Toilet Anatomy 101When Troubleshooting a Low Toilet Flange

ANATOMY OF A TOILET

Replacing a wax ring on a toilet isn’t too difficult as long as we know in advance which part needs to be uninstalled. A huge time-sucking event happens when we either don’t have the necessary tools or parts we need and we have to go out on multiple trips to get them.

If the toilet hasn’t been touched for over 5+ years, we probably should plan on replacing all soft gaskets as they tend to degenerate over time and either will crumble apart or will not provide a tight seal well when put back together.

For this project, we are anticipating to replace these items during our wax ring replacement project:

• A – Tank bolts, nuts and grommets;
• B – Tank-to-Bowl gasket;
• C – Water supply line – Replace with a long braided supply hose (I use a Fluidmaster 16″ Length B1T06 Toilet Connector, Braided Stainless Steel – 3/8″ Female Compression Thread x 7/8″ Female Ballcock Thread. I do not use 6 or 9″ length because I like to make one loop before attaching to the tank to reduce stress points);
• D – If the existing shutoff valve is a compression type, we may also want to replace it with a quarter-turn ball valve (like this BrassCraft G2CR19X C1 1/2 in. NOM Comp Inlet x 3/8 in. OD Compression Outlet Chrome Plated Brass 1/4 Turn Angle Valve) while we have the toilet disassembled;
• E – Wax Ring / Wax-Free Seal / Extender – Read this article for a specific solution / suggestion;
• F – “Johnny” bolts, also known as T-bolts, closet flange bolts, toilet bolts, flange bolts – I use LASCO 04-3633 Solid Brass 1/4-Inch by 3-1/2-Inch with Nuts and Washers Toilet Bolts
  and cutoff the excess;
• G – Toilet flange – no replacement unless broken (beyond the scope of this article);

If we decided against replacing old gaskets, we should at least buy a plumber’s silicone grease and apply it liberally to all dried out gaskets (though we really should replace them rather than using this method).

Toilet Flange

Wrap Up

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