Leaking Toilet? Here’s Where to Start
Dealing with a Leaking Toilet? Here Are Your Likely Problems
Before you can look at how to fix a leaking toilet, you need to first figure out where the leak is coming from exactly. When you find there is water on your bathroom floor and you trace it back to find a leaking toilet, you may need a plumber. But before you commit to using a professional, take a moment first to figure out exactly why it’s leaking. You may find it’s a problem you’re comfortable fixing yourself, or at least you’ll be able to better tell the plumbing company you call what’s going on.
Where is the Leak?
When it comes to a leaking toilet, it’s all about where exactly it is leaking from. Outside of just smashing some random hole into your tank or bowl, there are only a few places where you might experience a leak. Depending on where the water is coming from, it may or may not be an easy fix.
Bottom of the Toilet
If water is coming out from beneath your toilet, you’ve definitely got a problem. This is the ‘only when flushed’ toilet leak, and it needs to be addressed quickly. Most likely, when water is leaking from the bottom of the toilet you have loose mounting bolts or a worn-out wax gasket.
You know those white plastic caps at the base of your toilet? Those are not-so-discreetly hiding your mounting bolts. It’s possible your entire leaking toilet problem is that these are loose and need to be tightened. However, if the mounting bolts are loose you may have developed a bigger problem.
Loose bolts followed by a leaky toilet may mean your wax ring is damaged. The toilet may have been rocking and could have damaged the ring it sits on. If this happens, you’ll need to remove the toilet, replace the wax ring, and reset the toilet. This can be difficult and will require two people for a few hours to manage.
A Problem With the Tank
When trying to diagnose a leaking toilet, be sure to check the tank. There are a few bolts securing it in place around which water can leak, as well as the water line coming into it. Many times this is as easy as tightening a bolt or replacing a small part. Finding your leaking toilet has one of these issues is pretty lucky compared to the alternative, as you can probably take care of this yourself for little money and in no time at all. In a two-piece toilet, which is where the tank is a separate piece from the bowl, there could also be an issue with the seal between the two. This may be as easy as removing the tank and replacing the seal to resolve.
However, the tank itself can become compromised. If this happens, you’ll likely need a whole new toilet. Replacing the entire toilet isn’t so easy and requires two people to do. You’ll also need to figure out somehow where to dispose of the old toilet. This is why most people use their favorite local plumbing company if they’re needing a new toilet put in.
It’s Not a Leaking Toilet, It’s Coming from the Wall
There’s a valve coming out of the wall right behind your toilet. There should be a shutoff that you’ll need to turn off before attempting any repairs on your leaking toilet. But what if the leak is behind the shutoff?
When your leak is behind the shutoff either right there where it exits the wall or just inside of the drywall, you need a plumber. Give us a call right away and we’ll come out and help. This is going to require turning the water off to the home, possibly cutting and repairing drywall, and replacing sections of piping.
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