O.T. plumbing question

i have a toilet flange seal that will not seal. the last attempt a heavy duty wax ring with the cone insert was used. because a 1/4" subfloor was added the flange is only about 1/8" above the floor level. could this be the problem? there is no visible damage to the toilet. this is a copper stack & flange so there is no easy way to raise the flange. if this is the problem is there a way to shim the flange? i've installed a lot of flange seals over the years but have never had this problem. in the past it would hold for several months & then start weeping. this time it lasted 4 days.
 
you can buy a 1" wax ring..it does not have the plastic cone on it..2 cone rings will not work..put it on top of cone ring
 
(quoted from post at 10:54:46 04/16/13) i have a toilet flange seal that will not seal. the last attempt a heavy duty wax ring with the cone insert was used. because a 1/4" subfloor was added the flange is only about 1/8" above the floor level. could this be the problem? there is no visible damage to the toilet. this is a copper stack & flange so there is no easy way to raise the flange. if this is the problem is there a way to shim the flange? i've installed a lot of flange seals over the years but have never had this problem. in the past it would hold for several months & then start weeping. this time it lasted 4 days.
hose are not what one might call a pressure seal. Are you sure your drain is not backing up & is free to flow?
 
the stack is not backing up. i did run a hose down it before reinstalling the toilet. since the flange is barely 1/8" above the floor level y"all think that that is the problem? i"ll try 2 regular seals without the plastic cone & see what happens. or what about the cone type seal on the bottom against the flange & a coneless seal on top of that? 2 of the thicker seals would probably be too much. when i reinstall i could get my 350 lb daughter in law to come mash the wax down.
 
after puting down a laminate floor I had same issue used the thicker seal like this one and had no more problem with leaking. check the link below and view discripion. 40% thiker for reessed flange appications.
Untitled URL Link
 
(quoted from post at 03:06:35 04/17/13) This will work better than two stacked rings.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_253209-138-436453_0__?productId=3137587

Bought this kit when I re-did my main bathroom... but I had an additional problem, the flange wasn't level or at least parallel to the floor, and after new flooring it was too low. I had tried the two rings previoiusly (pre-remodel) and it eventually leaked, twice. This was an original old cast iron installation. I thought about just redoing it with plastic but time and lack of good access in the crawl space made me think better of it. So, I ground the plastic extension ring with a belt sander to make it parallel with the floor, plenty of silicone sealer and used the jumbo reinforced wax ring someone linked to here (with the tube that goes down into the pipe). So far no leaks and the toilet now sits nice and firm on the floor. Momma's happy so must be doing something right.
 
scout b- that is the fix that i originally had in mind when i mentioned a shim but was not sure whether such a thing existed. that looks like the the wau to go.
 
Don't know about shimming the closet flange but I did recently learn a valuable plumber's trick with the hold down bolts. I had always had trouble lining up the bolts and getting them to stay put while installing the toilet etc. Then they may or may not be in the slot in the closet flange when you are ready to put the nuts on the bolts.

The trick is to use two additional nuts to secure the bolts to the closet flange before you install the toilet. Just put the bolts in the slots and then the extra nuts and tighten them to the flange. Then sit the toilet on the bolts and put the hold down nuts on. Lots easier!!!!!

Zane
 
that is how i've been doing for years. it is a p.i.t.a. trying to set the toilet & bumping the bolts out of line. it's also easier with a helper. it's not that the toilet is overly heavy but it's not very balanced with the weight of the flush tank in the back. i checked out flange extensions. because it uses a rubber gasket instead of a wax ring, pre-attaching the bolts to the flange won't fly. the nut would be making direct contact with the toilet base.
 

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