Why Is My Toilet Leaking At The Base?

Is water pooling around your toilet? If yes there is most likely a leak in your toilet which needs to be fixed. If the water is leaking out the base then it is most likely coming from the bowl. This can prove to be very dangerous especially if you have children and pets in the house. If the problem is left untreated the leak can cause damage to the flooring and other parts of your house. Hence, it is imperative that you get the water leak repaired as early as possible.

Toilets that leak at their base often indicate that there is a problem with the wax ring. A wax ring is a seal which acts like a wall between the toilets’ base and its drainpipe. You can replace the wax ring at home, however, it is always better to get professional help. This blog post provides you with a step-by-step procedure on how to replace the wax ring around your toilets’ base.

Replacing your wax ring is by far the most common fix for a leaky toilet base but before you attempt to fix it do the following two tests to make sure that the issue with your toilet is the broken wax ring.

The Water Could Be Just Mere Condensation On The Tank And Bowl

Before unscrewing the whole toilet and changing the wax ring, test the leaky toilet. The water may be just condensation on the toilet tank and bowl. Sometimes due to the humidity in the bathroom water accumulates on the tank and bowl and seeps from there. This might appear as a water leak. So first soak up all the water with a paper towel and then flush the toilet. If water still comes out then the issue is with the wax ring.

The Bolts Might Be Loose

If the toilet leaks whenever you flush it’s possible that the toilets’ bolts that hold the toilet to the floor may be loose. There are two tee bolts that hold it flush with the floor. They are usually covered with caps, if these bolts are loose they will break the seal formed by the wax ring causing the water to leak every time you flush. What you need to do is tighten the bolts slowly with a screwdriver. However, know that if you over-tighten the toilet base it may crack. If you are unable to remove the cap from the screws or don’t know how to access the screws, it is better to call for professional help. To check if the toilet has been fixed, flush the tank. If you don’t see any water leak out from the base, you don’t have to change the wax ring.

Change The Wax Ring

If after doing the aforementioned tests and water still pools around the base of your toilet you will need to replace your wax ring. To change the wax ring you’ll need to remove the whole toilet. This might require two people and may take up quite a few hours so it is advised that you hire a plumber to do the job for you but if you want to do it yourself, here are some steps you will need to follow.

• First you will need to buy a wax ring from a sanitary store.
• Turn off the water supply and flush the water tank.
• With a cloth clean the water tank and bowl so there is no water left.
• Then unscrew the tee bolt with the help of a screwdriver and move the toilet aside.
• Now take out the old wax ring, remove the flange, and insert the new parts.
• Reinstall the toilet into its position and tighten the tee bolts slowly from the left bolt to the right one.
• Now turn on the water supply and flush to check for leaks.
• Keep on testing the flush for a few days in order to ensure that there are no water leaks and that the leaking is repaired.

Contact Jack’d Up Plumbing

Hopefully your leaking base toilet is fixed, but if you are still facing issues with it you can contact us. We at Jack’d Up Plumbing provide numerous plumbing related services from experienced professionals and at affordable prices. We are a fully insured and licensed company. Contact us for more information.