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my uncle has a first floor toilet that i think is leaking from the wax seal, smells like **** all the time, and the floor in the back is getting soft. tried to take the toilet bolts off, but they're rusted. someone here done this before, any ideas? tks
Liquid wrench, spray on let sit overnight. See if that works.
If that doesn't work, use a hacksaw with a new metal blade. Take your time, it'a more about finesse than strength. You don't want to crack the toilet. Make sure your kit has new toilet bolts, or buy them separately.
While you have the toilet out, see if anything needs rebuilding. do it all in one shot. Leaky tank? You will know this if the toilet keeps running, even with new components. Or you may have rust stains on the inside of the bowl from the tank constantly leaking water.
When you're done, get an extra thick wax ring so it doesn't leak again. Worth the extra $1 or so. Depending on how long it has been leaking, you might have to shore up that floor, or repair rotted underlayment.
Hopefully, the most you will have to do is shore it up, that's the easiest way if you have access from underneath, since you said it was 1st floor. If needed, put a length of 2x4" perpendicular to the joists, screw it in to the joists, you're good to go. good luck
tks guys, got the bolts off suing a hacksaw, no cracked toilet. new wax ring, floor was ok, good to go. great advice here.:thumbsup:
I did this job for someone a few days ago. Sometimes you never know what you'll find. When I finally hacksawed the bolts off, I found the back of the tank was cracked. Not only that, but when the last repair was done 10 years ago, whoever did it knew the tank was cracked, and ran cement and epoxy along the outside of the tank along the crack. That repair lasted for 10 years, but it's not a smart repair. Suppose the homeowner went on vacation, and the crack started leaking then. They could have come home to a floor that was soaked and weakened.
Moral - when you do a repair, do it right, don't cut corners.