These Came Loose & Cost Me $$$ Hundreds In Repairs
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- čas přidán 16. 09. 2023
- Learn from my mistakes! These two innocent looking bolts need regular attention... or else. #diy #plumbing #warning
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After installing the toilet nuts... put a small bead of silicone from the base of the toilet to the floor.
Prevents movement, also means you can mop your floor without getting water on to the ceiling below.
Now that's a moral that we can all appreciate!
Good video! I stopped using wax seals for my toilets back around the year 2000. Since then I have been using the Fernco replacements for the wax ring, even with a rocky toilet it doesn’t fail. However, that should have been repaired before it got to be a problem.
Agreed. This one is going into my list of regular maintenance checks for sure.
To remove toilet water, I use a manual vacuum pump with the vacuum run through a half gallon jar. I originally got the setup to change brake fluid on vehicles.
I might need to look into that. I have found that if you can ensure the tank is empty and then lift the toilet carefully, you're not going to get a lot of water coming out anyway due to the trap design of the toilet. I was probably being overly cautious about it, really.
@@LRN2DIY I don't care what anyone says about germs, i ain't sucking up a mouthful of toilet water for any reason. I'll just carefully lift the bowl up and tip it over into the shower.
I have found that once u have disconnected the water and done the flush, a simple way to remove the rest of the water is to just use a paper cup. Its time consuming but u can get 99% of the water out and then use a sponge to soak up the remaining drops. No vacuum pump and no attempt to "manually " siphon.
WOW! Just wow! Great sleuthing!
I had a similar problem earlier this year. Unfortunately, by the time I figured out what the issue was, I also had to replace the subfloor around the toilet. So that bathroom remodel I didn't want to do yet happened early.
At least you found out you had a mice problem, that could cause thousands of dollars in damage. Thanks for the tip👍🏻
Yeah it's situations like that siphon pumps are a wonderful thing. LOL
Great video!
As soon as you held up those bolts i knew the issue. I recently bought a new toilet and I used one of those waxless rings. Good product.
Wow. What a nightmare!! At least ya caught the problem before it got even worse! 🎉
Ever try a shop vac to empty the toilet?
I haven't but I've thought about it. You just have to be sure to remove the filter from your shop vac first.
Did my man just use a hose and get toilet water in his mouth!!?? LOL, Nils, best video ever. One of the most costly repairs I had as a contractor was leaking toilets in the upstairs bathrooms. Even if the bolts stay tight, every five years it is a good idea to change the wax ring.
Agreed, Mitch. Gotta keep an eye on those bolts. And yes, I got a mouthful of (clean) toilet water there but it really wasn't necessary. Because of the p-trap design of the toilet, very little actually makes its way out when you move it. Live and learn! You could run a weekly podcast about all of the stuff you've seen, brother!
It's always the toilet.
Unfortunately
This is why I leave a gap in the back of the toilet caulking so you can see it when it starts to leak.
Been there done that, damn wax and bolt just slightly loose… but no rodent 😊And lastly, better you than me😂
Haha - amen, brother!
I used those foam rings the last time I had to set toilets, and a side benefit is that if you need to lift the toilet off and re-set it you don't have issues with the ring being deformed.
Yes, those green foam donut shaped seals are the best thing since indoor plumbing.
There are quite a few great options out there, which is awesome. No more wax for me either.
@02:02 dude. I laughed out loud so hard. People around me are looking at me funny.
Great video!
But . . . how does fecal material get into a SINK?
Oh and what did you do about the mouse issue? Where there is one, there are others too.
I use a shop Vac to empty the water in the bowl and the tank. Works great.
Thank you for such an informative video, I'll subscribe. Good luck in the future!
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Your porcelin toilet can still crack if the toilet isn't supported with something like wedges. Even it doesn't rock now, there will be shifting stresses when people use the toilet. After you install stabilizing wedges, caulk around the base of the toilet will keep them in place. Did you check the subfloor for rot? If it's not rotted too badly, it can be stabilized with chemicals that soak in then harden. Plastic wedges don't decay or compress like wood, btw.
I'm kind of torn on caulking because if I did caulk it, I'd leave the back open so I could see possible leakage, but then that water goes right to the MDF baseboards. I should probably just put real wood baseboards in the bathroom. They get trashed if they're MDF. As for the shims, yeah - I like the little brown plastic ones for toilets. Luckily this particular toilet is sitting very solidly on the tile. I haven't checked for rot but it would be a good idea to for sure.
Wax rings are a system we don't have in Australia. Always interesting to see how other countries do things.
What do they use? I remember seeing ads for silicone rings many years ago and it still always surprises me wax is so common here.
Is the next episode about how you addressed the rodent/mice issue?
It should be. That's a huge topic that I'm probably not the best one to teach. I actually think we've addressed the problem already (lots of traps in the areas we've seen them) but time will tell. We actually have a trap up in the open space of the soffit right now but so far, no customers :)
yup, been there but without the expense...but did keep a wrench in the bathroom for a month after replacing the wax ring to get the bolts just the right amt of snug.
You only have to learn this lesson once, typically :)
like they say, if you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras, lol actually, it was good that you found a resident mouse anyway.
Yup - we went years without mice (despite living with fields on three sides of our home) and then they came in droves. Pretty sure we got them all for now. :)
Look for any movement in the toilet on the floor before you tighten down the bolts. Use a level across the porcelain as necessary to help you understand fully your situation. Use plastic shims of various kinds to take up gaps. Slowly and evenly tighten the two bolts. Check as you go for movement and compensate with more plastic. There should be absolutely no room for movement, especially after the final tightening of the bolts. I press shims in slightly so caulk along base will smoothly cover all gaps. Caulk can wait for awhile until one is absolutely sure there is no leakage so as not to seal in what can become an awful problem down the line.
I do inspection work for insurance companies, and a failed wax ring is very common. I will never understand why the nuts aren’t tightened
Problem is actually an unlevel floor allowing the toilet to rock (like tile set out of plane). The nuts should secure the toilet from moving but not rocking. A pro will use small synthetic shims under the base prior to tightening the nuts.
THIS ^
5:43 Would this be a good use for threadlocker (blue/purple, not red)? It wouldn't negate the need to check them occasionally, but I would think it would make the issue less likely, I could be missing some good reason not to though...
I wouldn't on the chance the bolts spin when you're trying to remove the nuts. Your chances of breaking the ceramic rise significantly the more "secure" you make it.
I wondered about that. I like the idea of thread locker on there but that' can be a touchy subject depending on who you talk to.
@@LRN2DIY There are vibration resistant thread lockers that don't add a ton of torque to actually loosen the nut. They would work well in this scenario because it would just prevent the nuts from spinning with pulling or side to side force, but would not cause the bolt to spin next time you try to loosen the nut.
Well I just thumbs up and what do you know #666 😬. Btw that mouse will chew a hole in pex if he gets thirsty.
My house certainly has a bridge like that. I don't know what's wrong with it that makes it smell bad. Is there any way to make it stop smelling bad?
The bad smell is usually indicative of a bigger issue, like the water not filling the p-trap of the toilet (letting sewer gases out) or nasty stuff growing in the pipes. It might be worth looking into that and, if you needed to replace the toilet, that's not all that expensive either.
@@LRN2DIY thank you boss. Replacing the toilet will fix the bad smell, right boss? I should discuss it with my wife. Thank you very much boss🤩
3:37 did you mean elbow?? there shouldn’t be a p-trap for a toilet… that’s cast into the fixture above the wax ring. You essentially have redundancy which is a code violation and will cause performance problems
I caught the comment on the P trap also and was hoping he just misspoke.
Did I say p-trap in there, referring to the drain? If so, it wasn't on purpose. It's just an elbow.
We had a similar problem. Three different interior floods in our house. Three different times the office downstairs got hit. Thousands of dollars down the drain, literally. Insurance paid for some of that remediation and repair, but not the real fixing of the problem. We ended up moving the toilet room upstairs to the other side of the master bathroom, and turning the old toilet room into a storage closet. And we don't ever use toilet plungers anymore.
Darn - sounds like quite a pain. Glad you got it worked out though. Homeownership sure is expensive, especially with all of these fun little surprises along the way.
Don't demo the sheetrock until you've exhausted all other troubleshooting techniques, like running a fixture for 5 minutes to see if that causes it. with a tub I start by filling it up an waiting it see if the tub shoe leaks. If not I drain the tub to check the drain pipes. Then I run water against the tile to see if it's a bad grout joint. None of this requires drywall repair.
If you do have access to the drain pipes, feel the wet pipe upward until you find a joint that's dry above and wet below. Water always flows downhill.
Toilets have internal traps. Do you have a second trap in the floor? Doesn't that make the wc flush funny?
Thanks for the feedback. There's only the toilet's built-in trap on this toilet. Underneath was just an elbow. I knew this one was soaked and I didn't want to run the risk of letting mold and spores spread in that area so I felt it was worth it to cut it open. With the mouse, flies and other nastiness up there, it's a good thing I did. That said, if you can avoid cutting open the drywall then yes, that's the optimal solution.
OK that mouse has access into the house and that is a serious issue. We slept in a tent on top of our master bed until we solved the issue of how a snake got into our house.
Yeah, that's true. We still need to figure out how they got in there. They can fit into a hole the size of a pencil and I'm pretty sure I know the issue - the utility closet. We probably need to spend some time sealing that off behind the insulation in there (in the utility closet).
Dude, use a manual transfer pump for that....
lol.. big job.. Did you learn your lesson and use Nyloc nuts or other locking nuts..
Do you think that's the best way to go? I'm asking sincerely. I've thought about it but wasn't sure if that's the right move or not. I was worried about that making the bolts spin next time I needed to remove them.
@@LRN2DIYYou've thought this through better than I.. guess that's why you have a CZcams channel and I don't..
Was thinking what would prevent bolt from loosening due to ''wiggle room''.. with no consideration as to if the toilet bowl ever had to be removed and replaced
I'd like to change horses midstream.. how about a lock washer instead of a Nyloc nut..
Keep working your magic..
You should have worn safety glasses especially with fiberglass
Agreed. And a respirator. I sometimes get caught up in the moment. I put a callout at 1:30 advising people to wear safety equipment and not follow my bad example on that one.
Did you track down the rodent? That would drive me crazy knowing a mouse was in my walls running around. I've had to change that wax ring a couple of times in my life and each time was not fun. And all that trouble it caused was crazy. Lucky for me, the times it happened, it didn't cause a leak. Didn't your family notice that the toilet was loose when they sat down?
"Kids!!" Ya gotta love em...cuz ya can't...
I believe we got the mice already (prior to this video) but we're keeping a close eye on things. And yes, I think the kids did notice but didn't say anything about the toilet. That said, it wasn't way loose - just if you put some decent sideways pressure on it so they may not have really paid attention to that.
Im leaning toward an outhouse on our tiny home! Cuz people lean on those porcelain thrones waaay too much! 😂😂
We sure do! This one has been used almost exclusively by kids (we bought the house new and my wife and I never use that bathroom) and it's still a problem. I don't know if I could handle an outhouse though. You're a braver soul than I :)
@@LRN2DIY my nose just isn't what it used to be! 😜🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for the video. You probably should have left some mouse poison in the ceiling in case that mouse decided to come back.
What about the mice?!
I'm pretty confident we have captured all the mice at this point. I think that one lived up there for a while but went elsewhere for food and was caught. We're pretty thorough with the traps and haven't seen any NEW evidence of mice in quite some time. That said, I did put a trap up there as soon as I opened it up just in case.
All I ever use anymore is "Better than wax rings" never had a problem with them.
Shouldnt you wear a mask when grabbing the fiber glass stuff?
Your kids sound exactly like my kids. 🙄
You have the leak because you didn’t put silicone around the toilet. In my area if you have final inspection inspector always checking if you put silicone around and this is why it is important because this is what happened to you.
Jesus Christ. Great Scott!!!!! why are you sucking those water in the toilet???? you can use towel to absorb those water... Are you just exaggerate the scene?? Maybe you can apply silicone sealant around the edge of the toilet base. When uninstell the toilet, use cutting for the silicone sealant. Even if the screws are loosing, the sealant is still help. Or apply silicone sealant FOR only the front U shape. no need to apply the whole round (behind can be observed leaking). In Hong Kong, there is 2 type of toilet (not meaning theJapanese one) One the exit conduit is like yours, the bottom to go out dirty water. Another Type is just behind the toilet, under the flusing water container. I like the 2nd one for observing leaking of PVC pipe. "Base exit" one is not observable. I also looking into Taiwan market and found that they also using both but more common for the "base -Exit" one
I'm still on the fence about applying caulking to the base, especially since this one is very flat and stable on the tile. Caulking has its pros and cons but at least this toilet doesn't rock or teeter at all.
Several hundred dollars? That's pretty optimistic when most plumbers charge $300 just to set a toilet.
Yes, but usually not "thousands," depending on where you live. With a pro doing the rock and everything, the cost of a couple grand might be the case. My mom & dad have been through two floods in the last few years because of sheetrock nails driven into now leaky PEX pipes.
@@DaleESkywalker Of course, this assumes you can actually find someone to do the work and that they actually show up. These days, that's half the battle right there.
Yeah, this could get way expensive. I thought about calling some handymen, plumbers and drywall pros to see what they would charge but I figured that'd involve a visit and I didn't want to waste their time. Several hundred might be conservative but, like @DaleESkywalker said, I felt like saying thousands might be overboard. Maybe not though!
You let it get way too wet. Once u see water stains check. Easy fix. Next time caulk it after you but leave gap against the wall ….Insurance. Insurance claim…..
I'm kind of on the fence about caulking (even 3/4) the toilet base. It'll be even harder to notice a leak. Caulking does look nicer though, and can help if you've had to put shims in to stabilize the toilet on an uneven floor. And you're right - this could have been an insurance claim.
Why just why
What exactly is a "professional" DIYer. Aren't DIYers by definition, amateurs? LOL
It's kind of a joke, but I literally teach DIY principles for a living, so I suppose I'm as close to a professional DIYer as they come. It's like saying I'm a professional amateur, I suppose, so it's my self degrading title. 🤣
@@LRN2DIY Yeah, I got it, that's why I added the LOL.
Is your toilet running ......
Dear CZcams, I'm very sorry to bother you. May I ask if you are interested in testing welding machines for free?
Don't care. That's still nasty😮
I don't disagree. Just the thought of it, right?
You're a risk taker aren't ya? Siphoning in a toilet.... lol. I prefer using a sponge...😂