Troubleshooting leaky toilet

4 years ago

Hey all! Last night we noticed water leaking from a giant wet spot on the first floor bathroom. Hubby cut through the drywall everywhere that it was wet and looked up. The wetness is coming from right below the upstairs toilet. We replaced the wax seal this morning, but water continues to drip down onto the first floor.
The drip is steady, about 4 or 5 seconds between drips. No water appears to be anywhere it shouldn't be upstairs. No leak between the toilet and the floor up there.
Does anyone have a suggestion of what to look at next? We've had quite a few unexpected expenses this month (new tires, new daycare, new formal clothes to be part of a wedding party, and a new garage door, yuck) so the savings is looking a bit thin and I'd really like to avoid calling a plumber of possible.
I'm happy to add pictures of anyone can tell me what I should be photographing.
Thank you so much for any help you can offer.

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Comments (4)

cat_ky
4 years ago
I understand the cash flow problems, but, maybe need to figure it out, because you do need a plumber and this can get much worse, and cost you considerably more if you wait on it, and you end up with more things soaked, and then mold. Little leaks tend to turn into bigger leaks. One thing you can do, is turn the toilet off at the shut off on the floor behind the toilet. Give it a minute or two, and then see if you still have a leak. If you do, then it has to be coming from something other than the toilet. Could be a shower, or a tub, or a sink, or a roof leak that is running down the wall, inside and coming out in that location.
Mika Hutton thanked cat_ky
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Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 years ago
Shut the water off at the main and turn on the faucets, please. This will relieve the pressure in the supply lines. Check for leaks now. If it's still leaking, it's not a supply line, so you've narrowed it down to water coming from the toilet somehow.
Mika Hutton thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
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Mika Hutton
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank both

hank you both so much. @cat-ky, we definitely won't let it just go, but I do want to try every troubleshooting steps we can. If we don't have it solved soon, we will call a plumber.

Sounds like there might be one or two more things we can try to see if it can be narrowed down. We will try all the suggestions and see what happens.
DavidR
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
You need to determine whether the leak is from the toilet supply line, the rubber seal between the tank and the bowl, the flange in the floor, or even the discharge line below the flange.

If you still have drips after following Joseph's suggestions, empty the tank (a wet vac works great for this) and see if the leak abates or stops. Give it some time.

If not, pull the toilet again. Inspect the flange and the toilet mating surface and discharge horn closely. If everything seems normal and intact, no cracks or chips, run water into the flange with a hose and check for drips, This isn't an ideal test, but may reveal gross leaks.

If you see no leaks with the toilet removed, try resetting the toilet again. I don't recommend using another wax seal. In my experience, if the bowl bolts ever loosen and the toilet starts to move a little, the seal is toast.

The last time I set a toilet, I used this. No problems in the 5 years since. Obviously, I can't yet say how well it will perform in the long term.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

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Troubleshooting leaky toilet

Comments (4)

cat_ky

Joseph Corlett, LLC

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Mika Hutton
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DavidR

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Troubleshooting leaky toilet

Comments (4)

cat_ky

Joseph Corlett, LLC

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Mika HuttonOriginal Author

DavidR

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Mika Hutton
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