Wax leaking at toilet base?

[mmurphy]

Howdy,

I recently installed a toilet and it's been working great, but today I discovered what appeared to be wax, same color and textrue as the wax ring, oozing out through part of the base. Obviously, I missed a spot when I caulked, but I want to make sure there are not likely any underlying problems. There was not, as far as I could tell, any water leakage. The ring is an extra thick, reinforced model from Flushmaster. I figure if it's just wax that got squished (there being so much of it), then just some additional caulking might do the trick. If it's something else, though, I don't want water to be leaking under the base and compromising my subfloor. Any ideas? I'd prefer not to have to remove the toilet and do this all over again, especially if it turns out nothing was wrong.

Thanks!

 

[Caduceus]

As long as there are no leaks, there probably aren't any other problems. I prefer not to caulk the base of toilets unless it's a commercial job so that any future leaks can be spotted easier and early before serious damage has been done to the floor.

 

[robmcg]

As long as there are no leaks, there probably aren't any other problems. I prefer not to caulk the base of toilets unless it's a commercial job so that any future leaks can be spotted easier and early before serious damage has been done to the floor.

One of the first things I was taught

 

[robmcg]

One of the first things I was taught

When I entered the trade was never put a socket to a fixture and never caulk a toilet that's not sitting on concrete. I agree with cadaceus. Just keep ur eye on it and try to. Get rid of caulking if possible

 

[phishfood]

Florida Building Code, Plumbing 405.5 Water tight joints
Joints formed where fixtures come in contact with walls or floors shall be sealed.

That has been part of the code ever since I can remember. The reason I was given that code requires this is so that water from cleaning operations does not get underneath the fixture and create a breeding ground for bacteria. I have had inspectors fail final inspections because one of my guys missed a spot when they were grouting a toilet to the floor, and have even had an inspector make me caulk a freestanding laundry tub to the wall because of this code section.

I understand why you would not want to seal a toilet to the floor with a wood subfloor underneath, but shimming a toilet correctly, testing it well, and then grouting or caulking the toilet to hold the shims in place hasn't let me down yet. I will admit that when I set a toilet over a wood framed floor, I usually try to cheat and leave a little space at the back of the toilet open.

 

[Caduceus]

Yeah, I exercise a little flexibility with my residential installations to accommodate the situation, especially with homes 50+ years old. When you notice the old water damage from previous leaks and don't know what caused them (really big people tend to sit down really hard and shift toilets, perhaps?) having a tattle-tale could help the owner catch a problem before it gets critical. But note, all commercial jobs urinals, toilets, sinks, etc. are caulked for the same reason stated above. That also applies to commercial kitchen sinks in restaurants.