Interesting toilet leak

Jul 01, 2010 23 Replies

Are your waste pipes PVC or Cast Iron ?

It is possible the wax ring has become displaced but you would know for sure it could be that if your toilet "wiggles"... Otherwise the wax ring was installed incorrectly to begin with, or your bathroom was a piss poor remodel with what is called a "double wax ring job" by a handy man or homeowner to make up for a closet flange installed at the incorrect height for the flooring installed...

You might be looking at a crack in the waste piping itself...

~~ Evan

Are your waste pipes PVC or Cast Iron ?

It is possible the wax ring has become displaced but you would know for sure it could be that if your toilet "wiggles"... Otherwise the wax ring was installed incorrectly to begin with, or your bathroom was a piss poor remodel with what is called a "double wax ring job" by a handy man or homeowner to make up for a closet flange installed at the incorrect height for the flooring installed...

You might be looking at a crack in the waste piping itself...

~~ Evan

=========

The waste pipe is cast iron, circa 1956, as is the entire bathroom. No toilet wiggle. I suspect old age or incorrect installation is the issue.

I have Pepto-Bismol pink tile. I wish I could afford a remodeling grenade right now....

Unless the wax ring has been eaten away by something, you will find a hairline fracture in the pipe due to building settling or because of

50+ years of thermo-cycling which cause metal fatigue...

You are in for fun if it isn't the wax ring... Old cast iron piping used hubs and lead sealing in the joints between pipes... Fixing that is definitely a job for a plumber...

~~ Evan

Unless the wax ring has been eaten away by something, you will find a hairline fracture in the pipe due to building settling or because of

50+ years of thermo-cycling which cause metal fatigue...

You are in for fun if it isn't the wax ring... Old cast iron piping used hubs and lead sealing in the joints between pipes... Fixing that is definitely a job for a plumber...

~~ Evan ============

The silver lining here is that it's on the first floor, the piping is totally out in the open below, and this plumber is cheap.

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