I've actually had better luck with foam seals, even when things weren't perfectly level. Wax rings can be forgiving, sure, but I've found that if the flange is slightly off, the wax eventually compresses unevenly and leaks anyway. Foam seems to hold its shape longer and stays flexible enough to handle minor imperfections. Maybe it's just me, but after switching to foam, I haven't had any issues yet... knock on wood.
Interesting take on foam seals. I've tried them a few times myself, and while they do seem to handle uneven flanges better initially, I had one job where the foam seal didn't quite seat right and ended up leaking after a couple months. Maybe it was just a fluke or user error on my part... but since then, I've stuck mostly with reinforced wax rings or those hybrid wax-rubber seals. Curious if anyone else has run into similar issues with foam over time?
I've had pretty similar experiences with foam seals myself. They seem great at first, especially if you're dealing with uneven surfaces or tricky installs, but I've noticed they can be a bit finicky long-term. Had one that held up fine for about six months, then randomly started leaking—no obvious reason why. Thought maybe I'd messed something up during install, but after swapping it out for a hybrid wax-rubber seal, no more issues.
Honestly, I think foam seals have their place and can work well in certain situations, but they're not always the most reliable choice for every job. You're definitely not alone in having trouble with them down the road. Reinforced wax rings or those hybrids seem to give me fewer headaches overall... at least that's been my experience so far.
"Honestly, I think foam seals have their place and can work well in certain situations, but they're not always the most reliable choice for every job."
Totally agree with this. Foam seals seem tempting because they're cheap and easy to install, but I've learned the hard way that saving a few bucks upfront isn't always worth it. Had one fail on me after about a year—no leaks at first, then suddenly water everywhere. Switched to a reinforced wax ring and haven't had any issues since. Lesson learned... sometimes spending a bit more initially saves you money (and headaches) later on.
I've had mixed luck with foam seals myself. They're definitely appealing from an eco-friendly standpoint (less messy waste compared to wax rings), but reliability-wise... eh, not always great. Had one hold up fine in our guest bath for years, but the main bathroom? Total disaster after just a few months. Ended up switching to a wax ring with a reusable rubber gasket—best of both worlds, IMO. Like you said:
"sometimes spending a bit more initially saves you money (and headaches) later on."
Couldn't have put it better myself.
