Toilet Troubles - Newbie Question

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KamloopsDave

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Sep 20, 2011
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Good day!

I tried my best to find the answers on the forum, however I failed. That's most likely a testament to my searching abilities, and I apologize in advance if this has been touched on a zillion times, as I'm sure it has.

I have an '87 Travel Aire, the toilet seal is completely gone.

Here's a picture of the toilet here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomdotcom88/8954844662/

The connector part that is screwed done is busted, along with whatever the goop is that seals it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomdotcom88/8954844970/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomdotcom88/8953648057/

I don't see a model or anything on the toilet, or the broken part. What I'm looking to find out is:

1 - How do I get the goop off?
2 - What is the goop that I am going to be sealing with?
3 - How do I figure out what I need to purchase to fix the problem?

Thanks a million to anyone who can help me out!

 
The part that is broken, on the floor is the toilet flange. Not a RV part, just a toilet flange sold at home centers, like Home Depot.  The seal on the bottom of the toilet is not all that special either. Many RV toilets use that same toilet seal. It is a rubber gasket that fits over the lip on the bottom of the toilet, then the toilet sits down into the toilet flange.  It is secured to the floor with the toilet bolts that go onto the side, just like a residential toilet. 

Take your gasket off the bottom of the toilet and take it to a RV supply place. They should be able to fix you up with a similar gasket pretty cheap.
 
I think.... I would use a putty knife and/or razor blade to get the goop off. Most of it will be hidden again, or is on the old part... so, does it really need to come off???
An RV supply place would be great, but I don't have any close to me... so I would take it to a plumbing store, especially a mom & pop type of plumbing store, they tend to be real helpful... as long as it has the same diameter, I wouldn't think it matters if it's exactly the same or not - just drill a hole where you need one...
I've heard plumbers advise against sealing, because sealing just hides a water problem and then the floor underneath the toilet rots. A waterproof silicone would work to seal if you want to go that route...
 
The real question is going to be whether you can get the rest of the flange loose.  Sometimes it's glued directly onto the tank.  If you can get it out, like everyone said the mounting uses the same pieces as a home toilet.

If the flange comes out after you take out the screws that's holding it to the floor (they're under the silicon goop - just scrape it off with a razor blade, screwdriver or putty knife) you're home free.  Just get another one from the hardware store along with the toilet hold down bolts and donut, put it in place and bolt it to the floor.  You might want to rotate the flange slightly so the screws get a new bite into the wood.
 
Thanks all.

Lou: Yes, that was the issue. 45 minutes of prying and profanity. Ended up sawing the flange up, it was the only way I could get it out.

I have a 7" flange from an older reno project, however the center is a larger size and it doesn't fit. The hole in the broken flange is 2 3/4", where the hole in the flange I had laying around is more like 4".

If I don't need to seal it, I won't. There was copious amounts of goop on there, just seems weird not to put a silicone product back on it.

The gasket seems to be in OK shape, should I bother replacing it?
 
As Sarge replied, the flange that attaches to the floor is a run-of-the-mill toilet flange. Sometimes they can be repaired with a flange repair kit, something like this.  There are a few different types.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Mossbay-Specialties-7-in-Toilet-Flange-Repair-Kit-886-MRM/202528435#.UbAFqfnvim4

No need to seal the flange to the floor, since the liquid shouldn't be at that junction.  Just make sure it is fastened down securely.  Although adding silicone to the floor/flange junction wouldn't hurt anything, and will also help secure it.

As far as the plumber's opinion of caulking the floor/toilet junction- Around here is it code.  But the reason I do it is to keep all the yuck from accumulating under the toilet.  No matter how well you clean, nasty stuff will get there.  Caulking makes it more sanitary and easier to clean.  If you're worried about a water leak being undiscoverable, just leave a caulk-free spot at the back.  It's hard to get a caulk gun back there anyway.

Also, I used a regular residential wax ring to set my MH toilet.  Works for me.
 
An RV toilet may be screwed directly to the floor rather than bolted to the flange as in residential installs.  The toilet base may have a rubber seal, so a wax ring would not be needed in that case, but I think you could probably use a standard wax  ring if you can't find the right one for the toilet.

It might be a smarter idea to replace the whole toilet. Newer models usually flush better as well as looking modern. For around $160-$220 you can have your pick of several nice models.
 
Thanks for all the responses, it's appreciated. I didn't end up going with the wax seal, I just re-used the same foam gasket as it still seemed ok, bolted the new flange to the ground, and attached the toilet. The toilet is totally secure, and I'll do the caulking for aesthetics/preventing crud from getting under the toilet.

Is the wax ring for fastening purposes? I really hope I don't need to take it all apart as I'm not very handy and it took me the better part of two hours, screwing the bolts on tight was very tedious.

The gasket I'm referring to is pictured here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomdotcom88/8953648057/

Thanks again.
 
;) Sounds like you're a pro now!  Wax has nothing to do with fastening, it just keeps the water in the right place... When you're home toilet starts leaking at the base, the wax ring is what needs to be replaced. Your rv toilet has the gasket instead of wax. Before you do the silicone flush a couple times to make sure water doesn't leak out... if it leaks, you'll need to either replace the gasket or add a wax ring, it probably doesn't matter which...
[br]I wouldn't say that your not handy, I'd say that you're careful... Stay positive when you can  :)
 
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