Should You Dry Your Toilet Floors

Water around the toilet.

Should you dry your toilet floors. This means that it becomes less likely the floor beneath your toilet will become damaged in the event of an overflowing sink or other cause of bathroom flooding. Your bathroom air can become heavy with moisture from hot showers and steamy baths but opening the bathroom window will allow all this excess humidity to escape. If flooding occurs and there is water leaking into the sub flooring it is crucial to dry out the subfloor as soon as possible. Leave the air conditioning on if you re mopping.

But if your floor is severely rotted say more than an inch beyond the flange you re stuck replacing the flooring around the toilet. If the water leak is localized in one area. The first step is to absorb any water lurking on the surface of the floor. Then place a dehumidifier at high settings to pull out any moisture that is still in the air.

Opening windows will increase airflow and circulation which will help your floors dry. I have to wonder since the toilet sits on the vinyl and is bolted to the subfloor if it really makes any difference what you do around the flange. There are two important things to consider when it comes to caulking a toilet to the floor. There are two major plumbing codes which require caulking around the base of a.

If no window is available however that moisture will collect on every available surface creating a perfect habitat for mold and mildew. In fact the waste in your toilet mixes with the flushing water and sends plumes of microbes into the air. Dump it into a toilet or down your shower drain instead. It goes under the flange and transfers the load of the flange and toilet and you out onto more solid surrounding wood.

If only the area directly below the flange is rotted you can install a two piece steel closet flange support. Your toilet s wax ring creates an airtight seal to prevent water and sewer gas from escaping. You should then be able to lift the toilet off the floor leaving only the drain opening. Most toilets are held to the floor by two bolts one on each side of the flange at the bottom of the toilet.

However this doesn t cover the reasoning behind caulking a toilet to the floor in the first place. Ideally the flange should sit on top of the finished floor but for something like vinyl it s not that big of deal because the vinyl is pretty thin. Cut through the putty that holds the toilet to the floor using a sharp utility knife. By caulking around the base water from outside the toilet cannot creep under the toilet.

Knowing the signs of wax ring failure helps you spot an issue early to prevent major plumbing repairs. Watch this video to find out more about why you should caulk your toilet to the floor.