New toilet job goes down a rocky road

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Q: I enjoy your TV show "Ed The Plumber" and read your newspaper column every week. Can you help out a loyal fan with a toilet problem? I installed a new toilet on my tile floor and it rocked back and forth on the floor a bit. So, I took a piece of plywood and traced the bottom of the toilet to make a solid wood base and installed the toilet over the plywood. It does not rock anymore, but now I'm getting second thoughts. Is what I did OK? It would be nice to know if my idea will work for the long haul. -- Rex in MichiganA: I can never say no to a loyal fan, so let me try to help even though my response may not be what you want to hear.Even though replacing a toilet looks easy on paper, in real life it's normal to run into problems. For instance, broken flanges, rotted floors and uneven floors are very common roadblocks that plumbers face regularly.The good news is that an uneven floor is the easiest of the three to work around.It's important that materials used under a toilet are waterproof. Ceramic tile is an excellent material for a toilet to sit on; bare plywood is not. The plywood can hold moisture and may start to rot, harbor bugs and promote mold over the long haul. I recommend that you remove the plywood base and put the toilet back onto your tile floor.Now let's address the rocking issue.See where the toilet is rocking and find any low spots on the floor around the toilet before you tighten the closet bolts. Most home centers sell special plastic shims approved for toilet use that can be set into place with a dab of caulking. These shims should give you a good base and cut back the rocking. Once the bolts are in place, gently tighten them down to lock the toilet into place.Most plumbers agree that caulking should not be used around the entire toilet base, only at the shim points. This will promote airflow under the toilet, and if the flange seal ever leaks the water will be noticed around the base of the bowl.A completely caulked toilet base may hold the water under the toilet. And if you ever have to replace the toilet, the caulking may pull up the tiles or base floor.Sorry, Rex, but you asked for it -- and now it looks like you have to do the job over. I hope you're still a loyal fan.Q: I have a water line with a compression fitting under my sink. When I tried to take the compression fitting off, the crimp ring was stuck on the copper pipe and will not slide off. How does one remove the compressed brass ring off a copper pipe? -- Chris in TexasA: The short answer: You don't. Compression fittings work with three components -- the compression nut, ferrule and fitting body. When you tighten the nut onto the body, the ferrule between the two components crimps around the pipe and that seals the fitting.Usually the fitting nut and ferrule have to be cut off the pipe and the new pipe end can be used for the new connection. However, sometimes there may not be enough room on the pipe to cut out the fitting, and that's where things will get tough. I have had to open up walls and floors to get access to a good pipe end and then had to run some new lines.Hopefully, you will have room to work with this one. Remember: I never said plumbing was easy.(Master Contractor/Plumber Ed Del Grande is known internationally as the author of the book "Ed Del Grande's House Call" and for hosting TV shows on Scripps Networks and HGTVPro.com. For information visit eddelgrande.com or write eddelgrande(at)hgtvpro.com. Always consult local contractors and codes. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com)