What Does It Mean If Your Toilet Is Sliding Around?

Feeling a toilet move under you can be quite alarming, and with good reason. Your toilet should never move an inch when you're trying to use it, and if it does, it means that you have a problem on your hands. If you get help for this issue quickly, you're unlikely to have a serious headache, but if you don't, you could end up needing significant work on your bathroom. Here's why.

Toilet Anchor Bolts

What's likely going on is that your toilet's anchor bolts aren't doing their job right anymore. It's the job of these bolts to hold the toilet down to the floor, connecting it to the flange that carries waste away everytime you flush the toilet. However, over time, these bolts can become corroded.

If the bolts corrode, they won't do their job anymore and the toilet can start to slip and slide as a result. However, this is just the beginning of your problem.

Sealant

If the toilet's bolts don't hold it in place anymore, the sealant surrounding the lip of the toilet where it meets the floor is likely to become damaged. This sealant is not designed for the toilet to move around, so the first time that it slides, the sealant is likely to break. This sealant is a must for ensuring that water doesn't leak out of your toilet and onto the floor when you flush it.

If the sealant is broken and water starts leaking, you have two significant problems on your hands. The first is that your floor is likely to be damaged as it's exposed to water. The second is that wastewater is what's leaking out of your toilet, which is hazardous to your health.

What to Do

The moment you notice that your toilet is sliding around, you need to contact a plumber immediately. Your plumber will arrive with new toilet bolts and new sealant so they can replace both. This repair may take some time, so be prepared to use another toilet in your home or elsewhere while it's being worked on.

Your plumber will remove the toilet in its entirety, take out the bolts, and inspect the toilet and flange for further damage. If everything looks okay, they'll put it back in place with fresh bolts, tighten them down, and then add a sealant around the base of the toilet. This should solve your problem right away.

With a quick fix, you can negate the risk of serious damage being done to the floor of your bathroom. Never ignore a wiggling or sliding toilet.

To learn more, contact a toilet repair company.