"Mold's sneaky... better safe than sorry."
Haha, ain't that the truth. Ever had one of those moments where you open a cabinet and think, "Wait, was that always damp?" 😅 Speaking of sneaky leaks, have you checked your toilet's wax ring lately? Those things quietly fail over time and can cause water damage without you even noticing. Might be worth a quick peek next time you're poking around down there...
Yeah, those wax rings can be sneaky troublemakers. Had a tenant once who kept complaining about a weird smell in the bathroom—turned out the wax ring had slowly failed and water was seeping underneath the flooring. By the time we caught it, the subfloor was pretty much toast. Definitely worth checking out if you're already poking around down there... better to catch it early than deal with a bigger headache later.
Yeah, wax rings are notorious for quietly causing chaos. I've seen plenty of bathrooms where folks thought they had a minor leak or just a weird smell, and next thing you know, we're ripping out half the floor. One tip—if you're already down there checking things out, give the toilet a gentle rock side-to-side. If it moves even slightly, that's usually your wax ring waving a white flag. Better to swap it out now than deal with soggy plywood later... trust me on that one.
Good call on the gentle rocking test—I learned that one the hard way after ignoring a tiny wobble for months. Ended up with a weekend project turning into a two-week ordeal, complete with fans blowing on soggy subfloor. Never underestimate the sneaky damage a wax ring can do, haha.
One thing I've wondered about lately is those newer wax-free toilet seals. Seen them popping up more and more at the hardware store. Anyone have experience using those instead of the traditional wax rings? Seems like they'd be less messy and easier to reposition if you don't get it right the first time, but I'm curious if they hold up as well long-term...
I've used the wax-free seals a few times now, and honestly, they're pretty solid. Definitely less messy—no more scraping off old wax gunk, which is a huge plus. The repositioning thing is handy too, especially if your aim isn't perfect the first try (ask me how I know...). Long-term, I haven't had any leaks yet after about three years, but I guess time will tell if they hold up as long as traditional wax.
