Changing out a toilet (flooring, installing, plumber, leaking)

[Statz2k10]

Took my toilet out last night as it was leaking from at least 1 area (below the bowl) and possibly from under neath.

I've read up a little here and watched a good you tube video. Seems pretty easy to install the new toilet. The problem though is that I'm getting a little confused because of the picture below. I took the old wax off but it's a red plate type material under the wax that is holding the screws in and is screwed in itself to the floor. Should I leave this on here? If so not sure if I'd be able to get screws out.

In the video I saw it was just wax that was removed and new wax put down.

Thanks

[MrWillys]

The wax ring usually has a plastic piece on the bottom. Make sure you remove the old before installing the new. They do make just a wax ring without the plastic piece, but with it is better.

[Statz2k10]

Sounds good thank you.

[reed303]

If the "red ring" is metal, then it stays. (1)
It is the flange that holds the toilet to the floor when you re-install the nuts you removed to get the old toilet off. Be careful not to overtighten the nuts as you can easily crack the new toilet base if overtightened. Should be just tight enough that toilet does not "rock" when sat on.

(1) unless the ring is rusted/corroded enough that it needs replaced.

Pic here
http://www.handymanhowto.com/wp-cont.../dsc01533a.jpg

[Coldjensens]

I think that is an adapter plate used for when the lip of the flange rusts out If your floor rots out so the screws no longer hold, you will need to replace the floor and then may as well cut the pipe back and replace the flange.

Otherwise, replacing a toilet is very easy. It can be done in a few minutes.

[Coldjensens]

Actually, that looks similar to a situation we had in a house we rented (same flooring even). They put several layers of flooring on top of each other. Because of this, the wax ring did not reach to the flange. (As a result, the pipe was rusted and the floor rotted). We put on one of those red plates. We also had to use some kind of adapter and a double wax ring. It was endless trouble and would start leaking again after six months or so. The landlady woudl not have anything fixed, so we either had to DIY or live with it. The toilet had been leaking a long time and the floor was badly rotted, so if we had lived there, I would have just torn out the whol floor and redone the line back to the vertical drop. It is easy to do sewer lines if you use plastic. You can get an adapter to connect the plastic to teh cast iron. The vertical drops rarely rot out, but the horizontal part and the flange is often nearly gone in older houses.

[Statz2k10]

Bought a toilet tonight and got problems. It's not fitting on the area good. It's got too much of a gap in the front end of the toilet. The toilet we took off fits pretty snug but the new toilet rocks back and forth.

Anybody have advice on what to do? It's say a quarter inch gap in the front area.

[MrWillys]

rock it back and forth until you work the wax ring down and get it to stabilize. bolt it down and look carefully for leaks.

[Statz2k10]

Update:

If you look at the picture I had the screws coming up at 3 o clock and 9 o clock. When I moved the screws up a little bit (about half an inch to the front) and then set the toilet on the screws it's a lot more flush against the floor. There is still a quarter inch gap in the back but in the front it's snug and no more rocking. Could this be the solution? Moving up the toilet by moving up the screws a little bit? thanx



EDIT: Just FYI, the new toilet is longer than the old toilet. Wondering if that might be why I had to move the screws up.

[vinivedivichi]

I had a plumber come out and install mine and he put a penny under it to level the toilet.