How Long After Installing a Toilet Can You Use It © HouseHow.com
How Long Later Installing a Toilet Can You Use It © HouseHow.com

Installing a toilet may not be as complicated equally some of the other home projects i can work on but information technology tin can go wrong if you aren't careful. It's not just about installing the toilet after all as giving it some time to set is too very important. If yous use it as soon every bit you install it, you might have to practise it all once more. In this article nosotros will respond the question how long after installing a toilet tin can you utilise information technology. So, how long subsequently installing a toilet tin can you lot utilize it?

Equally a general rule if silicone or caulk was used during installation to connect the toilet to the flooring, information technology is recommended that you look 3 to 6 hours. If the toilet is only bolted to the floor (not a dandy idea), and so you tin can use the toilet immediately. Of course, if you do not intend to sit on the toilet, yous can apply it immediately in any case.

Many people utilise the toilet within half an hr only to notice all that time and effort gone to waste. In principle, as long as you don't sit on it, you tin can use it correct away. Even so, to be on the safer side, it would exist better to wait a few hours even in this instance. Let's dive a chip deeper into why y'all should expect a bit before using a freshly installed toilet. (Recommended article: "How to Secure a Loose or Wobbly Toilet?")

After installing the toilet, you must wait at least 4-12 hours before it can be used
Later installing the toilet, yous have to expect at to the lowest degree four-6 hours earlier it can exist used © HouseHow.com

How long should you lot wait earlier using a freshly installed toilet?

There are a few scenarios that can occur while installing the toilet. 1 where caulk is used, ane where grout is used and another when neither was used. Let'south take a look at them individually.

  1. Silicone / caulkused – Caulking involves 2 phases, namely curing and drying. Once the caulk is applied, you must wait for it to dry so that it won't move or become smeared on affect. Fifty-fifty subsequently it has dried, it yet shouldn't get wet equally the curing phase starts after that. This is essential because only after curing can the caulk hold upwardly to h2o. The drying fourth dimension may differ from one product to another so make sure you lot read the instructions and follow them. Nigh of them take about 30 to sixty minutes. Curing takes a lot more time. Most caulk products require upward to 24 hours. In that location are fast curing or fast drying silicone or caulk products besides which may require just 3 to six hours.
  2. Grout used– Grout is used effectually the base of the toilet sometimes every bit it provides amend support than caulk but information technology is more hard to remove. If information technology is used, you need to look for it to dry completely earlier using the toilet. If water gets on it, it won't be able to dry properly and over fourth dimension, your toilet won't be having a strong enough support at its base of operations. Once the toilet is installed, you should wait at least 6 to 12 hours to ensure that all the work won't become to waste material.
  3. No caulk or grout used – In this case, you don't have to wait equally in that location is nil that needs to dry out. You can apply information technology immediately but you will accept to exist prepared for the long term consequences such as bad support for your toilet and leakage issues. It may be easier to make repairs without the use of caulk or grout but information technology will allow water on the floor to creep beneath your toilet. You lot will also be going against plumbing codes past not caulking the base of your toilet. In curt, yous will get a few expert short term benefits but bad long term consequences. More almost this topic you can read hither: "Should a Toilet Be Caulked?"
Many installers, out of pure laziness, do not silicone the base of the toilet after installing. Such a toilet can wobble and move as the screws and flange are often too weak to keep it in place.
Many installers, out of pure laziness, exercise non silicone the base of the toilet after installing. Such a toilet tin wobble and motility every bit the screws and flange are often too weak to keep it in place © HouseHow.com

Grouting a toilet base of operations

Grouting is commonly done earlier the installation of a toilet to ensure that the tiles are set properly. Without applying grout in betwixt tiles, they will showtime shifting in one case you lot apply some weight to it. Sometimes, grout is also used in one case the toilet is installed. In this case, information technology is applied between the base of operations of the toilet and the tile. This is done as it provides a more permanent solution to leakage than silicone caulk. When using grout it is also recommended to install shims to make sure that the toilet remains on an fifty-fifty level. (Recommended commodity: "Should You lot Tile Around or Under a Toilet?")

Can you lot use a toilet immediately after installation?

Y'all can, equally long as you don't sit on it only it is not recommended to do so. This should likewise exist washed merely in emergencies where there aren't any other toilets that are gratuitous and you lot can't hold your urine any longer. If the base of the toilet is caulked or grouted, then information technology would be wiser to await for a few hours as described above. It might be a minor inconvenience just in the long term, you will be thankful y'all waited when it comes to time, attempt and coin. If you lot really don't take a choice, attempt not to burden the toilet with all your weight.

A properly installed toilet should be caulked all around. This is why we can't use it right after installation.
A properly installed toilet should be caulked all around. This is why we tin can't use it right after installation © HouseHow.com

How long does silicone need to dry out before installing a toilet?

This depends from one product to some other as at that place are many unlike types of silicone caulk in the market place today. Fast-drying caulk takes lesser time to dry up than standard silicone caulk but it still would be advisable to wait for at least 3 to half-dozen hours to brand sure it dries properly. Similar to using a toilet that didn't use caulk or grout, yous can utilise it immediately if you won't sit on information technology. Only do make sure that you don't become the area wet. If you want to know more than nearly it, I recommend the article "Should a Toilet Be Caulked?"

How long does grout need to dry before installing a toilet?

Grout beingness a more than permanent solution requires a significantly college corporeality of time to dry than caulk. The drying time may again differ based on the composition of the grout just in most cases, half dozen to 12 hours would be enough. If you are unsure most the drying fourth dimension, check the manufacturer's instructions or consult a plumber. Amend to spend a piffling money now than to spend a lot more later on trying to fix what could have been fixed before.

If you lot take any other questions that are not answered in this article, you can ask them on our Home Improvement Customs Forum past clicking on this link.