Basement Toilet Keeps Coming Loose


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Old 07-21-17, 04:10 AM
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Basement Toilet Keeps Coming Loose

Hello!

I am trying to figure out why my basement toilet
has come loose along the plaster three times in three years.

Is it possibly the humidity of the basement, or is it my
abusive tenant?

At first, I had a local handyman reinstall the toilet
with a new wax ring and a fresh plaster seal.

15 months later, the toilet came loose again.

I asked my tenant if anyone in the
house did something that may have broke the plaster
bond and he denied doing anything. This tenant has
committed domestic violence crimes in the apartment so I
needed to rule out if a fit of rage was the cause.

By the way, this tenant is the type that 'came with the house'
and I have to wait until 2018 to get rid of him.

I then reinstalled the toilet myself. I believe I used an extra thick wax ring.
Also, I noticed some cement under the flange was missing and eroded.
The toilet is installed on a slab (1952). There is no crawl space under this toilet.

I used mortar to replace the eroded cement under the flange.

Also, I bonded the toilet to the floor with just a little bit of plaster mixed with mostly mortar.
I did not want to have to repair this again in just 15 months.

It is now 20 months and for the third time in 3 years, there is another problem.

The toilet is still solidly held by the plaster/mortar bond.
However, there is a 1/8 inch gap in part of the bond and some water
appears to be leaking through.

Also, I noticed a fine crack running from top to bottom in the front of the
porcelain bowl. The tenant again 'strongly' denies any abuse
that may have caused the leak.

Thank you for reading my long winded account. I just wanted your opinion before I call the
pro.
 

Last edited by tommygoldberg18; 07-21-17 at 04:14 AM. Reason: make it easier to read
  #2  
Old 07-21-17, 04:26 AM
ray2047's Avatar
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I am trying to figure out why my basement toilet
has come loose along the plaster three times
Plaster isn't used to hold a toilet. The toilet is bolted to the flange and the flange is fastened to the pipe and screwed to the floor. Plaster may be used as a leveling agent on an uneven floor but it is not to hold the toilet down.
 

Last edited by ray2047; 07-21-17 at 05:22 AM.
  #3  
Old 07-21-17, 08:07 AM
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Like ray states the plaster is just used as a base. This is if the floor is not level.

I would think the flange is not properly secured to the floor. This will cause the issues you are experiencing...
 
 

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