Toilets are usually a pretty reliable piece of plumbing. Many times they last for 40+ years without having any problems. But, occasionally, water will begin to leak out from under the toilet and spill onto the floor, which can lead to serious water damage. But this type of leak is easy to diagnose and fix, even if you’ve never attempted a plumbing repair. The leak is usually caused when the seal under the toilet fails.
WHERE IS THE LEAK?
Water pooling around the base of the toilet is a good sign that the wax seal is leaking. That is not always the case though. Soak up the water from the floor with a sponge and dry off the toilet with a towel. Wait until a new puddle appears on the floor, then check to make sure the water is coming out from under the toilet and not coming from a loose supply tube, faulty shut off valve, cracked tank or bowl. If water is leaking from under the toilet, you might be able to stop it by simply tightening the closet bolts that secure the toilet to the floor. Remove the plastic that covers the bolts, then use a wrench to alternately tighten each bolt, a little at a time. Be careful not to apply too much pressure as you can crack the toilet’s base. This might stop a leaking toilet but if tightening the bolts doesn’t help, you’ll have to remove the toilet and replace the wax gasket. If you have ongoing leaking problems with your toilet we recommend calling a plumber in your area to professionally assess the problem and repair it properly. Linn Benton Plumbingcan do a quick and easy toilet repair, replacement Here is a step by step for people that want to attempt to replace their wax seal by themselves. Be sure to read up on the steps necessary to take when replacing the wax seal as it can be a pretty in depth process for a first timer.
STEP BY STEP
- Shutoff valve to toilet be very careful not to break off pipe that valve is connected to
- Disconnect supply tube from toilet
- Pry off the rounded caps that cover the closet bolts, then use a wrench to remove the hex nuts.
- Carefully cut any caulking holding toilet to floor
- Very carefully lift the toilet by the bowl, not the tank, and set it down on an old blanket or cardboard sheet.
- Scrape off all of the old wax gasket from the closet flange.
- Make sure flange is secured to floor (older cast iron flanges are not secured and that is ok)
- Remove old closet bolts or studs and install new as needed
- Set the new wax gasket down on the closet flange, making sure it’s centered. Compress slightly with fingers
- Connect the new water-supply tube to the threaded fill-valve shank on the bottom of the toilet tank.
- Press down on the toilet bowl rim to compress the gasket. Tighten the closet bolts, then press down again.
- Use a close-quarter hacksaw to trim off the tops of the closet bolts. Tighten the nuts before replacing the caps.
- Connect the supply tube to the shutoff valve. Then open the valve, flush the toilet several times and check for leaks.
- Use tub and tile caulking to caulk base of toilet
