The Big Mistake Everyone Makes When Installing A New Toilet, According To TikTok

When you are preparing to buy a new toilet for your bathroom, start by focusing on the features that you want and on how the design will fit in with your decor. After finding the perfect model, you then need to focus on the installation process. Do you want to do it yourself, or should you hire a professional? According to TikTok user twinhomeexperts, many people make an error when setting the toilet in place by rocking it back and forth, rather than twisting it. 

When you rock it over the top of the wax ring, you could damage the ring, leaving you with a leaky problem down the road. If you damage or smash the wax ring, it could become misshapen, harming its ability to make a watertight seal between the bottom of the toilet and the sewer pipe. The watertight seal is what allows the waste to move through without leaking. Although there are a few more steps to replacing a toilet, this is one of the toughest ones to do properly. So, next time you install a new toilet, be sure to follow this TikTokers instructions.

After you move the old toilet out of place, you're ready to put the new model in its place. You will want to remove the old wax ring and put a new one down as the next step. Using a putty knife, you should be able to scrape the old one loose from the flange (which is the pipe fitting that slightly extends from the floor and surrounds the sewer pipe). Eventually, you'll connect the toilet to the flange with bolts.

Many times, a wax ring has a self-adhesive material on the bottom that allows it to connect to the top of the flange, although a few models attach to the underside of the toilet. Whichever way you attach it, make sure that it's perfectly centered over the hole. Check the instructions that ship with the wax ring to determine the proper installation method.

You now are ready to set the toilet in place. Carefully center the unit over the sewer pipe and the wax ring. Watch the alignment of the holes in the flange and the holes in the base of the toilet to help with centering it. Do not rock the toilet back and forth after setting it on the flange to try to complete the seal with the wax ring. Grasp it by the edges, with your thumbs on the lid, and slightly twist it to help it affix to the wax ring properly without smashing it.

If you must work on the toilet installation yourself, and if you're worried about damaging the wax ring, you may want to try a different material in the ring. You could use a rubber gasket, often called a waxless or wax-free gasket, to seal the toilet to the sewer pipe in the floor. You won't damage the rubber from the weight of the toilet or if you inadvertently rock it back and forth as you set it in place, so you don't have to worry about leaks from damage. The rubber doesn't suffer permanent damage if you smash it inadvertently.

One downside to using a wax-free gasket is that it is a little costlier than a wax ring. You can find a rubber ring on Amazon for around $14, while the wax ring is cheaper, only about $7 on Amazon. As you're considering your options, remember that a toilet can weigh 60 to 120 pounds. Managing this significant amount of weight increases the chance of damaging the wax ring. You may want a second person to help manage the toilet's weight to avoid the possibility of damage.

Ultimately, the choice between these rings comes down to your personal preference. Someone who has installed many wax rings probably will stick with this design, while a novice may appreciate the ease of the rubber gasket, especially when working alone with a heavy toilet.