To caulk around bottom of toilet or not?

[geepondy]

Putting one in. Do you caulk or not and why. I've heard that if you caulk it prevents moisture from getting in underneath the toilet but on the other hand it will seal in an internal wax ring leak.

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

I don't and the reason is, as you mentioned, if you have a leak, you are less likely to notice it until it's too late (floor damage). This is especially true if the toilet is above a crawlspace or above a finished ceiling. However, it's okay to caulk provided you know you have a good seal and there is no wobble in your toilet. A good way to test is to tap the sides of the bowl with the flat of your palms and see if there's any movement.

Let me know if you have any questions (i'm a master plumber).

 

[geepondy]

Thanks Valpo. Actually the guy who is remodeling my bathroom is putting it in and he asked me if I had a preference to caulk or not. I did my research and went to a specialty store as opposed to Home Depot and bought a Toto Drake for a toilet, do you think I made a good choice?

 

[DieselDave]

Although not a plumber or anything like an expert at anything I do caulk. My sons often soaks the bathroom floor when he bathes. He also misses if you get my drift so the floor is bleached daily. Handicap issue so it's non resolvable. If my floors stayed relatively dry I would not caulk.

So my uneducated opinion would be caulk if the floor is often wet and not if it's primarily a 10 plus year old persons bathroom.

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

Toto's are nice toilets. Their installation is a little unusual as they use an offset flange that bolts down first, then you set the toilet on that. The only downside is the flange leaves holes in the floor, so you're pretty much stuck with that toilet so long as that floor is down. They also have a larger footprint that can be a problem if the stop valve is too close.

What's under that particular bathroom? Crawl, basement or slab? That would affect my decision.