Open Space Around the Exit Hole When Installing a Toilet

Bathroom Flooring

• A bathroom’s floor provides the platform on which a toilet sits, so a level floor makes it easier to ensure a proper toilet installation. Toilets positioned on uneven flooring run the risk of coming loose from the fasteners that keep it in place. This is especially true in cases in which open space exists around a toilet’s exit hole. A sign of an uneven or loosely fitted toilet include a rocking motion when sitting or standing up. Under these conditions, the connectors that run from the toilet to the drainage pipe may eventually come loose, which leaves a system open for water and sewer gas leaks.

Flange Fitting

• A flange fitting connects a toilet to a home’s drainage system, or drain piping. When an open space appears around the exit hole of a toilet, it’s highly likely that the gap has, or will eventually loosen, the flange fitting. A flange appears as a circular piece that fits over the toilet pipe and holds it in place. The flange fitting also includes a lip or small ledge with screw, or bolt holes in it. Once the fitting is in place, screws secure the flange to the bathroom floor. If an open space exists around the toilet’s exit hole, this transfers the weight of the toilet and anyone sitting on it to the drain pipe.

Flange Extender

• A flange extender pieces come in handy in cases where an existing metal flange has rusted through. A rusted metal flange may not provide a strong enough material for fastening to bathroom flooring. The extender piece fits overtop of the old flange fitting. As gaps can form in-between the old and new flange, extender pieces usually come with a sealant material that’s used as a gap-filler. The sealant material helps to firmly secure the flange extender piece in place.

Wax Ring

• In cases in which uneven flooring causes a toilet to sit at a slant or rock, proper installation of a wax ring helps to level out the platform underneath the toilet. A wax ring has a sticky surface that fits on top of the flange fitting. Because the wax ring fits over the flange fitting, it covers up open spaces between the toilet’s exit hole and the floor. The ring’s sticky surface helps to hold the flange in place and also seals off any potential water or gas leakage. Proper installation requires using wood shims to level the area before placing the wax ring on the flange fitting. Trying to level the area after setting the wax ring in place will most likely result in the toilet moving the ring and breaking its seal.