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Most people don’t think much about their toilets unless they need to be cleaned, are clogged, or are…rocking! A rocking toilet? That’s right. Sometimes, when people sit on a toilet, the toilet will not be firmly fixed to the ground. Instead, the toilet will rock back and forth or side to side. Is this normal? No, it is not.

If your toilet is rocking, and we’re not talking about the way you “rock out” at a rock concert or when your favorite song comes on, there’s definitely something wrong. Toilets are not supposed to rock when people sit on them. But, occasionally when something is off, a toilet will rock and this problem will persist until it’s corrected.

What Causes Toilets to Rock?

There are a few different reasons why toilets rock back and forth. Sometimes, all that needs to be done to correct the problem is to tighten the mounting bolts. However, it’s important that they are not cranked too tight because doing so can crack the ceramic.

In other cases, the issue can be fixed by placing Wobble Wedges shims underneath the base of the toilet. However, both of these suggestions are more like Band-Aids than permanent fixes. In many cases, the ideal solution is to physically remove the toilet and reinstall it. By doing so, a professional plumber can determine:

  1. If the previous rocking broke anything, or
  2. If the rocking created a leak under the toilet.

To remove the toilet, the tank will need to be emptied by shutting off the supply line and flushing the water. Next, the hose will need to be disconnected from the tank, and the nuts from the mounting bolts will need to be removed. Finally, the toilet will need to be removed. Unless you have plumbing experience, we don’t recommend doing this yourself.

The old wax ring will need to be scraped off, and it’s possible that it’s stuck to the toilet or the mounting flange, which is the ring on the waste pipe with the mounting bolts. The flange will need to be inspected for cracks. Additionally, the subfloor will need to be inspected for soft spots. If there are any soft spots, they’ll need to be cut out and patched.

If you have a rocking toilet, our advice is to contact our Georgetown plumbers at Excalibur Plumbing. We can ensure the source of the rocking is properly identified and that the job is done right. Call today to schedule a service call!