wax ring time

[bobski]

we all know it. the slight drip out the side of the bowl.
so...do you prefer to remove the old wax or just add a new one to the old and double up the wax?

 

[contender]

I've always removed much of the old wax then replaced it. As it ages,, it can get hard & not seal as it should. By removing as much as I can, I'm assured of fresh clean & softer wax going into the places it NEEDS to be.
JMO.

 

[Watchman]

They make waxless rings now, that even allow removing and replacing the toilet and reusing the same ring, though why you would need to remove the toilet if the ring were not leaking remains unclear. But, I liked the design enough to buy one for my basement toilet, and so far it's working fine.
Available at Wally World.

As to your original question, I always scrape off the old one.

 

[bobski]

just wanted to make sure. its not like I do it all the time! thanks.

 

[bobski]

holy cow....I just counted all my toilets on all properties. 10 of them! youd think I would be doing it all the time!

 

[Coogs]

Remove the old wax, make sure the flange is ABOVE the finished floor and not down in a hole because of new flooring, get the wax ring with a HORN on it....they also make a JUMBO wax ring with horn. If the flange is down in a hole you have two choices.....double up the wax rings or they make a SPACER flange that you can screw down on top of the existing flange to raise it up. We don't you the rubber rings they tend to deteriorate too quickly due to urine.......just my two cents.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Depends a lot on the flange height. Before the started making the jumbo rings, it was common to use two at times. I would always use one with the horn and another plain ring on top if needed. There are a lot of handy plumbing repair gadgets available now that we didn't have when I worked as a plumber back in the late 70s/early 80s. But we knew some tricks...

 

[BearBiologist]

I've always removed much of the old wax then replaced it. As it ages,, it can get hard & not seal as it should. By removing as much as I can, I'm assured of fresh clean & softer wax going into the places it NEEDS to be.
JMO.

Agreed!! I keep several wax rings (premium ones) on hand in my plumbing tool box.

 

[vito]

A toilet ring with a horn? Does it beep when you sit down, or only when something drops into the toilet? Weird!

 

[contender]

Another thought.

The old wax ring,, once removed,, makes excellent bullet casting flux material.

 

[Acorn]

Another thought.

The old wax ring,, once removed,, makes excellent bullet casting flux material.

For a couple bucks I’ll buy new, thank you.
But I guess it would keep you from chewing your fingernails

 

[protoolman]

Yikes! Ewww! Used ring? New rings have been used as bullet lube in lubrisizers or recipes for bullet lubes in the old days

 

[bobski]

they call it wax, but i suspect its really parafin. wax is white, brittle, and really hard. as a parachute rigger, we had to lube thread and canvas seams using 50-50 wax-parafin, melted in a hot pot. both were sold by gulf oil corp and came in blocks. parafin is the color of the wax rings!

 

[contender]

Actually,, I think the wax rings are beeswax. I may well be wrong. An old timer told me that long ago.

And as for using an old wax ring as flux,, a lot of it is easily removed & is clean enough to recycle as flux. Any that's "funky" looking,, can be discarded.
Waste not,, want not. Something my Dad taught me after he'd lived the Great Depression.,

 

[Acorn]

I bet fluxing with the “soiled” wax would get me evicted from the house.

 

[WanderLust]

I sell houses too, and do my own rehabs too. I have learned to replace them with the new rubber gaskets, last for a VERY long time and they also flex to seal off any shifting/uneven floors/poor installs. Haven't gone back to the wax ring since. Do your homework, see if you like them.

 

[RustyW]

https://www.fernco.com/plumbing/wax-free-toilet-sealI started using these. The last 4 toilets I've replaced I used the fts 3. 1 was on a broken flange and the toilet wobbles a bit but doesn't leak.