Freeze/Thaw Toilet Wax Ring

feb · 08-10-2015, 08:51 PM

I have an older toilet that sweats a lot during humid days. I'm used to it and plan accordingly. But this evening I just noticed that there was water on the floor but don't recall it being humid or sweaty today. As I started to think about what else it could be I though maybe the wax ring has failed. Then started wondering if these wax rings aren't meant to sit all winter in an unheated house. Wondering if others have seen any failure of the wax ring over the years in conditions like that.
Could freezing temps ruin the wax ring?

jbolty · 08-10-2015, 10:32 PM

Probably. If there is any movement at all the wax does not rebound and freezing seems like it would only make that worse. Pipes and floors and building tend to move and expand and contract when warming and cooling.Toilets in RVs have rubber rings to compensate for the movement.

I had a toilet at my old house on an uneven floor and no matter what I did it ended up rocking and leaking.

I put in one of these type rubber rings and fixed it with no more worries.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K89RQU/..._843379741_871

songkrai · 08-11-2015, 05:09 AM

It's not rocket science.

I've replaced my toilet twice. Not because of anything broken. Too many cheap toilets and minerals in water. Staining. I only purchase USA make Kohler toilets now. No issues.

The toilet is held down by two screws. Take the screw out and replace the wax ring.

Hopefully when installed the plumber put in a flexible water pipe to tank. But even if not it can be done quite easily. There are many utube videos on doing this.

SIKSUKR · 08-11-2015, 01:17 PM

Its a little unusual for water to leak out of the wax connection even if its been compromised. See if water can be made to leak from the tank to bowl connection by rocking it gently and double check your supply connection. If you have an uneven floor you need to keep it from moving by installing plastic wedges made for that purpose sold at HD or the like. I had a toilet in my commercial building that we could not find the leak. Turns out there was a very hard to see crack in the base and it appeared to be caused by the toilet rocking and the flange bolts.

SAB1 · 08-11-2015, 05:12 PM

Unlikely. The wax ring can handle the temp change with no problem. If you look at the design of the way water flows thru the toilet the only time water contacts the ring is when it flushes.. Check the closet bolts. If one is loose that could be the problem as a rough sit or two could have moved the toilet which may compromise the wax ring. If so, pull the toilet and replace the ring.

08-10-2015, 08:51 PM	#1
feb Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Meredith (Winnisquam) & Nashua, NH Posts: 209 Thanks: 25 Thanked 20 Times in 17 Posts	Freeze/Thaw Toilet Wax Ring I have an older toilet that sweats a lot during humid days. I'm used to it and plan accordingly. But this evening I just noticed that there was water on the floor but don't recall it being humid or sweaty today. As I started to think about what else it could be I though maybe the wax ring has failed. Then started wondering if these wax rings aren't meant to sit all winter in an unheated house. Wondering if others have seen any failure of the wax ring over the years in conditions like that. Could freezing temps ruin the wax ring?

08-10-2015, 10:32 PM	#2
jbolty Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 653 Thanks: 312 Thanked 244 Times in 143 Posts	Probably. If there is any movement at all the wax does not rebound and freezing seems like it would only make that worse. Pipes and floors and building tend to move and expand and contract when warming and cooling.Toilets in RVs have rubber rings to compensate for the movement. I had a toilet at my old house on an uneven floor and no matter what I did it ended up rocking and leaking. I put in one of these type rubber rings and fixed it with no more worries. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K89RQU/..._843379741_871 Last edited by jbolty; 08-10-2015 at 11:38 PM.

08-11-2015, 01:17 PM	#4
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	Its a little unusual for water to leak out of the wax connection even if its been compromised. See if water can be made to leak from the tank to bowl connection by rocking it gently and double check your supply connection. If you have an uneven floor you need to keep it from moving by installing plastic wedges made for that purpose sold at HD or the like. I had a toilet in my commercial building that we could not find the leak. Turns out there was a very hard to see crack in the base and it appeared to be caused by the toilet rocking and the flange bolts. __________________ SIKSUKR

08-11-2015, 05:09 AM	#3
songkrai Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 725 Thanks: 35 Thanked 145 Times in 98 Posts	It's not rocket science. I've replaced my toilet twice. Not because of anything broken. Too many cheap toilets and minerals in water. Staining. I only purchase USA make Kohler toilets now. No issues. The toilet is held down by two screws. Take the screw out and replace the wax ring. Hopefully when installed the plumber put in a flexible water pipe to tank. But even if not it can be done quite easily. There are many utube videos on doing this.

08-11-2015, 05:12 PM	#5
SAB1 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Tuftonboro Posts: 1,165 Thanks: 182 Thanked 297 Times in 220 Posts	Unlikely. The wax ring can handle the temp change with no problem. If you look at the design of the way water flows thru the toilet the only time water contacts the ring is when it flushes.. Check the closet bolts. If one is loose that could be the problem as a rough sit or two could have moved the toilet which may compromise the wax ring. If so, pull the toilet and replace the ring.