back to wall toilet leak from supply

[jives]

Hi,

I have a toilet which is a back to wall style. It sits in front of a wooden unit which contains the cistern.

I'd noticed a darkening of the grout between the floor tiles at the base of the wooden unit, and when I took the top off it looks like I have a minor leak when the toilet is flushed.

I don't think it is the soil pipe, but appears to come from the joint where the ccistern pipe connects with the back of the ceramic toilet. Becuase this is all fitted, I cannot see this joint only reach in , but it seems damp.

I'd like to understand how this joint is secured. How does the plastic L shaped pipe from the cistern make a water tight seal with the back of the toilet ?

From wabbling the pipe it seems like it's sealed with a putty of

somesort. would that be right ? Maybe I just need to remate this joint, but the trouble is I'd have to remove the toilet from the floor , so it's quite complex.

The pipe enters the back of the toilet horzontally, not vertically, so I guess some water is able to seep back only the outside of the plastic and drips from there. It only happens for a short time after a flush as I guess eventually no water is left in the cistern pipe.

[Andy]

I can't promise that all loos are the same, but a favourite way to seal the cistern downpipe to the back of the loo is with a plastic flexible flanged seal, often it's done with a clear plastic. It is a simple push-fit. Older loos might well have been sealed with putty.

I had a loo where the waste pipe connection to the soil pipe was sealed with putty, but it would never seal properly and I eventually removed the loo and installed a plastic connector with a multi-flanged rubber seal.

Andy.

[daddyfreddy]

If I understand you correctly it's most likely a pushfit connector like this:

rubber seal sits around the ceramic outlet of the toilet but can become brittle and wear at the bottom where water normally sits, especially with all the cleaning chemicals we dump down our toilets.

I suspect you'll need to move the toilet out to fit unless you have enough clearance to push the pipe back and then pull the connector out.

[Alex]

The connector is called a flush cone and is best replaced with a new one ,a spray with silicone before applying will assist installation.2 types available plastic or rubber,the latter is very difficult to install

[jives]

Thanks, that sounds about right.If I reach down with a torch & mirror it looks like the plastic pipe is sealed at the end with a giant clear plastic washer, which may extend internally as a flange. Possibly the problem is limescale buildup ? Perhaps the limescale accumulates and eventually deforms the seal. I have recently had this happen with a Gaggia coffee maker.

I'm hoping I can clean the whole thing out and reseat without too much deconstruction

[jives]

IN fact it was about right !

I prized out the clear plastic flange and cleaned it while still on the supply pipe. I also cleaned the ceramic inlet on the WC.

I reseated the flange and pushed it home. I think it had previously fouled on the edge of the wood cutout in the cisterm cabinet.

Anyway no leaks.

Many thanks for the replies which were most helpful [e-mail] wrote: