Great tutorial! Not critiquing, just adding a couple points: Roger was using acrylic caulk, if you try to do that with 100% silicone it won’t work the same and you should practice with silicone before going to the big show. Second - hand squeeze tube is the way to go for toilets, a lot of time they’re tucked into a place that you can’t get a caulk gun to fit. Squeeze tubes rock for under mount sinks on granite tops too.
I'm gonna have to caulk it 100% when I replaced the wax ring, I didn't re-caulk it and then my sister took a shower and all the water she spilled onto the bathroom floor leaked into the ceiling below haha Thank you for this video and I appreciate the way you talk, puts me at ease, casual
So glad you emphasized leaving the back portion un-caulked. A co-worker relayed her horror story, of her upstairs toilet falling through! Seems there was a leak and it didn’t appear because of the caulking. She was pretty shaken up. Not only did she have to get a replacement toilet but repairing the rotted floor cost her quite a bit.
Good reason not to caulk it at all. Do you want to know about a leak right away, or take a chance that the caulk is holding back moisture and directing it into the floor below?
Hey! Thanks for these videos. I’m just an *aspiring* homeowner, but I’ve realized that I really enjoy watching YT videos of people doing anything hands-on (when they do it well), like manual labor, construction/home improvement, cleaning, etc.-especially professional tradespeople! I have mad respect! ❤ My husband is a pest control expert who has owned his own successful company for the past ~25 years while getting to the root of the problem rather than just charging people for a short-term band-aid “solution”. That’s why he is so successful-he’s not into ripping people off for shoddy “service.” There is just something SO appealing about being able to solve your own problems, create your own products, and/or do it yourself when it comes to fixing things in your environment and living space. I would love to be able to do all this stuff myself rather than hire someone, but if I had to hire someone, I’d love to hire you! 😉 Added bonus to doing work in the trades-sometimes you can get away with talking frankly about things like *caulk rings* (hehe) and *dirty hoes* (referencing the garden supply sign on your wall, haha). 😂 😂 😂 Cheers!
I caulk and then spray water over the entire caulked area. This way when you do the finishing work/wipe you never get any caulk spreading onto the other surfaces. Perfect job every time.
I have been doing this for a long time, 48 years. I love the way you present things and the tip of leaving the back open is great and I will be using it from now on. I never liked calking toilets because of the reasons you gave.
Thank you Roger. Caulking 2 today. 1 new on my downstairs bathroom and 1 upstairs that I had to shim to stop it from rocking. Always great to watch the expert!👍
Like yourself, i have detached a portion of the wall and floor in my house to install the toilet but am now faced with a new problem, the only solution i can think of is to leave it elevated and build a ladder to access the toilet, what do you recommend?
40 year plumber here I don't caulk the toilets in my house and I generally try to avoid it whenever possible but the video does bring up a good point if you have a floor that isn't exactly even you're riding shims then caulk will help hold them shims in the place
@@azhotmom the first thing I am a boy and I don't this second thing is I erase the son he's in his mid-thirties now but the main reason I do not talk my toilet to the floors because there's ever a leak in the wax ring and you live in a house where the toilet is either above a crawl space or on a slab you may never know you have a leak because the caulk will prevent the water from coming from out from underneath the toilet
Question I had a new toilet put in 2yrs ago. The plumber caulked it and we did not use for a day. Almost immediately there was seepage coming through the caulk. This year I had a different plumber come out and replace the wax seal and then caulked the toilet. Again I have seepage! I'm at my wits end. Do you have any suggestions? Total between both installations I have spent $700 for a $250 toilet. 😢
Home owners will get out of the tub/shower dripping wet and the excess water will get under the toilet and make its way to the subfloor through the flange. I too like to caulk the toilet yet leave the unseen back open. A cut damp sponge and a scrubbing motion really helps tighten up the caulk joints and makes the joint look clean
This video was exactly what I needed! We are changing the floor and toilet 🚽 due to leaking and I will be caulking myself! As directed I will leave the back open! Thanks for your fantastic knowledge!!
Tip... Use an old credit card (at a 90° angle to the floor) instead of your fingers to smooth out the caulk. It looks much more professional, and keeps your hands clean.
I tried a new method I really liked. I did the caulk line, sprayed it with soapy water, then ran my finger over it. It really helped keep the line clean & kept the caulk from getting all over my hand. Great for a novice like me 😂
Hey Roger respect your experience. The way I install toilet 🚽 is I flipped the toilet an apply white silicon all around the base an clean the excess with a silicone squishy for a perfect look.
In apartment and hotel maintenance where I have worked, we never caulked if it was avoidable . Maybe in a unique situation, but we always used super shims to shore/shim up a toilet. We always tried to get as tight to the flange as possible, before breaking the porcelain. Caulk was always bad because of cheap flooring.
Great DYI video however, Here in my area, a building inspector would fail you on the final. IPC 405.6 uses the word "sealed" that means it's not sealed if the back of the toilet isn't sealed (ie caulked) It's about sewer gas
thanks roger! can i use the caulk for the piping on the back of the toilet tank as well?? it started leaking suddenly from the main water pipe, seems it suddenly got old i guess...
I remodeled a hotel in a city and the inspector plumbing came back to me to say all toilets needed to be caulked 360. Lol I ended up caulking 90% of it and leaving a 2” opening on the back. Two weeks later someone noticed two toilets that the wax ring didn’t seat properly and notice water leaking from the back toilet. It’s always good to leave a small opening for that reason.
37th year in the trade, always have standard wax seal a jumbo wax seal extra nuts and bolts,shims putty knife tube caulking with you on every toilet job. To save time running back and forth to the van for parts. I like to finish my joint with a damp sponge.
Also I take WD-40 clean the floor and toilet adjust the water level in the tank and try to sell a rebuild if possible while I'm there to avoid a call back. Love your videos more new plumbers should pay attention to detailand get the job done right the first time
Thanks for the tips as I’ve just recently moved (did a house swap a few months ago) and had a leak in my bathroom but luckily it was from a tube but the toilet keeps moving and I noticed the base wasn’t sealed, so was looking for some tips to do it myself 👍🏾
What is the best drain cleaner ? I had root rooter out here I have old pipes apparently they can't snake my drain due to it being a old cast iron pipe ? They said it could shatter ?
They make a little handy tool for the perfect caulk bead every time, I have a couple different kinds and the difference it makes, it looks very professional and clean.
On slab floors it's a good thing. 95 percent of the stool I set are over wood on a crawl. If a small leak occurs, I like to see it. A lot of the time a small leak will pass beneath the flange ring and dampen the sub floor and caulk will help hold the dampness in, rotting out the sub floor. Yes caulk does help hold the stool, but I like no caulk for the most part as long as there's not a big gap. I want the homeowners to see and smell a leak for early detection.
Ok!! Gottcha!! I'm a woman that has NEVER put a toilet in a house. The flange was broken. I didn't want to spend the money to have a plumber come but put the half-moon flange in and put the toilet in. That took some work. HA, but I got it. I was so scared it was gonna rock side to side. It's ever so slightly rocking. Never thought about a penny. That's a great Idea. Yes, I have a husband it would have gone smoothly if he would have done it but I couldn't get him to help at all. Gonna try the chalk. I have pavers in my bathroom. Gonna give it a try. Thanks again!!
My girlfriend says she like my caulk. 😅 lmao 😂 thanks for the video. I like the penny trick in which I will end up using on her existing toilet. 🚽 the original “caulking” wasn’t done correctly. 😅😂
Door custom made high end home we do sometimes silicone but we tape the floor and do a thin profile and then take tape off and leave it clean as a whistle
On the mobile home sewer gases will deteriorate the soil if there’s leaks right how thick is the plastic supposed to be on the ground sheet? And is it important because I’ve lived here in my house for 15 almost 17 years with no plastic or anything on the ground under my mobile home
Plumber hear from Canada. Typically you leave the back open and not calked a bit so you know if you have leak issues etc, also sunlight soap and water work good for smoothing out silicone or masters silicone tooling spray magic in a can
Our code says that all lavatories , toilets, fixtures etc. shall be caulked for sanitary purposes. Dirt and debris can build up and cause a smell. not to mention sewer gas from toilet if seal has failed.
im also the tile guy... a lot of the times i will have my tiles 100% level and the damn toilet has a big bow in it... its like a rocking chair.. i always put silicon. unless the tiles are super dark, and i don't need any shims.. so about 99.9% i put silicon. (i use spit.. )
Damn, you use silicon? That must burn the tile. Do the homeowners appreciate you running a furnace and crucible in their house and pouring a molten liquid into the toilet-tile gap? I just use silicone. It's a white or clear goo that dries and hardens after a few hours. It seals up nicely. You should switch from silicon to silicone. Much cheaper. I'm surprised you can even get silicon right now considering the microchip shortage. I would have figured Samsung has bought up all the silicon and inflated the price because they need to make transistors and CPUs. 🤔 Well, you do you I guess.
Hey I'm wondering if you can tell me, because I can't find it Anywhere on the internet, I had a guy install my toilet today and there is a 1/2 inch Space between the bottom of the toilet and my epoxy floor.. Is that too much of a space? Everything I'm reading says it should be up to quarter of an inch... I feel almost half inch is just too much of a space.. caulk or not. Yikes! I can't remember if I used an extra thick wax ring or if it was a regular wax ring... could that be the difference? and is this a problem? should I have him remove the toilet and shave anything down, or is the half inch okay (before it gets caulked? )
No. A 1/2" inch isn't okay. But if it doesn't rock around and it's sealed (probably using several wax rings), and the shoddy work doesn't bother you, use it. You'd know pretty quick if there was a bad seal. The minute you turned the water on youd see water. A lot of it. There's products and simple tools available for easily cutting the pipe down or raising the flange up so the toilet can set upon on the floor.
I've replaced the wax ring so many times, and the caulk border never seems to hold, as it just keeps taking more and more water and drain fly larvae eat through.
@@mannys9130 I’m gonna search for it. Thank you. I only seen a few about copper soldering but lead pipe is rare. Been plumbing for over 15 years and never had to do lead pipe.
Yes I love to see that you leave the back of the toilet uncaulked I’ve been doing the same thing just on my own that way you can hopefully spot a leak before it becomes a big mess
I usually take a sponge and give it a small bead all the way around except for the back. That way, if there is a leak I will be able to find it. Thanks for the video. Very informative.
I like a very damp paper towel, actually about 5 paper towels. I can see the edge better as I shape it to fit the place. The tools are sometimes cool, but not for PITA places to access like heads, back of sinks, etc. I don't like using my finger as I get high on the toxins lol. My favorite thus far is Lexel clear. Synthetic rubber...many fumes. Also takes paint.
Omg I am freaking out I was cleaning the toilet & bleach apparently messed up the caulking . I found some caulk but I can’t find a caulking gun. I’m trying to fix it myself . Hubs has Covid and isn’t gonna be happy about this . What to do ?
In areas that adopt the UPC code, it's required to caulk fixtures to the surface they mount to. DO NOT. DO NOT. DO NOT. use PAINTER'S CAULK as it dries VERY HARD. I had to remove a toilet that was set using Painter's Caulk, and I literally had to chisel the bowl loose. When I lifted it off, some of the floor tile glaze came off with it !
Water helps out a lot, I using that dap before and oh man that shit is sticky and messy, a budy of mine said to use water 👌🏼 makes it vary easy to clean up and easier to work with
Out here in California, caulking requirements differ in some cities/counties. Some areas require the entire toilet to be caulked all the way around while others say to leave it uncaulked at the very back. And yet other places have no caulk requirement at all. As a DIYer, I prefer leaving it open in the back. I've also used shims and pennies for leveling. .
@@Naho_3609 Pennies are made of copper plated zinc. They won't rust. Except the ones made of steel during the 2nd world war (but finding those in your pocket is pretty rare😄).
Thank you it looks great 👍. The maintenance man At my apartment is Just done a week ago. But he didn't cock around it very well I have, like a white ring around the outside of the toilet. I don't know if it's painted or if others cocked it further out. But when done He straddled the toilet and bounced down on it about 3 or more times. I don't think it was good for the toilet. He said it was Even.
Haha! In Ohio we used 3/8 washers because they were so handy on a commercial site. To the folks that haven’t caulked a toilet. Get the small squeezed tubes of caulk when you do. If you do the caulk gun the walls and other ish will cause you to play hell getting the back side
I like to take a Jack and jack the floor up so the toilet is waist high, I hate bending down underneath crap, banging my head on counter overhangs, and trying to fit in between the tub and toilet.
I just bought a house, and the main toilet is brand new, but there's no caulk. Should I put some caulking? It's on a tile floor and is 100% leveled, no wobbling at all.
I would at least caulk the front. Nothing worse than your wax ring failing and getting nasty water on your feet. And you can get caulk that is clear so you can still have the no caulk look.
So we noticed that water is leaking from the left side bottom of toilet. When I caulk the bottom of toilet, do I need to turn off the water because water is seeping out and then apply caulk?
Why would you rather sewer gas come out than stay in the ground under the toilet? I have sewer gas escaping somewhere on the top floor (walk up attic bedrooms and bathroom) of my house and I thought that if I reseal the toilet maybe that will be the answer. It's so hard to know where sewer gas is coming from, but I thought I could at least start with that. Can you please tell me why you said that you would rather it come out? Thank you so much!
it lets you know that the seal between the toilet and your flange is not fully sealed, its basically an indication of a bigger problem, you wouldnt want to trap those gases under the toilet, it would just be covering up or ignoring a bigger issue.
@@burtburtist thank you. I don't know if you have an answer to this, but do you happen to know... If the sewer pipe that runs through the roof has a leak somewhere upstairs, could that also cause the gases to come out of the drain in the basement floor? I had read that somewhere and am looking to see if that is true. Basically, when the barometer is high, I can smell sewer gas on our top floor and also coming out of the drain in the basement floor. (Or vice versa?) Thank you.
@@nahaniyes Sorry i wouldn't know why that is, maybe something is incorrectly set up with the sewer vent but i'm just learning this trade myself. I wish you luck in finding where your leaks or clogs are, i know the pain of having to smell sewer gas when a drain gets used but for me it was a simple flange issue.
The caulk job on my apartment's toilet is awful. Its all uneven and theres no gap in the back. I also just found out one of the bolts is hanging in there freely. It was COVERED in caulk so I'm assuming the last guy who was sent to fix it just caulked the damn thing a decade ago or longer. I've lived here five years, hopefully I won't get in trouble for not noticing earlier.
I never caulk the toilet unless the customer asks me to. Leaving the back open is good, but what if the front of the wax seal is broken for whatever reason. Then you won’t notice the leak for a long time. Causing damage to sub floor. Not mention pulling a toilet with caulking can damage to linoleum flooring even if you cut the caulking around the edge. I personally don’t see caulking a toilet as a necessary measure.
Been a homeowner for 25 years now. Been lucky I guess and have never had to replace a toilet. None of them have ever been caulked. Should I do that now in my current house when the toilets have no issues or movement, or is it just aesthetics for looks? I was taught not to so if there is a leak, you know about it, instead of being trapped and causing damage you dont even know thats happening
I caulk the front 90%…. From there rear “corner” to “corner” . That way, if it does hair open to leak, it will still show- notifying the owner that there’s an issue but I’m still TECHNICALLY compliant with code and make my finish work look correct
You truly do need a caulk ring to have a good time. Really helps keep the liquid inside of the space that you want to keep it in for a good result. If the liquid leaks out, it's just not as solid as it could be and satisfaction is lacking. Just remember not to leave a caulk ring on for too long. Remove it as soon as it's no longer needed, and make sure not to use one that's too small. It won't work properly and could end up damaging something.
Interesting the part about using pennies to shim a toilet to the floor. In the U.K. people say "going to spend a penny" when going to the toilet. The story goes back to when the first pay toilets charged a penny to use them.
Great tutorial! Not critiquing, just adding a couple points: Roger was using acrylic caulk, if you try to do that with 100% silicone it won’t work the same and you should practice with silicone before going to the big show. Second - hand squeeze tube is the way to go for toilets, a lot of time they’re tucked into a place that you can’t get a caulk gun to fit. Squeeze tubes rock for under mount sinks on granite tops too.
I'm gonna have to caulk it 100%
when I replaced the wax ring, I didn't re-caulk it
and then my sister took a shower and all the water she spilled onto the bathroom floor leaked into the ceiling below haha
Thank you for this video and I appreciate the way you talk, puts me at ease, casual
So glad you emphasized leaving the back portion un-caulked. A co-worker relayed her horror story, of her upstairs toilet falling through! Seems there was a leak and it didn’t appear because of the caulking. She was pretty shaken up. Not only did she have to get a replacement toilet but repairing the rotted floor cost her quite a bit.
Good reason not to caulk it at all. Do you want to know about a leak right away, or take a chance that the caulk is holding back moisture and directing it into the floor below?
Hey! Thanks for these videos. I’m just an *aspiring* homeowner, but I’ve realized that I really enjoy watching YT videos of people doing anything hands-on (when they do it well), like manual labor, construction/home improvement, cleaning, etc.-especially professional tradespeople! I have mad respect! ❤ My husband is a pest control expert who has owned his own successful company for the past ~25 years while getting to the root of the problem rather than just charging people for a short-term band-aid “solution”. That’s why he is so successful-he’s not into ripping people off for shoddy “service.” There is just something SO appealing about being able to solve your own problems, create your own products, and/or do it yourself when it comes to fixing things in your environment and living space. I would love to be able to do all this stuff myself rather than hire someone, but if I had to hire someone, I’d love to hire you! 😉
Added bonus to doing work in the trades-sometimes you can get away with talking frankly about things like *caulk rings* (hehe) and *dirty hoes* (referencing the garden supply sign on your wall, haha). 😂 😂 😂 Cheers!
Danielle I love the way you see things… Thank you!
Hey man, respect to you. I’ve always been told to learn everything and anything, and you’re making it easy to understand and learn
I caulk and then spray water over the entire caulked area. This way when you do the finishing work/wipe you never get any caulk spreading onto the other surfaces. Perfect job every time.
My toilet had pennies under it when I removed it in my home. I thought it was for good luck! 🥴
You learn something new everyday! 🤭
Hopefully they were heads up?!
I have been doing this for a long time, 48 years. I love the way you present things and the tip of leaving the back open is great and I will be using it from now on. I never liked calking toilets because of the reasons you gave.
You're a veteran...glad I could still teach you something. I appreciate you watching
Thank you Roger. Caulking 2 today. 1 new on my downstairs bathroom and 1 upstairs that I had to shim to stop it from rocking. Always great to watch the expert!👍
You said caulk ring! great video thanks for the great info!
Like yourself, i have detached a portion of the wall and floor in my house to install the toilet but am now faced with a new problem, the only solution i can think of is to leave it elevated and build a ladder to access the toilet, what do you recommend?
40 year plumber here I don't caulk the toilets in my house and I generally try to avoid it whenever possible but the video does bring up a good point if you have a floor that isn't exactly even you're riding shims then caulk will help hold them shims in the place
Really? Why would you not? Guess maybe you've never had little boys potty training. Even the big boys in my house don't always have good aim lol.
@@azhotmom the first thing I am a boy and I don't this second thing is I erase the son he's in his mid-thirties now but the main reason I do not talk my toilet to the floors because there's ever a leak in the wax ring and you live in a house where the toilet is either above a crawl space or on a slab you may never know you have a leak because the caulk will prevent the water from coming from out from underneath the toilet
@@steven6804 thank you for the tip. I've never considered that
Great Video. I always leave back uncocked . I personally like using latex gloves, a small bucket and a grout sponge . Can’t beat it! Thanks Roger
You have the wrong caulk in mind…
Very neat job. Never thought about leaving an opening at the back.
Are you a full around caulk guy? 😂
@@RogerWakefield I heard that he went blind because his mother said it would happen if he kept playing with his caulk.
Question I had a new toilet put in 2yrs ago. The plumber caulked it and we did not use for a day. Almost immediately there was seepage coming through the caulk. This year I had a different plumber come out and replace the wax seal and then caulked the toilet. Again I have seepage! I'm at my wits end. Do you have any suggestions? Total between both installations I have spent $700 for a $250 toilet. 😢
I laughed when he said “caulk ring” 😂
Haha, same! 😂
Me too. I guess I’m 59 with a 13 year old brain. 😂
Home owners will get out of the tub/shower dripping wet and the excess water will get under the toilet and make its way to the subfloor through the flange. I too like to caulk the toilet yet leave the unseen back open. A cut damp sponge and a scrubbing motion really helps tighten up the caulk joints and makes the joint look clean
This video was exactly what I needed! We are changing the floor and toilet 🚽 due to leaking and I will be caulking myself! As directed I will leave the back open! Thanks for your fantastic knowledge!!
Tip... Use an old credit card (at a 90° angle to the floor) instead of your fingers to smooth out the caulk. It looks much more professional, and keeps your hands clean.
You are so welcome!
I tried a new method I really liked. I did the caulk line, sprayed it with soapy water, then ran my finger over it. It really helped keep the line clean & kept the caulk from getting all over my hand. Great for a novice like me 😂
That's a great tip!
So glad you showed that a caulking gun isn't necessary. Great demo!!!
Hey Roger respect your experience. The way I install toilet 🚽 is I flipped the toilet an apply white silicon all around the base an clean the excess with a silicone squishy for a perfect look.
In apartment and hotel maintenance where I have worked, we never caulked if it was avoidable . Maybe in a unique situation, but we always used super shims to shore/shim up a toilet. We always tried to get as tight to the flange as possible, before breaking the porcelain. Caulk was always bad because of cheap flooring.
Why not grout it? I personally feel that is the most fail safe method!
Exactly what I have always done on my thoughts of not caulking the back👍
I have always left 2-3” in the back with no caulk.
That's what she said
😂
you know what they say, 2-3 is all you need
Great DYI video however, Here in my area, a building inspector would fail you on the final. IPC 405.6 uses the word "sealed" that means it's not sealed if the back of the toilet isn't sealed (ie caulked) It's about sewer gas
thanks roger! can i use the caulk for the piping on the back of the toilet tank as well?? it started leaking suddenly from the main water pipe, seems it suddenly got old i guess...
I remodeled a hotel in a city and the inspector plumbing came back to me to say all toilets needed to be caulked 360. Lol
I ended up caulking 90% of it and leaving a 2” opening on the back.
Two weeks later someone noticed two toilets that the wax ring didn’t seat properly and notice water leaking from the back toilet.
It’s always good to leave a small opening for that reason.
37th year in the trade, always have standard wax seal a jumbo wax seal extra nuts and bolts,shims putty knife tube caulking with you on every toilet job. To save time running back and forth to the van for parts. I like to finish my joint with a damp sponge.
Also I take WD-40 clean the floor and toilet adjust the water level in the tank and try to sell a rebuild if possible while I'm there to avoid a call back. Love your videos more new plumbers should pay attention to detailand get the job done right the first time
thanks for the video 👍I'm glad I waited til the end ,I was going to ask about caulking the back,
There is always useful information at the end! Thanks for sticking around
Thanks for the tips as I’ve just recently moved (did a house swap a few months ago) and had a leak in my bathroom but luckily it was from a tube but the toilet keeps moving and I noticed the base wasn’t sealed, so was looking for some tips to do it myself 👍🏾
Hi Roger, you did a great job with applying the caulk. Wondering what kind of caulk you recommend so it doesn’t yellow? Thanks.
100% silicone
What is the best drain cleaner ? I had root rooter out here I have old pipes apparently they can't snake my drain due to it being a old cast iron pipe ? They said it could shatter ?
They make a little handy tool for the perfect caulk bead every time, I have a couple different kinds and the difference it makes, it looks very professional and clean.
I use sealant finishing tool - looks good. 😎
On slab floors it's a good thing. 95 percent of the stool I set are over wood on a crawl. If a small leak occurs, I like to see it. A lot of the time a small leak will pass beneath the flange ring and dampen the sub floor and caulk will help hold the dampness in, rotting out the sub floor. Yes caulk does help hold the stool, but I like no caulk for the most part as long as there's not a big gap. I want the homeowners to see and smell a leak for early detection.
Ok!! Gottcha!! I'm a woman that has NEVER put a toilet in a house. The flange was broken. I didn't want to spend the money to have a plumber come but put the half-moon flange in and put the toilet in. That took some work. HA, but I got it. I was so scared it was gonna rock side to side. It's ever so slightly rocking. Never thought about a penny. That's a great Idea. Yes, I have a husband it would have gone smoothly if he would have done it but I couldn't get him to help at all. Gonna try the chalk. I have pavers in my bathroom. Gonna give it a try. Thanks again!!
My girlfriend says she like my caulk. 😅 lmao 😂 thanks for the video. I like the penny trick in which I will end up using on her existing toilet. 🚽 the original “caulking” wasn’t done correctly. 😅😂
Caulk also keeps junk from collecting around the toilet...🚽
I've always left the back open too. But the clear dapp is all i use. Looks better in my opinion
Your editor cracks me up
In south florida we grout toilets caulking seems to get shitty much faster
Dude!!!
Love your videos Roger!
Greatly appreciated! Hope you know how many folks you help every day.
I appreciate that!
Door custom made high end home we do sometimes silicone but we tape the floor and do a thin profile and then take tape off and leave it clean as a whistle
On the mobile home sewer gases will deteriorate the soil if there’s leaks right how thick is the plastic supposed to be on the ground sheet? And is it important because I’ve lived here in my house for 15 almost 17 years with no plastic or anything on the ground under my mobile home
Thanks for the help.
Happy to help
We use grout and if we absolutely have to use caulk. We use a sponge for tile to smooth it out.
Video topic starts at 3:11
Love your channel, I did the penny shim and it worked well lol.
Good to hear!
@@RogerWakefield I found peso's under my toilet and Jaun hiding in my closet.
Thanks I learned alot watching your video
Plumber hear from Canada. Typically you leave the back open and not calked a bit so you know if you have leak issues etc, also sunlight soap and water work good for smoothing out silicone or masters silicone tooling spray magic in a can
Our code says that all lavatories , toilets, fixtures etc. shall be caulked for sanitary purposes. Dirt and debris can build up and cause a smell. not to mention sewer gas from toilet if seal has failed.
Helpful. Thanks Rog
Happy to help
Nic tip , thanks.
Mr. Roger, how do caulk w/a toilet shim in place? Thanks, Jeannette
im also the tile guy... a lot of the times i will have my tiles 100% level and the damn toilet has a big bow in it... its like a rocking chair.. i always put silicon. unless the tiles are super dark, and i don't need any shims.. so about 99.9% i put silicon. (i use spit.. )
Damn, you use silicon? That must burn the tile. Do the homeowners appreciate you running a furnace and crucible in their house and pouring a molten liquid into the toilet-tile gap? I just use silicone. It's a white or clear goo that dries and hardens after a few hours. It seals up nicely. You should switch from silicon to silicone. Much cheaper. I'm surprised you can even get silicon right now considering the microchip shortage. I would have figured Samsung has bought up all the silicon and inflated the price because they need to make transistors and CPUs. 🤔 Well, you do you I guess.
I wish I was that talented!
Should you use silicon or acrylic?
Thank You, very helpful 😊
Hey I'm wondering if you can tell me, because I can't find it Anywhere on the internet, I had a guy install my toilet today and there is a 1/2 inch Space between the bottom of the toilet and my epoxy floor.. Is that too much of a space? Everything I'm reading says it should be up to quarter of an inch... I feel almost half inch is just too much of a space.. caulk or not.
Yikes! I can't remember if I used an extra thick wax ring or if it was a regular wax ring... could that be the difference? and is this a problem? should I have him remove the toilet and shave anything down, or is the half inch okay (before it gets caulked? )
No. A 1/2" inch isn't okay. But if it doesn't rock around and it's sealed (probably using several wax rings), and the shoddy work doesn't bother you, use it. You'd know pretty quick if there was a bad seal. The minute you turned the water on youd see water. A lot of it. There's products and simple tools available for easily cutting the pipe down or raising the flange up so the toilet can set upon on the floor.
I've replaced the wax ring so many times, and the caulk border never seems to hold, as it just keeps taking more and more water and drain fly larvae eat through.
I’m gonna campaign to get you to make a video on soldering lead pipe.
He already did, and brazing.
@@mannys9130 I’m gonna search for it. Thank you. I only seen a few about copper soldering but lead pipe is rare. Been plumbing for over 15 years and never had to do lead pipe.
@@mannys9130 I found a few for copper pipe but I’m talking about lead pipe. If you can find the link for me I’ll cancel my campaign lol.
Yes I love to see that you leave the back of the toilet uncaulked I’ve been doing the same thing just on my own that way you can hopefully spot a leak before it becomes a big mess
Used to use lead, soft enough to take form and hard enough to hold some weight
Thanks very much Daddy, you're the best.
I wish I was your apprentice.
The truth is I would love to be your apprentice.
I usually take a sponge and give it a small bead all the way around except for the back. That way, if there is a leak I will be able to find it. Thanks for the video. Very informative.
Thanks for sharing!
Perfect job.
Thank you!
Best trick for caulking. A folded wet sponge.
I like a very damp paper towel, actually about 5 paper towels. I can see the edge better as I shape it to fit the place. The tools are sometimes cool, but not for PITA places to access like heads, back of sinks, etc. I don't like using my finger as I get high on the toxins lol. My favorite thus far is Lexel clear. Synthetic rubber...many fumes. Also takes paint.
Omg I am freaking out I was cleaning the toilet & bleach apparently messed up the caulking . I found some caulk but I can’t find a caulking gun. I’m trying to fix it myself . Hubs has Covid and isn’t gonna be happy about this . What to do ?
What caulk brand did you use to seal the toilet 🚽
DAP acryllic caulk
In areas that adopt the UPC code, it's required to caulk fixtures to the surface they mount to. DO NOT. DO NOT. DO NOT. use PAINTER'S CAULK as it dries VERY HARD. I had to remove a toilet that was set using Painter's Caulk, and I literally had to chisel the bowl loose. When I lifted it off, some of the floor tile glaze came off with it !
Water helps out a lot, I using that dap before and oh man that shit is sticky and messy, a budy of mine said to use water 👌🏼 makes it vary easy to clean up and easier to work with
Out here in California, caulking requirements differ in some cities/counties. Some areas require the entire toilet to be caulked all the way around while others say to leave it uncaulked at the very back. And yet other places have no caulk requirement at all. As a DIYer, I prefer leaving it open in the back. I've also used shims and pennies for leveling. .
Pennies could cause rust
That's why I only did that once. Then I saw I could actually purchase toilet shims and used those.
@@Naho_3609
Pennies are made of copper plated zinc. They won't rust. Except the ones made of steel during the 2nd world war (but finding those in your pocket is pretty rare😄).
Thank you it looks great 👍.
The maintenance man At my apartment is Just done a week ago. But he didn't cock around it very well I have, like a white ring around the outside of the toilet. I don't know if it's painted or if others cocked it further out. But when done He straddled the toilet and bounced down on it about 3 or more times. I don't think it was good for the toilet. He said it was Even.
Dude humped your toilet?!!??? 😅
-Look for the pipe underground outside.
-Dig a hole and drill a hole in that pipe.
Now you can use you're toilet again. 😂
What about using a
blow/hair dryer to dry the caulk?
I've heard about people doing that. 🤔
I personally have never used it so I can't say for sure if it would work
Haha! In Ohio we used 3/8 washers because they were so handy on a commercial site. To the folks that haven’t caulked a toilet. Get the small squeezed tubes of caulk when you do. If you do the caulk gun the walls and other ish will cause you to play hell getting the back side
I like to take a Jack and jack the floor up so the toilet is waist high, I hate bending down underneath crap, banging my head on counter overhangs, and trying to fit in between the tub and toilet.
I just bought a house, and the main toilet is brand new, but there's no caulk. Should I put some caulking? It's on a tile floor and is 100% leveled, no wobbling at all.
I dont think that is neccesary.
I would at least caulk the front. Nothing worse than your wax ring failing and getting nasty water on your feet. And you can get caulk that is clear so you can still have the no caulk look.
What was the caulk he was using?
In the past for off level floors in the front of the toilet. I have used plaster of Paris.
If you have sewer gasses leaking and its not caulked in the back, then arent u still leaking gases?
Yeah but at least you know where it’s coming from
Try using transparent caulk instead of white. It can be done so much quicker and looks so much better.
I’ve always left the back open, not something new but it is good practice
Thank you!!
You're welcome!
So we noticed that water is leaking from the left side bottom of toilet. When I caulk the bottom of toilet, do I need to turn off the water because water is seeping out and then apply caulk?
Ana, you need to pull and reset the toilet. Or have a plumber do that. You want to stop the leak before caulking the toilet…
@@RogerWakefield thank you so much
Why would you rather sewer gas come out than stay in the ground under the toilet? I have sewer gas escaping somewhere on the top floor (walk up attic bedrooms and bathroom) of my house and I thought that if I reseal the toilet maybe that will be the answer. It's so hard to know where sewer gas is coming from, but I thought I could at least start with that. Can you please tell me why you said that you would rather it come out? Thank you so much!
it lets you know that the seal between the toilet and your flange is not fully sealed, its basically an indication of a bigger problem, you wouldnt want to trap those gases under the toilet, it would just be covering up or ignoring a bigger issue.
@@burtburtist thank you. I don't know if you have an answer to this, but do you happen to know... If the sewer pipe that runs through the roof has a leak somewhere upstairs, could that also cause the gases to come out of the drain in the basement floor? I had read that somewhere and am looking to see if that is true. Basically, when the barometer is high, I can smell sewer gas on our top floor and also coming out of the drain in the basement floor. (Or vice versa?) Thank you.
@@nahaniyes Sorry i wouldn't know why that is, maybe something is incorrectly set up with the sewer vent but i'm just learning this trade myself. I wish you luck in finding where your leaks or clogs are, i know the pain of having to smell sewer gas when a drain gets used but for me it was a simple flange issue.
Does anyone know how I can practice for the union aptitude test?
What a pro!
The caulk job on my apartment's toilet is awful. Its all uneven and theres no gap in the back. I also just found out one of the bolts is hanging in there freely. It was COVERED in caulk so I'm assuming the last guy who was sent to fix it just caulked the damn thing a decade ago or longer. I've lived here five years, hopefully I won't get in trouble for not noticing earlier.
I never caulk the toilet unless the customer asks me to. Leaving the back open is good, but what if the front of the wax seal is broken for whatever reason. Then you won’t notice the leak for a long time. Causing damage to sub floor. Not mention pulling a toilet with caulking can damage to linoleum flooring even if you cut the caulking around the edge. I personally don’t see caulking a toilet as a necessary measure.
Necessary if you want to pass a final inspection. Will be called out on home inspection when selling a home.
@@truthsusp3ct403 it’s not code where I live.
Been a homeowner for 25 years now. Been lucky I guess and have never had to replace a toilet. None of them have ever been caulked. Should I do that now in my current house when the toilets have no issues or movement, or is it just aesthetics for looks? I was taught not to so if there is a leak, you know about it, instead of being trapped and causing damage you dont even know thats happening
I leave 2" gap in the back and use caulk guides for perfect caulk.
I just purchased my house and the toilet doesn't have caulk on it. Does it really matter? Thanks!
No it doesn’t
Moose reporting for toilet caulking improving class. Thanks Roger, the plumbing Gods are proud
Thank you for attending class, you get an A+!
I caulk the front 90%…. From there rear “corner” to “corner” . That way, if it does hair open to leak, it will still show- notifying the owner that there’s an issue but I’m still TECHNICALLY compliant with code and make my finish work look correct
You truly do need a caulk ring to have a good time. Really helps keep the liquid inside of the space that you want to keep it in for a good result. If the liquid leaks out, it's just not as solid as it could be and satisfaction is lacking. Just remember not to leave a caulk ring on for too long. Remove it as soon as it's no longer needed, and make sure not to use one that's too small. It won't work properly and could end up damaging something.
Something about this comment… 😂
Totally agree even if I have no clue what you are saying. LOL!
best comment ever
This comment really took me on a ride....thanks for sharing 😂
what?
I've heard of ring around the collar, but a caulk ring? around a toilet?
Thanks you.
Always welcome
Thanks for your video. I'm caulking my own toilet for the first time.
Good luck!
Plaster on floor mounted toilet. Caulk is good on wall mounted toilet, lavatories.
Interesting the part about using pennies to shim a toilet to the floor. In the U.K. people say "going to spend a penny" when going to the toilet. The story goes back to when the first pay toilets charged a penny to use them.