Imagine that whenever you enter into your bathroom, you find the floor always wet. This not only creates a bad smell in the bathroom, but can also cause accidents by slipping. Permanent leakage or presence of water in your bathroom can cause moisture in the bathroom area. This moisture can cause molds and fungus development. That can cause damage to many elements of your bathroom.
If you are facing leakage from your toilet, then there could be many probable reasons of this leakage. The most common reason of a leaking toilet could be the broken seal on the base of your toilet. This seal is made in many different ways. Let us look at the information given below to know the different types of toilet seals and how do they work.
What is a Wax Toilet Seal?
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Wax toilet seals are very traditional and have been in use since years. Wax toilet seals have been the choice of plumbers since very older times. Wax seals are considered to be made from wax but there are also other materials that are now used for the making of wax toilet seals.
Originally, this seal is made from beeswax. Now petroleum jelly and oil etc are also in use for the purpose of making wax toilet seals. The purpose of a toilet seal is to make a strong bond between the toilet bowl and the flange. This seal should be made of a material strong enough to prevent any leakage.
What is a Wax Free Toilet Seals?
This type of toilet seal is also used to make the toilet sealed from the base to prevent any leakage. This seal is fixed using a strong adhesive that makes the toilet base fixed on the ground and to avoid any leakage. Wax free toilet seals are often called as mess free option. An adhesive is simply put on the toilet base ring. After that the toilet bowl is placed on to the flange and gets fixed with the adhesive.
Wax vs Waxless Toilet Seal – Pros, Cons, & Comparisons
If you are finding options to replace toilet seals you will come to the two most common options. One is known as wax toilet and the other is known as wax free toilet seal. Both types of toilet seals have their own advantages and disadvantages. Following is a comparison of both types of seals to help you make a better and informed decision.
Material:
Traditional wax toilet seals are made from beeswax. This material is used to create a better and strong bond to prevent leakage. The beeswax helps to make a tight seal between the toilet bowl and the flange. With the passage of time, traditional beeswax used for making the seal has now been replaced by petroleum jelly and vegetable oil.
Wax free toilet seals are newer than the wax toilet seals. They are made from rubber because rubber is a more flexible material. It is easy to bond through an adhesive. Apart from rubber some wax less seals are also made of foam because it is considered more flexible as compared to rubber. PVC seals are also available that are used for deeper flanges.
Price:
Wax toilet seal is an inexpensive option. Many plumbers consider it to be less priced as compared to wax less toilet seal. The disadvantage is that its installation is very difficult. It is considered very messy installation. It is also said to be an old fashioned way of sealing a toilet.
Wax less toilet is a bit expensive as compared to wax toilet seals. They are expensive but still more famous as they are a new technology as well as their installation is easier and mess free.
Installation:
Traditional wax toilet seals are made of a ring of wax. The ring is put under the toilet bowl or above the toilet flange. If the flange of your toilet is below from the floor level then an adapter will be needed. Wax toilet seals are an old concept but they are still recommended by most of the plumbers.
Wax free seals are made of foam or rubber. These foam or rubber seals are placed over the flange, below the toilet bowl in the same way as wax toilet seals. There are also PVC models of wax less toilets that are placed on the flange and attached with the toilet bowl using a strong adhesive.
Life Span:
The life span of a wax toilet seal is said to be longer as compared to wax free toilet seals. Cleaning bleaches etc are agents that can easily cause damage to toilet seals but wax free seals made of rubber or plastic are tend to be more prone to damage by these agents, as compared to wax toilet seals. Although wax free toilet seals come with a guarantee of 10 years or more. They however do not last this much.
Reusability:
Wax toilet seals can be used more than once. They do not wear off easily. If you replace the toilet then you can still use the older wax seal if it is in good condition.
In case of a rubber or foam wax free seal, it can be used only once. When you remove the toilet, you have to excavate the seal with cutter etc. therefore it no longer remains useful.
Final Thoughts:
Wax or wax free toilet seals have different advantages and disadvantages which are described clearly in this article. They differ in many features and characteristics. It is now up to you that which toilet seal you will find more useful and beneficial for your toilet.
