Did the same thing myself a while back—figured it'd hold fine, but nope... slow drip turned into a bigger mess later. Curious though, is there a specific extender brand or method you guys trust more than others?
"Did the same thing myself a while back—figured it'd hold fine, but nope... slow drip turned into a bigger mess later."
Been there myself, thought I'd save some bucks and just use a basic extender from the local hardware store. Big mistake... ended up with water pooling around the base within a week. After some trial and error (and a few soggy towels), here's what finally worked for me:
First, I ditched the generic extender rings and went with the Set-Rite flange extender kit. It's adjustable, sturdy, and comes with clear instructions. Just make sure you clean off the old wax ring completely first—any leftover wax can mess up the seal.
Second, I used a fresh wax ring between the original flange and the extender, then another one between extender and toilet base. Double sealing like this might seem overkill, but trust me, it's peace of mind.
Lastly, when tightening down the toilet bolts, go easy—tighten evenly side-to-side to avoid cracking porcelain or creating uneven pressure points.
It's been leak-free ever since... fingers crossed it stays that way. Hope this helps you dodge another disaster!
Good call on ditching the generic extender rings—I learned that one the hard way too. Those Set-Rite kits are solid, and double wax rings definitely aren't overkill... learned that after my second attempt. Honestly, tightening evenly is underrated advice; cracked a toilet base once by overtightening one side. Sounds like you've got it sorted now though, fingers crossed your leak-free streak continues.
Totally agree about tightening evenly—learned that lesson myself after hearing a nasty "crack" sound. Thought I'd saved money by skipping the Set-Rite kit and just doubling up wax rings, but ended up redoing the whole thing a month later. Curious though, anyone else find those foam gasket seals easier to handle than wax? I've heard mixed reviews, but my neighbor swears by them... might give it a shot next time if (when?) disaster strikes again.
I've tried both wax and foam seals, and honestly, foam was way easier to handle—no sticky mess or worrying about squishing it unevenly. But... I did have one foam gasket fail on me after about six months. Could've been user error (wouldn't be the first time), but I've gone back to wax since then. Maybe I just got unlucky? Curious if anyone else had better luck with foam long-term.
