Originally Posted By: ecrofutt This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The toilet above this was grouted (not caulked) to a tile floor. House was three years old and sold for about $450K. I had already inspected the bathroom. The toilet was solidly mounted and there were no visible signs of leaking from the top side.
Originally Posted By: dvalley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Quote:
It provides an excellent reason to make the effort to move the insulation and look at the sub floor where the plumbing penetrates it.
My basement inspection will always include viewing every plumbing penetration throughout the basement. Trust me, alot of subfloors will be found to be damaged from past leaks. Most of these damages will be minimum, but should be in your report as being viewed and note the condition of the area. Major rotting will be found at times and that area of the sub floor must be replaced.
Originally Posted By: arosenbaum This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
jmyers wrote:
Aaron,
Has Minn. ever stated the reasoning behind the code which requires you to put silicone under the toilet?
BTW...from personal experience. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that the silicone around the base of the toilet will only allow the toilet to be stable long enough for the plumber to drive away in their vehicle. Not that I doubt your professional experience but in my personal experience silicone is a short term solution to a long term problem.
Maybe they are afraid the bathroom floor will get contaminated if the toilet leaks. Sure I can understand that, it is much better to ruin the flooring, subflooring and ceilings than it is to have all that fecal matter on the bathroom floor. 
Joe Myers
I never have put it UNDER the toilet, but after the toilet is set, I will put a very small bead around 99% of the bottom (leave an inch at the back in case of leakage). I do this AFTER I flush the toilet at least 10 times to check for leaks. Also, when people get out of the shower and are lazy to wipe off in the shower and water gets on the floor, and its a small bathroom, the water can easily seep under the toilet. I don't know why Minneapolis REQUIRES it, but I do believe, like you said, some plumbers (more handymen) use loads of it to keep it down if they are too lazy to replace the bolts (if they need replacing). That's one reason I wanted to become an inspector...... to save home owners from the $$$$ grubbin' world of contractors (or the ones that have too many jobs to do it right and who cut corners)
Originally Posted By: janderson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
MN is one of the few states in the country that has its own home grown plumbing code. As such, there are some weird things contained within it that are more politically motivated than related to the safe and sanitary operation of the plumbing system.
That said, it is my understanding that the reason the MN plumbing code requires silicone around the base of a toilet is to seal out urine and other potential contaminates from infiltrating under the base of the toilet and lingering under the toilet on the floor  . If you have young boys like I do you can appreciate the concept.
-- Within the seeds of ignorance lie the fruits of denial
Originally Posted By: dvalley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Not to get off topic of silicone at the base of a toilet, but my 2 year old son has a great aim. He always lets me know that he wants to go potty in the water. When he started potty training, he always managed to hit the wall. So I repeatedly told him to hit the water, not the wall. He’s an expert shooter now. This alleviated the silicone at the base of my toilet.
Like Joe says, give them aiming lessons. And put that silicone away.
Originally Posted By: janderson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
My 2 year old son does great, hits the target every time. It’s the 8 year old that strays off the mark. In too much of a hurry, wanting to get back to playing outside or what ever he was doing.
Thought about taking him out shooting, still trying to convince the wife.
-- Within the seeds of ignorance lie the fruits of denial
Originally Posted By: kluce This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I use to work with a plumbing company. No caulking under the toilet is needed. They caulked around the toilet to help prevent water or any nasty things from going under the toilet. Makes sense. How do you clean or dry under there. rot can happen over time. Rot is caused by moisture. It can come and go and come and go and over time, it will damage the floor. I would silicone around the toilet everytime and if it needed to be resealed for what ever reason, I would do it again. If the toilet is properly set, the toilet will not rock and the seal should be fine for a long time. If it does leak. Water will show somewhere.
I have seen plumbers do things differant, but I don't like the thought of water with pee and poop going under the toilet and staying there untill the next flood washes it away.
