Securing wobbly toilet

beardybrewer

My cowboy installed toilet has 4 screws going into standard wall plugs drilled through the tile. The screws have gone rusty and loose causing the toilet to rock and wobble. This has broken the seals so now I'm getting sewer water everytime the toilet is flushed.

Dealt with this twice now and the problem has returned. The last time I put in new plugs and screws and replaced the seals coming in from the flush and the plastic elbow/seals going from toilet to waste pipe. (Sorry for not using correct terms). Everything was great for about 3 weeks, now the problem has returned and the toilet is loose again.

Can someone tell me how the toilet should be bolted to the floor? Specifically, can I go to B&Q and just find some bolts with mortar fixings? Or is it just time to give in an call the plumber? Any tips would be appreciated.

anthonyos

i use brass screws and clear tec7 i find it is the best job

Joey the lips

I have never used screws. I silicone the pan down and silicone the back of it.

The only toilet really needing screws is the one with the visable flush pipe from the cistern to the toilet.

Makes it easy to take back up

But toilet cannot be used till it sets.

sullzz

Joey the lips wrote: »

I have never used screws. I silicone the pan down and silicone the back of it.

The only toilet really needing screws is the one with the visable flush pipe from the cistern to the toilet.

Makes it easy to take back up

But toilet cannot be used till it sets.

Poor advice , every pan should be screwed down , silicone is not strong enough to hold a pan , they come with screw holes for a reason , , and siliconing a listen to the wall it bad practice

JohnnieK

There's silicon out there that would stick a block to the wall. I wouldn't have issues with siliconing a pan down with a nice neat clear bead. It's also more hygienic as no pissy water can run under the pan.

I wouldn't silicon a cistern due to maintenance, changing siphons an so on.
I would how ever punch the face of someone if I seen them using 312's on taps and float valves (a pet hate of mine).

anthonyos

Joey the lips wrote: »

I have never used screws. I silicone the pan down and silicone the back of it.

The only toilet really needing screws is the one with the visable flush pipe from the cistern to the toilet.

Makes it easy to take back up

But toilet cannot be used till it sets.

p45

oikster

Ditto on the 312s.

Joey the lips

sullzz wrote: »

Poor advice , every pan should be screwed down , silicone is not strong enough to hold a pan , they come with screw holes for a reason , , and siliconing a listen to the wall it bad practice

On the silicone...Yes there is. Silicone a cistern to the wall is bad practice if you dont know how to do it correctly.

You would be amazed the amount of plumbers out there cut the heads off screws and silicone them to the pan so it looks like they were screw fitted.

JohnnieK wrote: »

There's silicon out there that would stick a block to the wall. I wouldn't have issues with siliconing a pan down with a nice neat clear bead. It's also more hygienic as no pissy water can run under the pan.

I wouldn't silicon a cistern due to maintenance, changing siphons an so on.
I would how ever punch the face of someone if I seen them using 312's on taps and float valves (a pet hate of mine).

I always use isolation valves with a swivil male thread and rubber washer. Never fails.

anthonyos wrote: »

p45

I am not a plumber so i dont need to worry about my P45

Plombier

Joey the lips wrote: »

On the silicone...Yes there is. Silicone a cistern to the wall is bad practice if you dont know how to do it correctly.

You would be amazed the amount of plumbers out there cut the heads off screws and silicone them to the pan so it looks like they were screw fitted.



I always use isolation valves with a swivil male thread and rubber washer. Never fails.





I am not a plumber so i dont need to worry about my P45

But when a plumber advises you of bad practice you should listen, sticking a toilet bowl down with silicone is so bad.

Joey the lips

Plombier wrote: »

But when a plumber advises you of bad practice you should listen, sticking a toilet bowl down with silicone is so bad.

Who said i dont listen?

I stuck all 3 my toilets I use flexis so if the silicone fails slightly there is room for movement.

There is many things in plumbing bad. I know that. Personally i think siliconeing is bad practice but works perfectly. I also think that using a coat hanger to hold up an exhaust pipe is bad practice but it also works perfectly.


To me bad practice is a novice trying to screw down a toilet, fails terriable and with no flex causes a leak.

Billy Bunting

Silicone may well be ok as a sealant but as an adhesive its crap, you may well get away with using it (for a while) on a good tiled surface but quite honestly, and i'm no plumber, i would consider it bad practise, especially if i'm having to fit it with flexies to hallow for the future leaks.

beardybrewer

Thanks for the replies. I went to B&Q and found an EasiPlumb WC Pan fixing kit. Seems there's nothing special about the install of them other than a tip i got to use regular drill thru tile before swapping over to hammer. Have to drill new holes as old ones were at an angle. These need to go straight down.

Joey the lips

Billy Bunting wrote: »

Silicone may well be ok as a sealant but as an adhesive its crap, you may well get away with using it (for a while) on a good tiled surface but quite honestly, and i'm no plumber, i would consider it bad practise, especially if i'm having to fit it with flexies to hallow for the future leaks.

I dont mean to sound like i am flogging a dead horse but i imported silicone for 5 years. Silicone as an adhesive is perfectly fine in the right setting. Most cheap silicones are whats called acytoxy. In other words they have a strong vinager smell. This vinager makes them cheap. Thats why you can buy bathroom sealent for 4 euro in some places. You need to be buying a good quality neutral silicone. Believe it or not roof and gutter seal can be virtually pure silicone because it must not shrink for obvious reasons.

If you use the right silicone nothing will move. My toilet is stuck down,my sink is stuck down, The reason being. When i decide to change it then its easier to remove.

Fixings are always the best way but dont rule out silicone. Especially in timberframe which has a lot of movement.

.243

i use the washers off tex screws when screwing down a pan,they give a nice snug grip to the pan on the rubber side without the worry of over or under screwing them down and the screw gets a metal washer fit on the top end (and a good goo of silcone on the base of the pan of course)