Leaking toilet

kypeake · 05-22-2008, 12:18 PM

I have a toilet that I think is leaking around the wax ring but I'm not for sure. Before I pull the toilet I wanted to get some opinions. Here is the situation:

Wife one night goes to clean the bathroom and freaks because she sees water around the toilet on the floor. The rest of the toilet appears completely dry. I had read where you might just be able to tighten the bolts that connect the toilet to the floor so I do that. We use the toilet for approx. 1.5 weeks without any trouble so I think its fixed. Then all of the sudden that water appears again around the base of the toilet. I can clean the water up and flush the toilet 10 times and not see any water. Could it just be a REALLY slow leak around the wax ring or what else should I look for? The toilet does not rock back and forth any and I don't see any sort of crack what so ever. I will say that the flapper does leak some and I just haven't gotten around to fixing it yet. Pull the toilet and replace the seal and while I have it out just look at the other stuff? Thanks for any help.

shan2themax · 05-22-2008, 02:26 PM

In my opinion you should pull up the commode and put a new wax ring..... It is not a difficult task by any means and by not pulling up the commode you arent going to know what is going on underneath the commode.... you will need to check the flooring under the commode and make sure it isnt rotting from a slow leak!

glennjanie · 05-22-2008, 08:48 PM

Welcome Jeff:
There is a sure test for the wax ring; Open the test-tee just outsid your house and drop a small smoke bomb in it. Use a small fan or vacum cleaner on exhaust to move the smoke into the house's drain, waste and vent system. Someone will need to be in the bathroom to see if the smoke leaks out and the bomb dropper will need to make sure smoke comes out the roof vent which means you have covered the system completely.
It is possible that your toilet tank is filling with cold water in a warm house causing condensation on the tank that drips off on the floor. I also recommend a foam bowl ring to replace the wax one because the foam will stay resilient if there is any movement of the bowl.
Shan's opinion about checking the floor condition has a lot of merit too.
Glenn

mstplumber · 05-23-2008, 03:10 PM

Another test you can do is to get some Peppermint Oil at a health food store, get on the roof and pour it down the vent. Have someone smell around the toilet for peppermint. The oil, however, is going to cost lots more than the wax ring and Shan is right, better safe than sorry. A subfloor replacement isn't fun.

majakdragon · 05-25-2008, 09:23 AM

The wax seal replacement is only a few bucks and less than an hours work. While you have the toilet removed, look up into the discharge hole and around the base for cracks. Waiting, while the subfloor rots, is not a good idea and much costlier in the long run.

bazmanblue · 06-20-2008, 08:50 AM

If Sewer odors are constantly noticed in the bath room then you definately need a new wax ring.