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Real Life Plumbing Advice for People Who Don't Want To Call A Plumber

Which Toilet Gasket Should You Use?

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Good Question, I think? For this old timer, the good old fashion 100% virgin wax seal has been and still is the most popular way to set a toilet bowl today. That being said, there are new products coming into the market each and every day. Today I’d like to briefly introduce you to two of them which are becoming ever more popular among the do it yourself community.

fluidmaseter gasketFirst up is The Fluidmaster “Better Than Wax” universal toilet seal. This wax-free toilet gasket fits most toilets and is easily re-positionable without the fuss of dealing with wax which can be somewhat messy if you have to re-position the bowl.The company says that once in place, it will create a very tight and effective seal that will resist the effects of average toilet plunging.

It’s made of a somewhat semi-hard rubber material that in my opinion will work just fine if you have a relatively level floor. If the floor is severely out of level and you find yourself having to shim the bowl in order for it to sit straight, this might not be the right choice. Next up is the Sani Seal waxless toilet seal.

The Sani Seal gasket is made of a very flexible polyurethane foam that is re-positionable, sani-seal gasketantimicrobial and functions no matter what the temperature, providing an easy trouble free installation. They both will position the toilet bolts in such a way that you literally can’t miss when setting a toilet bowl. Because the Sani Seal gasket extremely flexible, I think it would be the best choice if your floor is not exactly level.

I personally have not used either of them and that’s not to say they aren’t a reliable replacement for a good old fashion wax gasket. Wax can tend to get messy if you don’t know what you’re doing, so if getting wax all over yourself is something that doesn’t appeal to you, either of these two choices will work for you. If cost is a concern, consider this. A wax gasket will cost you a buck or two, the Fluidmaster gasket will set you back nine or ten bucks and finally the Sani Seal gasket will set you back twelve to fourteen bucks.

I give you my take on both of these products in the video below, so why not take a look for yourself and tell me what you think and if in fact you’ve used either of these products. If you have any questions at all, I can always be reached at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com. I look forward to your questions.

Best Regards and HAPPY PLUMBING!

Bob

Toilet tank to bowl installation (table top demo)

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I wanted to do this video on my bench top to give you an idea of what the view looks like from behind. Now, I just finished installing a new flush valve inside the tank and as you can see I have my flush valve gasket in place as well as my brand new brass tank bolts.

I buy my tank bolt kits from a company that sells only to professional plumbers so you would expect all the components to be brass. I couldn’t believe when I was shooting this video, they supplied me with galvanized steel wing nuts, go figure!

Guys, for the record, if this happens to you please go find some 5/16″ brass wing nuts or just plain old 5/16″ brass nuts. If you mix the two different metals together in a damp environment I guarantee that in less than 6 months those galvanized nuts will corrode and they will not come off.

Once you set the tank onto the bowl, start with your brass back up washers followed by the brass wing or conventional nuts and start to tighten in an alternating fashion until the tank comes to rest on top of the bowl.

You’ll want to place either a two foot or torpedo level across the tank while you’re doing this to make sure the tank sits level. Once in place, you can connect the water supply tube to the fill valve and emergency water shut-off valve and turn the water on.

Flush away, check for leaks and you’re done. Not too difficult!

If you’re unclear about any steps in this video I invite you to e-mail me at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com, I’d love to hear from you.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

Toilet Installation – What size toilet do I use?

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So you’d like to replace your old outdated toilet with new water saving low flow model?

Great! So what size toilet will you need for the replacement toilet installation?

When I ask that question, the reaction is usually a blank stare followed by “what do you mean what size?” Well, all toilets, whether one-piece or two-piece (tank and bowl combination), come in three sizes. Those sizes are 10″, 12″ & 14″ with the 12″ size being the industry standard and the go-to size I use in a new renovation setting.

What determines which size to use?
Well when replacing an existing fixture, the determining factor is always the distance from the finished wall where the tank will sit, to the center line of the closet bend – lead bend or waste bend (all the same just different names). Now, this measurement can vary greatly from as little as 9 1/2″ to as much as 14″ or anywhere in between.

In general, the rule would be if your wall to center measurement is 10″/12″/14″ you would use the corresponding sized toilet. This is exactly what I do when replacing an existing fixture, but when I’m setting a new closet bend, my experience has taught me to set that distance a 1/2″ less than the size toilet I plan on using. This allows the toilet sit a little closer to the back wall where the tank will rest making a much nicer and cleaner job in my opinion.

How to determine what size toilet to buy for your toilet installationI’ve found that if I set my closet bend at 12″ followed by a 12″ sized toilet, it sits a little farther from the rear wall than I’m comfortable with.

Be careful though, any measurement beyond 1/2″ will set the toilet tank flush against the rear wall preventing the tank cover from fitting properly.

I invite you to check out my video titled “How to determine what size toilet to buy,” and if you still have questions please drop me a line at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

Happy Plumbing!

How To Determine What Size Toilet To Buy

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Most homeowners don’t realize that toilets come in three sizes. They are 10″,12″ and 14″ and are determined by the distance from the center of the closet bend to the finished wall. In this video I explain the process I use in determining what size to use!