

If your rocking comes back after a short time, or if the bolts relax and won't retighten, a damaged flange is probably going the cause. The answer is to get rid of the rest room and either replace the old flange or repair it with a flange repair kit.