Q: I replaced the flooring in a bathroom. I reinstalled the toilet afterward, but the inlet to the tank is now 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the water supply line, which is a rigid pipe that isn’t long enough and refuses to budge. Can I inch the toilet backward to reach the supply line?
A: Assuming you’ve used a conventional wax ring gasket to install the toilet, you cannot reposition the toilet without compromising the gasket, which will likely result in a leak. Some newer toilet gasket products from companies such as Sani Seal are wax-free and repositionable, but you only get one shot at using a conventional wax gasket. At this point, the easiest fix would probably be to replace the old supply line with a flexible braided supply line long enough to easily reach the inlet of the toilet tank.
