We have a toilet that was just installed and caulked, for some reason there is so much moisture in this bathroom that the toilet porcelain is beading up from the cold floor and cold water entering the toilet and dripping down to the caulking. The renters I believe keep turning the bathroom heat down and the floor is already cold being on a concrete base floor.
Im looking into a new fan and why there is so much moisture... Does anyone know of a substitute caulk that will dry in these extreme conditions of moisture and cold? Even if I put a heater or two on the floor, im wondering if the cold floor will prevent drying as well...


Thank you Everyone!

Was there water pooling around the base of the old toilet? If not, the toilet may not be set/sealed properly. Is the caulk dissolving? Might be really cheap material. All directions for caulk start with: Surfaces must be clean and dry. Rule Numero uno.
I prefer polyseamseal ultra kitchen and bath. Sets up pretty quick. If the floor is ICE cold, heat the room or use a hair dryer around the base before caulking.

Dap 3.0 and it should be sold at your local home depot or hardware store. I'm not a big fan of caulking around a toilet base unless for cosmetic reasons but I researched sealants and called dap for a job i had, in a walk in refrigerator and they said the dap 3.0 is tough and can be applied to freezing environments. I never ended up using it but it sounds like it would work great in your situation. I normally use the dap 100% silicones which work great. stay away from the g.e. silicones at home depot.

Nick, I've used GE silicone 100s of times and it always does the job I intended it to do. I agree with the grouting preference unless the finished floor is vinyl.



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Go after the moisture problem first.Either the toilet isn't set correctly, or there is a lack of, or inadequate ventilation.Have you witnessed this "sweating"? Where on the toilet does it occur? Typically, it is only seen on the tank in the "Dog Days" of summer, when the air is very warm, and the humidity is high.Your cold air, cold water situation does not fit, and there is enough seperation between the water in the bowl and the floor for it to sweat there.

Plumb, Give dap 100% a try. Way,way better product in my opinion. I say dap because it's always readily available from many places. Any plumbing house should have a good silicone, like maybe boss etc... The dap has an almost ammonialike smell,and it may sound funny but it even smells more effective than the mildew earthy smell that comes from the g.e. It seems to adhere better and has a more rubbery consistency when dried also. I think the shelf life is better also. I do not like the dap white, chalky, mildew resistant caulk that some plumbers tend to use though.

ALMOST any caulk will specify dry, and above 50º or so, for application. There is a caulk which can be applied like down to 32 or below, but I forget which one, and of course it is an exterior, probably not bathroom-rated.

ALL brands of caulk have (1) a shelf life....not usually a problem; and (b) storage limitations.
If it comes out runny, or never sets up, then you know it was exposed to over 100º in storage or transport. This is death for most caulks, happens a lot more often than they like to admit, and any store or supplier will replace it no questions asked, for the most part.

Hello, Yes i watched water beed up over the entire toilet and weep down to pools around the base of the toilet. I cranked up the heat, turned on the fan, it kept weeping for about the whole hour I was there. Someone had just taken a shower and there is a washer/dryer .. tall ceiling and skylight in that room as well.
The floor remained cool and the room never really warmed up, just felt moist. So Im a little baffled on how to get some type of caulk to dry in these conditions. The water going into the toilet is very very cold too.
Normally I would just walk away, however the toilet flange was above the vinyl over concrete floor. So it has been shimmed up.. Needs the extra securing of a caulking.

2 days later, the renter says the caulking is still wet and the toilet is still beading water from top to bottom of toilet.

I am tying to get someone in to fix the fan and look at the hose connections from the dryer line.

Thanks guys!



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Good idea to get the fan and dryer connections checked. By any chance, does the the toilet ever fill itself with out being flushed? There may be a tiny leak at the tank to bowl gasket. Mark the full water line in the tank after flushing. See if it drops any over time. Even cheap caulk will set up if it's applied correctly and allowed to dry before use.

You want to fit the base to the floor? hydraulic cement.You want to fix the reoccurring and dangerous humidity problem???move the air.Sweating bowls /not the tank \we have cures for that.MUST be room controlled!!!!