What can be done to fix the bathroom in a mobile home to make the floor even?
Manufactured Homes January 2nd, 2010I live in a mobile home and the floor was rotten near the toilet. Someone came in to fix it. They replaced the board and cut the board around the bathroom.They board fits around the toilet but the toilet rocks when you sit on it. Is there anything that can be done to make the floor even?
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
Spacers or wedges to level it out?
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Drocking%2Btoilet%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dmoz2%26x%3Dwrt&w=126&h=126&imgurl=www.homedepot.com%2Fcmc_upload%2FHDUS%2FEN_US%2Fasset%2Fimages%2Fpii%2F7%2F2%2F7%2F2%2FA22727_2.JPG&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.terrylove.com%2Fwwwboard%2Fmessages2%2F27831.html&size=1.6kB&name=A22727_2.JPG&p=rocking+toilet&type=jpeg&no=19&tt=83&oid=1c3ab473bb5b6c34&ei=UTF-8
Aside from a good ride, the rocking toilet has few benefits and should be fixed. The easiest way to do this is with the small plastic wedges(available everywhere) to level the toilet. Just drive them at the corners and cut them off flush (no pun intended). The problem is most prevalent on tile installations, but can occur anywhere. The alternative is to use plumbers putty to create a seal around the outside rim, but you have to pull the toilet and install the putty. Too much work, just go for the wedges. Orange and blue box stores both carry them for toilet leveling in the plumbing dept.
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/rocking_toilet-plumbing-1-T4220.html
Just be glad this is not your problem!!! HaHa..
http://www.poopreport.com/Images/BMnewswire/snake.jpg
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
First, make sure it is the floor and not a problem with the seal of the toilet or something. What might work is wood shims under the side of the toilet that is higher, trim them off so you can’t see them, and place a rug around the toilet. Unfortunately, mobile home floors are notorious for being uneven, even if they haven’t been replaced. Best of luck.
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
put some window putty around the base and work well into the gap when dry (takes about two hours) paint around it with oil based paint and this should help you with this problem.
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
Sounds as if they ……
1) used a inferior style board ( wafer board ) for the repair.
2) needed to use additional braceing to anchor it.
3) Base of toilet not screwed down securely
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
Toilet should not rock–it is not tighened down properly, and shimming won’t help other than to aggrevate possible leakage that is already occurring. Take the toilet up, it is not that difficult, and check out the floor to make sure it is not already damaged from leaks around the seal. Replace the wax seal, they only cost a buck or two, never reuse the old seal. Look at the floor around the sewer pipe- use a level to determine if there is a problem with the floor levelness. Not sure how you might fix this, but you definitely need a flat surface all around to set the toilet on, not shims here and there. If the floor just slants slightly because your mobile home is not level, that should be apparent by the way the water sits in the tank or bowl.
Look at how the toilet was tied down–most cases it uses bolts that fit into the toilet flange at the top of the sewer pipe. If yours does not have the flange, and the bolts are just through the wood, or they used wood screws, replace with a toggle bolt, something that will really hold as most likely you have belly boards and can’t access under the floor easily. When resetting the toilet, put a good bead of silicone caulk around the bottom of the base of the toilet so that when you set it back down, and tighten the bolts the caulk will help level the base and stop the rocking provided you can get a secure tie down with the bolts.
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
Use 2 X 4 wood across the mobile home floors level it. Add door jams beneath the 2 x 4 where ever necessary
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
The wedges will work but be sure to replace the wax seal at the same time. Cut the wedges off even with the toilet when set. It is critical that you seal all around the toilet when you are done to keep moisture from rotting out the floor again. I use G.E. silicone to seal the crack between the toilet and the floor.
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
The wedges will work, but this is a stop gap measure. I built homes for 17 years. The person that installed your floor, level or not, installed at to low of an elevation. The toilet is not sitting ont the floor, like it should. 99% of the time this happens the toilet is sitting on the waste pipe. This could break the pipe. You need to get this person back to fix their work.
If this is not possible, bite the bullet and do it right.
God Bless
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 am
Frank could be right: the toilet could be sitting on the pipe. Lazy plumber. If the wedges don’t work: Take the toilet off and see where it’s off.
Taper the are off with "level-set" from the pipe to level, away from the pipe for a quick job. Other then this your going to be getting into a big job. Ending up with muccho money spent just to level your toilet.
The right way (if you have two toilets) would be to take it off, level the pipe with the floor. Then make sure the floor is even with the area. If not, use level-set. This means you’ll have to put in a new lino also. A big job all around.
Wedges may work fine.