Have you ever noticed water leaking from around the base of the toilet? You can detect water seepage at the bottom after giving it a good flush or even when you aren’t using it. In such cases, you must immediately call your plumber without wasting time or trying DIY methods to solve the problem. If left untreated, the leakages will only worsen, leading to a semi-flooded bathroom. A leaky or ineffective wax ring is the main reason behind such leakages, and replacing wax ring on toilet is the only way to resolve the issue. But before that, you go through wax rings, their role, and methods of identifying a faulty one.
What Does a Wax Ring Look Like?
As the name suggests, a wax ring is a disk-shaped object made from wax (manufacturers usually use beeswax, petroleum, and a combination of other ingredients). It acts as a strong seal that prevents water entry and harmful sewer gasses into your toilet. You will find them at the toilet’s bottom and closet flange (a closet flange secures and firmly attaches the bathroom to the floor, connecting it to the drainpipe). However, even though they prevent the water from flooding your toilet floor, they mainly act as an odor-proof seal.
In What Sizes Are They Available?
You will mostly find wax rings measuring three inches and four inches in diameter, as they are the standard sizes, regular and extra thick in terms of thickness. To understand how thick your wax ring should be, you must check the distance between the flange and the floor. A regular wax ring between ¾ and one-inch thickness works perfectly if the flange and base are the same height. If the flange is below the surface, you will require an extra-thick ring because a regular one might cause water leakage.
How to Know If Your Ring Has Gone Wrong?
As mentioned above, one of the best ways of knowing whether your wax ring has stopped working or not is checking for water leakage around the base. But other than that, these are some different ways of knowing if they are faulty or not.
Bad Smell in the Bathroom
If you have noticed a foul odor permeating your bathroom recently but can’t find out the reason behind it, a faulty ring is likely the main culprit. A dried-out and crumbled ring will cause the release of harmful and poisonous gasses into your bathroom. They can cause serious health problems and even cause an explosion if there is an open flame. Even if you do not notice any water leakage but can smell something terrible, you should call the plumber immediately.
Damage to the Floor and Ceilings
Even though a wrong wax ring will lead to water leaking around the base, that may not always be the case. Sometimes, the water might leak into the floor or even the ceilings, causing significant mold formation and damaging structural integrity. A hollowed-out toilet could even end up falling through the floor.
How Can a Plumber Help You?
Your plumber will replace the wax ring with a new one in most cases. They will probably begin by shutting off the water supply to the toilet tank and removing all the water inside it. Then, they will remove the toilet by removing the plastic caps on either side along with the nuts and bolts attached to the bathroom. Once the plumber has done that, they will remove the old wax ring and attach a new one, ensuring its correct diameter and thickness. The plumber will fix the flange first before reinstalling the toilet if the flange is damaged.
Replacing wax ring on toilet is of the utmost importance if you want to save water leakage, prevent the entry of harmful gasses into your home and avoid damage to your floors and ceilings. You should call your plumber as soon as you see any signs of a faulty ring.
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