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).
Several things could be causing the wobble. The closet bolts might not be tight, or the closet flange may be broken or bent. Or, the wax ring that seals the connection between the toilet and the discharge pipe may be not be set properly. Tightening the closet bolts is an easy fix.
As a toilet rocks, that seal can get a little looser each time. If you go without addressing a rocking toilet, the sewage leakage in your bathroom will just continue to get worse.
Most often, toilets rock back and forth because of a loose bolt, an uneven floor, or problems with the wax seal that connects your toilet to its drainage system. It might not seem like a huge problem, but a toilet that rocks back and forth can cause significant issues down the line.
If the flange is a little higher than the surrounding flooring, the toilet becomes raised slightly in the center, allowing it to rock to either side. This problem can develop over time, such as when the wax seal becomes faulty or when a surrounding floor settles a little.
A loose toilet is a pretty quick and easy problem to solve, but we recommend hiring a professional because an inexperienced DIY-er may make it worse or cause other problems. Expect to pay $50 to $150 to fix a loose toilet.
Loose Flange Bolts
What happens is the bolts connecting the toilet base to the floor crack, which allows for movement and allows for the toilet to rock back and forth. The solution is to tighten the bolts by hand until the toilet stops rocking. If the bolts are too damaged, you'll have to replace them.
Gurgling septic pipes are usually a sign of a backed up septic system that is clogged. The pipes that are connected to the system will make a very distinct gurgling sound. If you have ever heard this before, you know exactly what this sounds like.
🚽 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.
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.
Your toilet should be fixed to the floor using several bolts. Carefully unscrew the nuts and washers to help free the toilet. Your toilet may also have silicone around the base to make it more secure.
There are purists out there that may say it must be level, but if it looks good setting there, I would let it set on the floor with no shims. It should not affect the operation of the flapper or valve that flushes the toilet.
You should lean forward into a 35 degree angle instead of being up straight at 90 degrees. This is because when you need to go to the toilet, your puborectalis muscle relaxes and the rectum angle widens.
Water hammer is found usually with washing machines, dishwashers, toilet valves, and faucets and can happen because of faucet washers that are worn or damaged.
Depending on use, a good toilet may last you 50 years. Most toilets are made of porcelain, which lasts a long time. Certain components within the toilet may need to be repaired or replaced more frequently, however. Most of these can and should be replaced without replacing the whole toilet.
The toilet's flush valve will typically last 6-7 years. A toilet fill valve might only last four to five years. In general, you should expect to replace the parts in your toilet every so often while keeping the actual bowl in place.
I start by hand tightening as much as I can, then I tighten a little on each side and check if the toilet moves. If it does then I tighten a bit more, check and repeat until there's no movement. You're trying to avoid bowl movement, so that it doesn't shift or fall over, not to hold the floor up by the toilet bolts.
A sealing ring around the base of your toilet keeps urine and other waste from entering and growing bacteria in small crevices or cracks. If the sealing ring is loose or broken, sewage gas seeps through the cracks, and you'll smell a foul odor.
However, if your toilet has come loose, your wax ring may no longer be able to fully-seal your drain, and that could cause those pesky base leaks.
Over time, flappers wear out, which allows water to continually drain from the tank. The result is not enough pressure released at flush to completely empty the contents of your toilet bowl. You can fix this problem by replacing the flapper. It is easy to do with any standard flapper purchased from a hardware store.