Build a better mousetrap and people are supposed to beat a path to your door. If that’s true, bathroom doors should see plenty of action this fall.
California-based Fluidmaster recently introduced a universal bowl gasket system that takes the place of traditional wax rings used to seal toilets to waste lines. The company also released an adaptable flexible supply line that fits four sizes of shutoff valves and most spans.
The Fluidmaster Wax-Free Bowl Gasket ($7) and Fits-All No-Burst Connector supply line ($4-$7) are breakthrough plumbing products because they solve the most vexing problems associated with toilet installations. Both make shopping for toilet parts easier and installing them practically foolproof.
The fix is in
You don’t need to remodel or add a bathroom to replace a toilet. Most toilets that are more than 10 years old are good candidates for replacement — to conserve water and reduce the burden on private septic systems and municipal wastewater treatment plants. Toilets sold before 1976 used 5 gallons of water to flush. After that time, the maximum flush volume was reduced to 3.5 gallons, and in 1994 it was lowered to 1.6 gallons.
According to Fluidmaster, a family of four flushing an average of 12 times per day could save up to 15,000 gallons of water a year by replacing an old toilet with a 1.6-gallon low-flow toilet.
Gravity-type low-flow toilets also offer secondary benefits. They flush more quietly and refill faster than older toilets. If the bathroom is near bedrooms, that can be a big plus.
Wax-free
In the past, replacing a toilet meant contending with wax rings — which Fits-All are as low-tech as plumbing gets.
While they work well when the installation is perfect, it’s hard to know for sure whether you have a good seal. What’s more, removing old wax rings is messy and gross.
A traditional wax ring fits around the convex-shaped horn on the bottom of the stool and squashes down against the drain flange as you press the toilet to the floor and bolt it into place. Depending on the floor, the flange and the toilet, you may need a standard-size ring and oversized ring or two regular rings to close the gap. Choosing the right ring isn’t a big deal if you are a professional plumber who regularly installs toilets and encounters different circumstances. But it is a high-stakes crapshoot for most DIYers. Fortunately, the Fluidmaster Bowl Gasket automatically adapts to the height of the finished flooring.
The most critical technique for achieving a proper seal with any installation is to lower the toilet straight down onto the flange without rocking or lifting it. Once the wax is compressed, it doesn’t spring back, so you get only one try. If you rock the stool, it can leave a gap and leak sewer gas or moisture — and rot the flange and the floor. Unfortunately, because the wax ring is hidden when the toilet is in place, it’s hard to tell whether you achieve a good seal.
The Fluidmaster Wax-Free Bowl Gasket eliminates the wax ring. It features a plastic body with a rubber seal, a plastic sleeve and a series of neoprene O-rings. The gasket works with 3- or 4- in. plastic or cast-iron waste lines, but it cannot be used with offset toilet flanges.
The plastic body fits inside the waste line, relying on an external O-ring to seal against the inside of the line. Meanwhile, the broad rubber seal on the top of the body stretches to fit tightly against the convex toilet horn.
One of the best things about the bowl gasket is that you can reuse it during installation. If you have trouble the first time you attempt to seat the toilet, raise the bowl gasket off the waste line flange and try again.
I used a Fluidmaster Bowl Gasket to replace a 10-year-old toilet with a low-flow toilet. When I removed the old toilet, the blackened hardwood floor around the toilet flange indicated moisture might have escaped over the years. (Or it could have been from condensation.)
Professional plumbers will appreciate that Fluidmaster Bowl Gaskets are ready to use whether they have been stored in a freezing cold truck or a hot one. The same can’t be said for wax rings.
Universal supply line
Besides having trouble with wax rings, many DIYers installing toilets have experienced confusion over supply lines. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people at home centers struggle to figure out which supply line was the right length and had the right connector.
Flexible toilet supply lines are appealing because they have screw-type connectors and bend to accommodate offset valves. On the other hand, chrome-plated flexible copper supply lines must be cut and bent so they enter the shutoff valve perfectly straight. And if you overtighten a compression nut, the line will be ruined and leak.
The best flexible supply lines use braided stainless steel — not nylon or polyester — jackets. The Fluidmaster Fits-All offers this advantage and comes with up to three adapter inserts that screw into the end that connects to the shutoff valve. When you buy a Fits-All, you know it is going to fit.
The Fluidmaster Wax-Free Bowl Gasket and Fits-All No-Burst supply line make it faster and easier to install a toilet. They’re practically goof-proof.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Using a putty knife, remove the old wax ring from the waste line flange; then disinfect the flange.
Step 2: Before buying a toilet, measure from the center of the waste line to the wall to determine the rough-in dimension. For a 3-in. flange, use the bowl gasket with single O-ring. Add the sleeve and the fatter O-ring for a 4-in. flange.
Step 3: Select the correct O-ring and slip it around the Fluidmaster Bowl Gasket so it will seal against the waste line.
Step 4: Insert the Fluidmaster Bowl Gasket into the waste flange until it contacts the collapsible cardboard spacer.
Step 5: Lower the toilet onto the mounting bolts so the horn is centered on the Fluidmaster Bowl Gasket and crushes the spacer.
Step 6: With one of three thread-adapter inserts, the Fits-All No-Burst Connector works with 3/8-in., 7/16-in. or 1/2-in. male compression style shut-offvalve fittings. You don’t need
an adapter for 1/2-in. iron pipe.