replacing wax ring on toilet

[redohiswork2]

Can anyone tell me if once you seat the toilet with the new wax ring, can you lift the toilet off and reseat it or do I only get one chance? My toilet seems to rock way too much and there is a big gap between the floor and the base of the toilet. I haven't put the nuts on the bolts yet which I'm sure it will help stablize it but I can't see how it can eliminate the rocking problem. We have had a problem with it leaking out the bottom of the toilet creating a foul odor. My husband has tried replacing the wax ring several times so I decided to replace the flange and wax ring this time but like I said the toilet rocks back and forth way too much.

[havasu]

Sometimes you can, other times you will have to purchase a new one. Is this the ring with the rubber flange? The rocking can be eliminated with the aid of a few plastic shims in the areas where it rocks.

[majakdragon]

Once compressed, you cannot lift the toilet off the wax seal without damaging it. I suggest you remove the toilet, clean off all the old wax and then set the toilet over the flange (without a wax seal) to see how much, or why, it rocks. Be sure the flange is at least level with the floor or sitting on the flooring material, and secured to the subfloor. Plastic shims are available to reduce rocking, but if the floor is too out of level, it will never look right.

[DFBonnett]

Years ago, my father taught me a trick to level rocking toilets.

Remove toilet and clean up floor and wax ring.

Replace flange bolts as needed.

Reset toilet on floor as it will finally sit. Do not use wax ring at this time.

Draw a pencil line all around the base.

Remove toilet.

Mix up some plaster of paris, grout, or dash patch and apply it about 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" wide around the inside perimeter of the pencil line.

Install wax ring immediately, rest toilet, then sit on toilet immediately to squeeze out excess patch material, being careful not to rock toilet.

Install nuts on flange bolts and snug down.

Wipe off excess patch material from around base of toilet.

Allow to dry for an hour or so then complete hookup.

I've used this method several times over the years and it has never failed to cure or prevent a rocking toilet.

[majakdragon]

I agree that the filling of the gap between the floor and the toilet would help with leveling and preventing rocking, but I never recommend any product be used all the way around the toilet base. This can trap water, should there be a future failure of the wax seal, and you would not be aware of it until the subfloor rotted out. Even jobs that call for grout around the toilet base, have the back side left open for this purpose.

[DFBonnett]

Good point. The next one I do will have a small gap at the rear. I've never had occasion to do one where a leak would be likely or could go unobserved so that possibility never occurred to me.