# Anyone use these waxless toilet seals? pros -cons



## younger-plumber

Sani Seal Llc BL01 Waxless Toilet Gasket - Amazon.com 
looks kinda nifty to me,...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZXo9k26s4


----------



## love2surf927

younger-plumber said:


> Video Link: http://www.amazon.com/Sani-Seal-Llc-BL01-Waxless/dp/B005K89RQU/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393563788&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=wax+ring+for+toilet+lot
> looks kinda nifty to me,...
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZXo9k26s4


Looks like a handyman/HO special to me, no thanks.


----------



## younger-plumber

looks awesome to me.haha reminds me of foam urinal seals


----------



## plumberpro

They don't work you can't get a tight seal on bowl you will get sewer gas smell and leaks they are for diyers or hacks


----------



## 422 plumber

I got one sent as a free sample. I used it on a cast iron flange, and it worked great! They are too expensive, though. On cast iron, I just use putty. Lately I have been using the Fernco seal with good results.

Sent from my iPhone using PlumbingZone


----------



## sparky

younger-plumber said:


> Sani Seal Llc BL01 Waxless Toilet Gasket - Amazon.com
> looks kinda nifty to me,...
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZXo9k26s4


they might work on jobs that don't have to be inspected,but here in ky,after we have set all the fixtures/faucets we have to go back and put a air test on the entire system,looks to me like it wouldn't seal good for the final,UNLESS,you took some WAX from a wax ring and smeared in onto the top of it where it would seal AIRTIGHT.cant tell you how many leaks we have had from toilets not sealing right even with the wax rings.


----------



## love2surf927

sparky said:


> they might work on jobs that don't have to be inspected,but here in ky,after we have set all the fixtures/faucets we have to go back and put a air test on the entire system,looks to me like it wouldn't seal good for the final,UNLESS,you took some WAX from a wax ring and smeared in onto the top of it where it would seal AIRTIGHT.cant tell you how many leaks we have had from toilets not sealing right even with the wax rings.


How do you seal to test a toilet after its set? Air test on PVC?


----------



## sparky

love2surf927 said:


> How do you seal to test a toilet after its set? Air test on PVC?


yes,we have to have all fixtures set in place with water hooked to them,then we plug off the house drain as it enters the outside sewer,then plug all rooftop vents,then we take a clear hose and blow into the drainage/vent system till the traps gurgle or you have good blowback on the system,then we have attach the hose to an air machine or loop that has a 2inch water column in it,if you have the slightest seep at all,then it will show up in the water column by it dropping ever so slowly(if it is a slow leak)most times if big leak it wont do anything at all.most leaks are at toilets not sealed good on the wax,urinals are none to leak also,but when you put this final on the system,it will let you know if it is truly airtight or not. oh forgot to add,all traps have to be full of water but I guess you all figured that one out for yourself


----------



## saysflushable

sparky said:


> they might work on jobs that don't have to be inspected,but here in ky,after we have set all the fixtures/faucets we have to go back and put a air test on the entire system,looks to me like it wouldn't seal good for the final,UNLESS,you took some WAX from a wax ring and smeared in onto the top of it where it would seal AIRTIGHT.cant tell you how many leaks we have had from toilets not sealing right even with the wax rings.


 REALY say it aint so. wax ring is prone to leak! OH MY GOSH, I thought the wax ring was the greatest of all things great in the plumbing industry, never in need of improvement. oh I know you didn't have the plumber that new how to set a toilet setting those toilets. possibly you may have hired a home owner or floor guys to set them before inspection, because a system of 2 bolts and a wax ring set by a licensed pro would never have a leak. or so I have been told over and over:laughing:


----------



## sparky

saysflushable said:


> REALY say it aint so. wax ring is prone to leak! OH MY GOSH, I thought the wax ring was the greatest of all things great in the plumbing industry, never in need of improvement. oh I know you didn't have the plumber that new how to set a toilet setting those toilets. possibly you may have hired a home owner or floor guys to set them before inspection, because a system of 2 bolts and a wax ring set by a licensed pro would never have a leak. or so I have been told over and over:laughing:


if the licensed plumber had set every toilet in a 200room hotel then none of them would leak,but that don't happen,brain dead helpers set some of them and don't know what they are doing or don't care,and they have leaks with some of them.dont know what kind of remark you are trying to make but everybody has a leak,even a licensed plumber.believe it or not


----------



## 422 plumber

sparky said:


> if the licensed plumber had set every toilet in a 200room hotel then none of them would leak,but that don't happen,brain dead helpers set some of them and don't know what they are doing or don't care,and they have leaks with some of them.dont know what kind of remark you are trying to make but everybody has a leak,even a licensed plumber.believe it or not


I can't speak for him, but I am pretty sure he isn't knocking you, but he is poking fun at all the plumbers on here who blast any plumber who tries to find something better than a wax ring. There are a couple of us who regularly use putty to set fixtures, and get called hacks and worse. Do me a favor, next time you get a chance, use putty instead of a wax ring, and see if holds.


----------



## saysflushable

sparky said:


> if the licensed plumber had set every toilet in a 200room hotel then none of them would leak,but that don't happen,brain dead helpers set some of them and don't know what they are doing or don't care,and they have leaks with some of them.dont know what kind of remark you are trying to make but everybody has a leak,even a licensed plumber.believe it or not


 I just flat out dislike the our industry standard for connecting toilets to the drain system. It needs improvement. I'm glad you posted your findings on the air tests. It's something we should all know. Yes I am making fun of the wax ring and the plumbers that think it doesn't need to be improved on.

It is a weak link


----------



## sparky

422 plumber said:


> I can't speak for him, but I am pretty sure he isn't knocking you, but he is poking fun at all the plumbers on here who blast any plumber who tries to find something better than a wax ring. There are a couple of us who regularly use putty to set fixtures, and get called hacks and worse. Do me a favor, next time you get a chance, use putty instead of a wax ring, and see if holds.


thanks,i hadn't heard of that till I read that some where using putty on here for toilets,now you have got my curiosty up now as to whether or not it would hold an air test.i will try it and get back with ya.:thumbsup:


----------



## sparky

saysflushable said:


> I just flat out dislike the our industry standard for connecting toilets to the drain system. It needs improvement. I'm glad you posted your findings on the air tests. It's something we should all know. Yes I am making fun of the wax ring and the plumbers that think it doesn't need to be improved on.
> 
> It is a weak link


cool,i will agree with ya,there probably is room for improvement on the ways to attach a toilet to a flange,sure wish I could come up with something and have it work,get it patented,set back and let the money roll in.:laughing:

its all good brother.....


----------



## dclarke

I say test a neoprene waxless gasket being you have to air test . if the neoprene is good for tank to bowl gaskets or urinal gaskets I'd bet they work well. People don't like the price and they are afraid of change.


----------



## futz

saysflushable said:


> I just flat out dislike the our industry standard for connecting toilets to the drain system. It needs improvement. ...
> It is a weak link


I couldn't agree more. A far better and easier to properly install toilet seal wouldn't be difficult to come up with, and would prevent a lot of property damage. Unfortunately it would probably be easier to do correctly and would help DIYers and hacks not screw up so much. Whatever... Do it anyway! Wax seals suck. The trick is to get it standardized so all manufacturers adopt it. If anyone is going to make money on it then it just won't happen.


----------



## SSP

Wax rings have been innovated ... Its called a Jumbo Wax Ring with a horn... It works great for retrofits on most toilets and flanges. I could care less if anybody thinks i'm a hack or any less professional, the wholesalers stock them for a reason and i haven't had a toilet leak in 5 years so go figure. If a reg $0.84 wax ring worked Every time in every situation for me i'd stock them on my van ,

I've installed a handful of these Toto Carolina II 1pc toilets recently and they have a very different approach to how the toilet connects to the drain, 
They provide their own drain connector which looks like half a Pvc S-Trap with a closet flange adaptor on one side and a rubber adaptor to the toilets trap... Was skeptical at first because they take good 15-30 min longer to install in concrete, still require a wax seal plus have another connection to leak but i had no problems or leaks after installing them, thank god because at $982.00 list ea. i expect no issues


----------



## plumsolver

Personally I like the rubber, or sponge seals we use here don't remember the last time I used a wax one but I can definatly tell you how may I've struggled to scrape of the unsanitary mess.. Actually think if I check our code we aren't permitted to use in a new home installation. The sponge even has a bit of give if toilet comes loose due to a (rocker) wax wont , we do have one in the shop somewhere cause there are some installs that the wax and horn are the only way a rusty old flange in concrete will let toilet sit still... But even them we try rubber first


----------



## 422 plumber

SSP said:


> Wax rings have been innovated ... Its called a Jumbo Wax Ring with a horn... It works great for retrofits on most toilets and flanges. I could care less if anybody thinks i'm a hack or any less professional, the wholesalers stock them for a reason and i haven't had a toilet leak in 5 years so go figure. If a reg $0.84 wax ring worked Every time in every situation for me i'd stock them on my van


SSP, I see a ton of these on cast iron flanges, and most leak after a couple years. The wax just smooshes down into the the flanges. They probably work on PVC, but I don't use them. If the flange is too low, I put a spacer in, and a regular wax ring. I have seen blowouts caused by plunging, too.


----------



## dclarke

I have seen wax rings made for 4" flanges. I used to keep one but didn't need em often enough.


----------



## newyorkcity

Great thread. How do you introduce air into the system?


----------



## sparky

newyorkcity said:


> Great thread. How do you introduce air into the system?


in ky we are made to put an air test on the dwv system AFTER all the fixtures/faucets are set and traps filled with water,we take a flexiable clear tubing usually 3/8" and push it thru the toilet and get the end of the hose on the backside of the waterlevel.then you can either use a tire pump or we just blow air into the system with our lungs until a trap bubbles or gurgles then you attach other end of hose to a manometer or we just take a clear piece of hose and make a loop nailed onto a board with a 2" water column,if you have the slightest leak you will see the water column slowly start dropping,most leaks are at the toilet/seals,you can take some saw dust and put around the bottom of toilets and have someone blowing thru the hose and see the dust moving if the toilet is leaking,or if you have poured peppermint into the system you can blow thru the hose and put pressure on the peppermint and make it come out and smell more strong if there is a leak.the way they make us put a "final" air test on the dwv sytem will tell you if you truly have an "airtight" system.alot of states don't require this and you would be surprised how many leaks are on the dwv system.a nail in the pipe will show up real quick.


----------



## kellybhutchings

I have used 4 saniseals at our high school with no problems so far. Two of them were floor mount wall flush toilet with led stubs and brass flanges.


----------



## sparky

im with most of you guys,i think I would like the soft material rings in place of the wax rings,esp. if it doesn't have to get inspected or on change-outs,i have never seen one yet here in ky but im sure my supply house has them or will be getting them,how much are they????still on the "I don't know side" when it comes to them holding the 2"water column pressure on a final test tho.have my doubts on that one,but I wont say that it wont work,god knows I have been proven wrong at least once in my lifetime...:whistling2: YEA RIGHT.....


----------



## lockeplumbing

http://lockeplumbing.com/search.asp?key=wax&x=-952&y=-132

These are pretty nice. Never heard anything bad about them. But I have not personally used them and probably wouldn't. Wax has and will always be used because I think it is the best. Just didn't know if you guys have ever seen them.

Micah Robinson
Locke Plumbing
lockeplumbing.com 865-525-9318


----------



## PLUMB TIME

I too prefer putty to wax. Not dissing those who use wax as it is an accepted method. beauty part of using putty is its reusable.
You set your toilet and something isn't right and you have to pull it, putty no problem. Wax is a mess.


----------



## Nathan901

I pulled a toilet once that had a rubber piece that was glued onto the toilet horn with some crazy non drying gunk, and the rubber pushed about 6 inches inside the pipe. Three outer rings on the rubber that sealed it, like a soil pipe ring, but more spaced out. 
It was only used because the flange was an inch below the tile. Seemed pretty solid, the glue was what impressed me. Whenever I pull a toilet I rock it each way to break the grout and this toilet wouldn't budge at all. Took a decent amount of pull to get it up and out too. I'm pretty confident that never would have leaked. 

Obviously it only would work on PVC or abs.

Funny thing is after I raised the flange I installed one of the totos with the plastic piece mention earlier.


----------



## victoryplbaz

I been testing them out on different installs. They seem to work great on the toilets I have install them on. One advantage I see is if the floor isn't level and you have to shim it up or re pull the toilet. Another reason I'm testing it out, in az it get hot in our vans. Wax melts like you wouldn't believe. If they keep on working il be using them instead of wax melting and running all over the trucks. But so far I like them


----------



## 422 plumber

Nathan901 said:


> I pulled a toilet once that had a rubber piece that was glued onto the toilet horn with some crazy non drying gunk, and the rubber pushed about 6 inches inside the pipe. Three outer rings on the rubber that sealed it, like a soil pipe ring, but more spaced out. It was only used because the flange was an inch below the tile. Seemed pretty solid, the glue was what impressed me. Whenever I pull a toilet I rock it each way to break the grout and this toilet wouldn't budge at all. Took a decent amount of pull to get it up and out too. I'm pretty confident that never would have leaked. Obviously it only would work on PVC or abs. Funny thing is after I raised the flange I installed one of the totos with the plastic piece mention earlier.


That was the Fernco! I just used 3 of them on wall hung toilets at a nuke









Sent from my iPhone using PlumbingZone


----------



## 422 plumber

For all u wax lovers who hate on putty or Sami-seals, or Ferncos, 






























Sent from my iPhone using PlumbingZone


----------

