My Second Attempt At Number Two


As mentioned in the last post, I pulled and replaced the hall toilet with a new wax ring and even tested it out. I left to retrieve the kids from school and found a puddle of water in the bathroom again. AAAAAGH!

So I turned off the water, mopped up the water, and spent a restless night mulling what could possibly be wrong. The flange is flush to the flooring and the toilet standard so a standard wax ring which I put on should have been adequate but evidently not. Perhaps it was the two piece reinforcement ring that was causing the issue. Was it leaking through the overlap in pieces or between the reinforcement ring and the old stripped out flange? Too many unanswered questions led to tossing and turning all night long.

The following morning I stopped by the hardware store yet again and bought a thicker wax ring along with new flange bolts and covers, and a reinforcement ring that was one piece. Back home, I scooped out all the water in the tank and bowl... ugh, and after disconnecting all the connections, removed the toilet for a second time in as many days. The wax appeared to have adhered well enough so I finally decided it was the reinforcement ring that was causing the issue. I removed it and went to put in the new one only to be reminded once again that our house has three inch waste lines and not the standard four inch waste lines and the reinforcement flange I bought was four four inch waste lines. I've run into this issue before and nobody carries stuff for three inch waste lines anymore.

So after figuratively scratching my head as I was avoiding touching anything of value with my hands at this point, I finally decided to reuse the old reinforcement flange and this time apply some waterproof silicone caulking between it and the old flange as well as smeared around the transition between the two pieces and thus making it hopefully watertight from where the new thicker wax ring will sit on down. I reinstalled the new wax ring, toilet, fittings and cleaned up my mess. I flushed the toilet and no water leaked out until the tank started filling and all of a sudden water appeared from under the bowl again.

AAAAAAGH! (Insert choice words best not repeated here)

In short order, thoughts of having to pull the toilet again, perhaps just throwing it out the door and buying a new one, to getting a professional all crossed my mind. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do so I knelt down and bent over to turn off the water when I saw it was leaking from the infill line onto the floor in a small rivulet of water. Huh? I grabbed my tools and gave it an extra half turn and mopped up all the water. I flushed the toiled while laying on the floor so I could see everywhere, FOUR TIMES, and no water appeared anywhere. Hopefully the second time around is the charm.

But I am left second guessing myself now. Had a loose water inlet connection been the problem all along? I wouldn't think so because I would think the water would leak out even if the toilet wasn't in use and I don't think that was the case, at least until the previous test. I don't know for sure however and frankly right now, as long as I don't have to get close and personal to that toilet again in the next decade, I don't care. I'm going to take a hot shower or two and perhaps a stiff drink to try and forget the ordeal of the last two days.

Comments

  1. I get the frustration, but you conclusion made me laugh.

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    1. Fortunately, the second and a half time was the charm. It hasn't leaked since and I feel a lot better cleanliness wise these days.

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  2. I hate to say this post gave me a chuckle, but you have to understand it was a chuckle in appreciation for something I've experienced myself! Such a relief when the outcome is ultimately so simple. Even so, the whole thing makes for a good story. :)

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    1. I always see humor in things and couldn't help but think others who read this blog might get amusement of my misfortune.

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  3. Ed, perhaps the line came loose during the previous round of work?

    There is nothing more frustrating than thinking you have fixed a problem only to find...

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    1. Since it seemed to leak before only when flushed and then not all the time, it has to be the seal and the line was just not tight enough this last time around. I'm just glad I noticed it before pulling it a third time.

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  4. How frustrating! Glad you finally got it resolved. I appreciate your photo. :)

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    1. That was a freebee pulled off the internet. I like to add a picture to posts but wasn't clever enough to do something like that.

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  5. From reading your blog over the years, I have surmised you are a patient person. This episode, however, might have pushed you to your limit -- and rightfully so! Still, it seems the problem has been identified and many more problem-free flushes will occur. If not, call the guy!

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    1. I've been told I'm patient and don't feel that way. I describe it as a higher threshold of the tedious than most.

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  6. Pulling a toilet once is nasty business but twice? And the process that goes into it, ugh. I'm glad that the issue is (hopefully!) fixed. Water in a house can be an enemy.

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    1. Yes, I have a stained ceiling tile in the bathroom in the basement that I now have to fix as a result of this whole ordeal. Fortunately though it is a false ceiling tile and not drywall.

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  7. Commode issues are the worst home projects, glad you got it repaired and with tenacity kept trying until something worked.

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    1. You are so right. I can't think of anything I dread more than getting all close and cozy with my commode.

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  8. I do all these jobs but I'm not that smart so sometimes it takes a while to pin point what is the real problem. You did well!

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    1. I've unfortunately done many a project over again because I didn't pinpoint the true problem the first time around.

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  9. Blame it on the ghost. Glad it went away.

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  10. UGH! Plumbing! I google everything but get really frustrated (like you) when the solutions offered up don't fix it. Sorry - it is definitely frustrating. I hope you figure it out soon!

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    1. YouTube and Google are great resources though these days, there is often a lot of not quite correct information out there so one has to survey any results. Still, I have done a lot of things I wouldn't have done had I not been able to find a video on the subject.

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  11. Toilets can be the most frustrating contraptions to fix! Also, my house also has 3 inch waste piping! :(

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    1. I suppose there was a time when 3" waste piping accessories flooded any hardware store but certainly not these days.

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  12. Oh my gosh! That's awful and so frustrating. Fingers crossed.
    By the way, do you know that you can already order test kits? https://www.covidtests.gov/
    They opened it up early to test it. Might be easier to do it now than tomorrow.

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    1. I did get wind and ordered mine yesterday morning, probably around 11 a.m CST. I'm not sure when it was actually opened but from what I have heard, it was sort of a rolling opening. I have four on the way courtesy of the government plus four I bought in the store when I happened to be by the lady opening up the crate they just received an hour earlier. So we should be good to go.

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    2. Awesome! I've heard now that we can pick up free masks soon at the pharmacy where we got vaccinated. I think.

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  13. Nothing worse than having to do a job you hate more than once.

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