Tightening the bolts too much can crack the brittle porcelain of the toilet, for which there is no repair. Check the flange bolt at each side of the toilet, using a pair of pliers or a small wrench. If a bolt is loose, tighten it slowly just until it is snug.
Over-tightening the toilet tank bolts can cause cracks in the tank because of the brittle nature of porcelain. Porcelain can't flex, nor can it bend, so if you crack the tank, you will have to replace it or fill up the broken part depending on the extent of the crack.
Be very careful when tightening the washers and nuts against the toilet base; they should be snug but not overly tight, which can crack the toilet.
Be careful to not over-tighten the bolts as this can crack or damage the porcelain and possibly require complete replacement. If the toilet is still loose after tightening the bolts, installing shims between the flange and the floor may be necessary. First, check around your toilet to see if there are any leaks.
Re: How tight do you tighten flange bolts? Tight enough so that the toilet doesn't move around and cause the new wax ring seal to fail and loose enough that the toilet doesn't break.
Over time, toilet bolts can loosen. Tightening these bolts can sometimes stop water from leaking around the toilet base. The toilet may also be loose because the seal is loose or leaking, so you'll want to replace the seal (see below).
If you think your flange is not set to the right height, or it needs to be replaced, then you'll want to do it the right away. For those that don't already know, the proper toilet flange height is when it's flush with the top of the finished floor. The optimum height is about ¼ inch.
The tubing will bulge and stick inside of the fitting if the ferrules are overly secure. If you can't disassemble the valve or fitting, it's a good indicator that the connection is much too tight. The only thing to do in this instance is to remove and replace the fitting in question.
If your toilet isn't solidly fastened to the floor, there may be trouble in your future. Any movement of the toilet damages the wax seal. That leads to leaks and major repairs. To steady a rocking toilet, cut plastic shims to fit and slip them underneath (you may have to remove caulk before adding shims).
The flange bolts that secure the toilet base are themselves held by a metal or plastic ring at the top of the toilet flange. The ring can corrode or break, loosening its grip on the bolts. If the rocking comes back after a while, or if the bolts loosen up and won't retighten, a damaged flange is likely the cause.
We suggest you tighten the nut, bolt, or machine screw by hand until it makes contact with the washer or the surface of the workpiece. Then, using an adjustable wrench or a socket wrench, make a consistent number of turns to ensure that all the bolts have the same torque.
A toilet is supposed to be secure to the floor. It is not designed to be a rocking chair. Moving side to side or front to back is not right and a wobbly toilet is something that should be repaired. In fact, the loose toilet is one of the top ten things found most frequently during a The BrickKicker home inspection.
Tighten the Closet Bolts
If your toilet is wobbling or rocking but you haven't noticed any leaks, the nuts on top of the closet bolts may have simply become loose. Using an open-ended wrench, gently tighten the nut on the closet bolt until it feels firm.
In most parts of the United States, it is a requirement of building code to caulk around toilet bases. This could apply to both new builds and remodeling, though as regulations vary from one state to another it's a good idea to check local statutes.
🚽 Caulking Prevents Water Contamination
It could be water splashing out of a bathtub, mop water, water from a shower and even misguided potty training from your young boys who seem to miss the toilet bowl every single time! Without caulk around the toilet base, water can get under there and sit for a long time.
However, if you exceed the torque settings in an attempt to prevent your fastener from coming loose, it causes further damage to it. With time you'll notice thread damage, snapped heads, and stripping, which can lead to safety complications.
If a valve is over-tightened, it deforms the tubing and the connection, as mentioned earlier. These deformities create cracks and gaps where the fluid can begin leaking out.
The seal is created instantly once you seat the toilet on top of the ring. From this moment forward, everything should be stable, and there should be no water leaks or other signs of a bad toilet seal.
A toilet that leaks from its tank bolts is usually leaking because of damaged, misaligned or even cracked washers or bolts. You have to either tighten the bolts or replace them. Generally, two-piece toilets have a set of bolts that attach the tank to the bowl.