I took the toilet out to replace the wax ring seal. The old one was falling apart as I took it out. The grout around the outside of the metal piece was coming off just by rubbing it with a paper towel. Parts of the metal piece where the bolts to secure the toilet go were corroded.

I'm new to plumbing. I thought this would be a simple job. What all do I need to do to fix this? I was thinking remove grout, remove and replace metal piece, new grout and seal it, replace wax ring. Anything else I need to do?

Been a few years since I've done that chore, but I'm thinking you don't want that grout to be level/flush with the ring. And it appears there is grout in the "locking slots" of the ring as well, or is that just the old wax you haven't removed? Hard to tell.

The wax ring will sit on top of that. I think it's grout and rusted metal in there. The bottom half of the old bolts had completely fallen apart.

There are new flexible/expandable rubber rings that are not wax to make up variations and height differences at Lowe's...

Then, there are thicker/taller wax rings available as well.

You say the metal is corroded, but is it so corroded that the new bolts will not go in and be secure? Is it rusted through?

This.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-Perfect-Seal-Toilet-Wax-Ring-10718X/204817386

The bolts are supposed to go through the part I circled. The bottom half of the bolts and the area of the metal ring I circled crumbled apart as I was removing it. The grout is also a little mushy from the water getting on it for so long. The old wax ring was very leaky, i wish I would have noticed it sooner. I bought a standard wax ring to replace it with, but that Danco one looks a lot sturdier. I think i will pick up one of those tomorrow instead.

It looks to be and says it's a stainless steel ring. That should last you a long time and there doesn't appear to be any visible damage or corrosion on the ring itself. The bolts rusted out and that's the corrosion you are seeing in the slots. It's awfully wet there, and the grout around the ring appears to be wet. Maybe that's from cleaning up or from the wax ring failing. A new ring, and maybe one with the rubber boot funnel below the ring would solve the issue. I like the boot as it directs the water below the floor line. I stick the ring to the bowl first then drop the whole thing down on the bolts so I know it's sitting on the bowl correctly.

Maybe look for corrosion resistant bolts if there is such a thing as well.

Just looked at the link and the Danco maybe an even better option as it allows you to reposition as needed.

Thanks for the replies. The previous owners completely re-did this bathroom before I moved in. Is the drainage installed correctly, flush to the floor like that? I don't know what it is supposed to look like.

Flush to the floor is fine. I'd consider a thinker wax ring or the Danco to be on the safe side.

This is the ring I usually use as it directs the water downward and has more wax.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Extra-Thick-Reinforced-Wax-Toilet-Bowl-Gasket-with-Flange-and-Bolts-7514/203764000

But the Danco maybe a cleaner installation.

For some reason plumbers don't like the rings that have the funnel on them, that doesn't stop me though...

If I were you I would shove some old rags in the drainpipe to help with the fumes and let the grout dry out before you put the ring and toilet back down. It's a fairly simple job but here are a few tips:

1. Buy at least 1 extra ring maybe two. I guarentee you will mess up the first one. They are pretty cheap
2. Have someone help you to guide you onto the bolts. My wife helped and it wasn't bad
3. Take the tank off the toilet, it is much lighter that way. Might as well replace the guts in the toilet while its apart unless it's a brand new toilet.
4. I'd recommend going to an actual plumbing store instead of HD. The Johnny bolts available at HD are on the smaller side. The ones at the plumbing stores or online have a wider head and keep them from turning in the flange. I set and reset a toilet 10 times one night and couldn't get it to set because the bolts were too small and kept popping out and I finally had to call a plumber
5. Put a small dab of wax on the head of the bolts. This will help them stand up and make it easier to put the toilet back on

The Danco ring is awesome. It literally pops into place.

That Danco kit is the schniz!

Do you think the grout will be ok if i let it dry out for a couple of days?

I'm not a plumber so I can't say. When I retiled my guest bathroom that is how I did it. Having it there and dry will keep everything from shifting around so I don't really think it will hurt anything. But having wet grout could cause some shifting if Bertha were to sit on it. In an ideal world you fix the ring and it doesn't leak and it dries out by itself over a few days, but that may not be reality. If you don't need the toilet today I'd let it sit off and cure, maybe even seal it real well to keep it from getting too wet when it happens again. But make sure you do something to stop the fumes coming back in your house.

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Do you think the grout will be ok if i let it dry out for a couple of days?

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The grout (around the ring) serves no useful purpose that I can see, so it's being wet should have no consequence as well imo. The weight of the toilet is supported by the tile.

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Do you think the grout will be ok if i let it dry out for a couple of days?

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I suspect the problem started when they retiled the floor in that bathroom - probably tiled when the original floor cover was linoleum or a very thin tile. It's pretty clear that tile was installed after the fact. There was probably never a good seal when they set the toilet and that's what corroded the bolts. You should be fine to put new bolts in the steel flange - but since the flange is flush to the tile, use the toilet wax with the rubber flange and double up with another wax ring (this one without the rubber boot) on top of that one. Set the toilet tighten the nuts and you should be good to go. This is what I do whenever I tile a bathroom floor that was originally linoleum or vinyl and end up with the flange flush with the tile. Letting it dry out won't hurt but isn't crucial I don't think.

just had this done by my plumber so I will relay the information he gave me after I asked a ton of questions...which I always do to help educate me.

In my situation, the flange was secured to the drain line, but not the foundation. In this situation, any stress/movement was moving the line (albeit probably really minor, but still). He secured the flange to the foundation for stability. Guessing on a second floor, it would be secured into structure.

If the flange is too level with the floor, then the ring will not be compressed as much as it needs to be. You want the flange higher than level (specifically I don't know how much higher), so that when the wax is on top of it and the toilet rests on it, there is good compression of the wax ring to provide a good seal.

It looked to me like he just added a 1/4" or so spacer ring, secured to the flange to do this, but I am not 100%. Plumbers on line here can correct/refute this information for the OP.

HTH

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just had this done by my plumber so I will relay the information he gave me after I asked a ton of questions...which I always do to help educate me.

In my situation, the flange was secured to the drain line, but not the foundation. In this situation, any stress/movement was moving the line (albeit probably really minor, but still). He secured the flange to the foundation for stability. Guessing on a second floor, it would be secured into structure.

If the flange is too level with the floor, then the ring will not be compressed as much as it needs to be. You want the flange higher than level (specifically I don't know how much higher), so that when the wax is on top of it and the toilet rests on it, there is good compression of the wax ring to provide a good seal.

It looked to me like he just added a 1/4" or so spacer ring, secured to the flange to do this, but I am not 100%. Plumbers on line here can correct/refute this information for the OP.

HTH

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It would no doubt help clarify if you confirmed that the "flange" you refer to is just another name for the stainless steel "ring" in the OP. (terminology can get confusing) And indeed it helps stabilize the toilet if what you're bolting it to is itself anchored to the floor/foundation. That is the purpose of the (screw) holes in the ring.

So I should buy something like this?

http://www.lowes.com/pd/Oatey-1-2-in-Toilet-Flange-Spacer/50319411

I've used those when adding tile to a bathroom that originally had linoleum.

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So I should buy something like this?

http://www.lowes.com/pd/Oatey-1-2-in-Toilet-Flange-Spacer/50319411

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Not sure how you can get that "spacer" under the steel ring, but maybe you don't need to. I know I keep saying it, but still think you'd do well to remove the grout from around the ring which would allow the wax ring to "purchase" it an make a better seal.

There is no need for a spacer or double wax. Either use the Danco unit or get a wax ring that is the extra thick ring. I don't like stacking rings because it is a lot of wax and you have to force the toilet down to compress all of it which can cause the toilet to shift off center of the hole or push wax into the drain pipe. The extra think is plenty of wax for the situation you have.

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It would no doubt help clarify if you confirmed that the "flange" you refer to is just another name for the stainless steel "ring" in the OP

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yes, the metal thing