Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Toilet flange bolt cap necessary?

I repaired my toilet flange and did not install the plastic washer under the bolt nut(on the side of the toilet). but did install the brass washer. Do the flange bolts have to be trimmed and, does the cap have to be installed? What is the purpose and is there an alternative, as I prefer not to mess with removing the flange bolt nut and possibly changing the toilet's stability if I were to put on the cap(as I believe I would have to place the plastic washer(what the cap snaps on) on first and then the brass washer and nut. I also prefer not to cut the bolt if it isn't necessary

if you're toilet is mounted and working, the caps are pretty much just a cosmetic item. i guess you could snag your fuzzy slippers on the exposed bolts when you went to do a number 2 in the middle of the night and then it'd be a safety issue because you'd no doubt fall into your bathtub. you could really hurt yourself that way.

if the bolts aren't so long that the caps won't sit down all the way, you can fill the caps with putty or silicone and just mash them on the bolts. i've seen this done plently of times. it's messy when you go to pull the toilet again but it's kind of a messy job to begin with huh?








paul

The toilet is mounted and working fine. The bolts are probably sticking up around 1 1/2 inches. They are located toward the back and cannot be seen unless making an effort to look at them. I guess I'll leave them as is and not install cap but possibly place putty around the bottom to possibly delay potential corrosion.:)

You can also get caps that thread onto the flange bolt. The flange bolt gets cut to length, a threaded plastic insert screws onto the bolt and the cap screws on the insert. Once on it won't fall off.