Keep Closet Bolts Upright
A pinch of wax packed in around the bolts keeps the toilet in alignment.
Installing a toilet by yourself can be frustrating. If you don’t have the perfect alignment when lowering the toilet, the closet bolts fall out of place with just the slightest nudge. Some replacement kits do come with spring washers to hold the bolts in place, but if they don’t, here is what I do: I grab a small piece of wax from an unused but damaged toilet wax ring and pack it in around the bolts. This holds the bolts in the flange securely enough to “feel” your way to perfect alignment as you lower the toilet into place. I use wax instead of caulking because the wax holds the bolts tighter and makes them easier to remove if they ever need to be replaced.
—Robert Condie, Oakville, Ont., Canada
Illustration by Charles Miller.
From Fine Homebuilding #322
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