Do you notice water puddled at the base of the toilet? Don’t delay. Left unaddressed, your toilet will continue leaking slightly with each flush, allowing dirty water to pool on the bathroom floor and potentially causing potentially dangerous mold damage and rot in the subfloor.
A toilet oozing water at the base often points to a faulty wax ring. This piece of equipment is supposed to make a tight seal between the toilet base and the drainpipe. When it quits working, water may escape every time you flush. Fortunately, it’s easy to find the source of the leak and find the problem. If you determine the wax ring needs to be replaced, we recommend hiring a plumber for quality toilet repair.
Test Your Leaky Toilet
At times, a nearby leak can make the toilet appear to be leaking at the base. Follow these steps to find out exactly where the water is leaking from.
Check for Condensation
The “leak” around your toilet could not be a leak at all. Rather, water vapor might be condensing on the bowl or tank and dripping onto the floor. To check for this, clean up any standing water with a towel and flush the toilet. Look thoroughly —if no more water pools around the base, condensation is the likely cause. Turning on the exhaust fan when you shower is an easy fix.
Examine the Toilet Tank
Feel around the surface of the tank for any moisture. To rule out condensation, wipe up any droplets with a towel. Then, examine it again, checking for loose bolts or cracked porcelain leaking water onto the floor. Tighten any loose bolts you find. If the tank is cracked, you’ll need to replace your toilet.
Inspect the Water Hose
Look at the cold-water supply line on the backside of the toilet. A loose connection, defective hose or worn out shut-off valve sometimes can cause a leak. If tightening the fittings doesn’t fix the problem, you may need a plumber to replace the water supply hose.
Tighten the Tee Bolts
If these troubleshooting tips don’t help, your toilet is most likely leaking at the base like you originally guessed. Before calling a plumber, try tightening the tee bolts that hold the toilet to the floor. You may need to take off the decorative plastic caps with a putty knife or flathead screwdriver to get to the bolt underneath. Be careful not to over-tighten, as this could break the porcelain. If the bolts spin freely, you might need to get new ones.
Look for Signs of a Worn-Out Wax Ring
If bolting the toilet tighter to the floor doesn’t help, a damaged wax ring could be the problem after all. Besides water puddling around the toilet, you may notice a sewage stink, indicating a broken sewer line seal. And if the toilet rocks back and forth, this may mean it’s sitting on a broken flange, the piece of equipment that connects the flush system to the plumbing line. A rocking toilet might also point to a soft subfloor resulting from the leak, which needs immediate attention to prevent the problem from doing more damage.
Hire a Plumber to Replace the Wax Ring
If you determine that a failed wax ring is indeed the problem, resolving it necessitates removing the toilet, replacing the ring and reinstalling the toilet. While it’s possible to complete the fix without a plumbing license, DIY toilet removal is not recommended. Here’s why you should leave the task to a experienced plumber:
- Porcelain is an unforgiving material. If you whack the toilet on the floor or hit it too hard with a plumbing tool, it could break, forcing you to pay for a toilet replacement along with everything else.
- Lifting and lowering the heavy plumbing fixture is a two-person chore. Even then, poor lifting techniques could leave you with an strained back.
- Checking for water-damaged subflooring requires a trained eye. And if any damage has been done, it should be addressed before reinstalling the toilet, something a plumber can help guide you through.
- If you discover the entire flange at the bottom of the toilet is damaged, it will need to be replaced. This is even more difficult than swapping out the wax ring.
- Removing the toilet, making the required fix and reinstalling it can take a few hours, if not longer. You doubtlessly have better things to do, giving you yet another reason to leave the task to a plumber.
Schedule Toilet Repair with an Expert Plumber
At Sunbeam Service Experts, fixing toilet leaks is one of our fields of expertise. Whether you follow the troubleshooting tips outlined above before reaching out, or you want us to handle the whole job from start to finish, we’ve got you covered. Every job is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee,* so sit back, relax, and let us complete the repair. To schedule reliable toilet repair in your neighborhood, please contact Sunbeam Service Experts today!
*Not applicable to the Advantage Program. See your signed Advantage Program Agreement for full details and exclusions. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is subject to certain restrictions and limitations as set forth in the applicable Terms and Conditions.