Specifically, I’m talking about the bolts that hold the toilet to the floor. My bathroom has moisture, even with the venting happening. Every couple years, I end up pulling my toilet out and putting it back in with new bolts. The old bolts have a wet rust on them and are wearing out.
I believe most bolts are “brass plated” and I don’t think this is enough. Even if I have to pay $10 for the bolts and washers alone(I have a new wax ring already), I will do so.
I want something that is either stainless steel or another material all the way through and will never rust.
Can anyone point me to something on Amazon(or elsewhere) that you think will get the job done? I was at ACE hardware today and I could not tell if any of the bolts were any better than brass plated(I believe that is what I usually use and they do not last).
I’d go with stainless steel. But if you’re having this much of an issue, there’s got to be a bigger problem. Flange bolts are meant to be replaced on any kind of a regular basis.
When you pull the toilet up, is there standing water down there. Is it possible water is leaking into that area?
If it’s just from moisture in the bathroom from hot showers, I’d suggest caulking around the toilet and covering the bolts and bolt holes with caulk before putting the decorative caps on (or maybe just caulking around the caps).
At the point, the only way moisture can get to the bolts is from under the toilet. Whether the porcelain is cracked, the toilet isn’t making a good seal with the ring or it’s coming from the floor below (ie the basement) is another question.
I think I’d just go with the brass ones. Stainless steel is susceptible to chloride stress cracking, a phenomenon that causes stainless steel to fail abruptly when exposed to chlorides while being under sustained stress (like a bolt). Bleach (or other chloride-containing products) is used too much in the bathroom for me to be comfortable in using stainless steel in that application. Brass is the typical material used for this applications, and chlorides do not have the same effect on brass (but, ammonia can cause problems). If the OP is seeing rusting, it could be that a previous installer used cheaper steel flange bolts. The brass ones should be resistant to most corrosion, but might turn green, even if they stay wet (and, as has been said, they shouldn’t stay wet).
I agree that these bolts should not need periodic replacement. I had a toilet in the previous house that would go through these bolts. On the second time of dealing with it, I discovered the flange the bolts fit into was installed in such a way that it was difficult to get the bolt in it properly. After fiddling with it for a bit, the bolt seated (heh…) properly and has been fine ever since (well, up to a few years ago, when we sold the house).
What I learned is that the nuts have to be tightened well, but not too tight or you might break the porcelain. The wax ring complicates things, as it makes you think you have the nuts tight, but they can become loose with time. I learned to check them every few hours after installation.