Shoutout to the old timer in Phoenix who fixed my leaky toilet in 10 minutes

Honestly, I was about to call a plumber and drop $200 on a new wax ring for a toilet that kept wobbling. This guy Bob, retired contractor I met at the hardware store, said just loosen the bolts, push a couple plastic shims under the base, and tighten it back up. Saved me the headache and the money, and it's been solid for 3 months now. Has anyone else had a quick fix from a stranger that actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia_carter7028d ago

Hold on a second, I have to push back on this. Relying on a stranger's advice from the hardware store is a gamble, not a shortcut, because Bob isn't the one liable when those shims shift and water starts seeping into your subfloor. A licensed plumber has insurance and a guarantee, which is peace of mind that a few bucks saved doesn't cover if that quick fix turns into a mold problem. I would rather pay the $200 for a proper job and a warranty than trust my bathroom floor to a guy I met by the plumbing aisle.

taylor66828d ago

Bob's the kind of guy who's been around long enough to know that half the problems people pay for come down to something stupid simple. Plastic shims under a toilet base is one of those tricks that makes you feel like a genius after the fact, but nobody thinks of it until someone shows you. I had a similar thing with a neighbor who told me to put a zip tie on a loose sink sprayer hose instead of calling a plumber. Three years later the zip tie is still holding, and I probably saved a hundred bucks. The old timers who hung around hardware stores before YouTube were the real goldmine for stuff like this.

xena3733d ago

Yeah, okay, but @julia_carter70 is assuming the shims are gonna fail because she's never actually used them right. If you're using plastic shims and silicone caulk around the base, that toilet isn't moving anywhere. I've done it myself on two different rentals and never had a leak. The real issue is people who shove wood shims in dry and call it a day, that's asking for trouble. If you glue the shims in place and trim them flush before caulking, it's actually more stable than the wax ring alone. A plumber is gonna do the same basic thing except he'll charge you for the "experience" of knowing which shims to buy. Not every fix needs a contract and insurance, some just need a guy like Bob who's already broken a toilet from overthinking it.