Toilet Leaks

[Mjk9234]

My toilet bowl leaks around the base (where the toilet meets the floor) I'am going to replace the wax ring and re caulk around the base, I had the main sewer line cleaned and I still get small leak. any suggestions ?

Thanks Mike K

[Joseph Meehan]

The toilet may have a crack, or some of the work may not have been properly completed.

[jim]

or it might be this: put a glass on a table... there are no leaks in the glass.. now fill up the glass with ice water.. the outside of the glass sweats and rolls down to the bottom of the glass.. does this mean the glass leaks(NO) but it sure looks like its leaking... something to think about before you tear up the toilet.. make sure the ouside of the toilet it not wet from condensation......

[Joe Janecka]

I had a similar problem recently. Toilets rarely leak around the base unless the drain line is stopped up causing a backup.

What I finally discovered was that the leak was around some improperly installed bolts and washers that hold the water tank to the base. It was leaking a small, steady stream around the back of the bowl that was almost invisible to the eye. New washers and bolts, properly installed, fixed the problem.

[Michael Baugh]

"Properly installed" is most important. Properly done, with flapper valve in place, you should be able to pick the filled tank up and carry it around, without a drop of water coming from it.

[MLD]

[Eric Lee Green]

In article , Mjk9234 ruminated:

This is probably leaking from elsewhere other than around the wax ring. here's how to find out:

1. Put red food coloring into the tank. Make sure everything is dry around the base. Wait overnight. Check for water around the base. Is there water around the base? What color is it? If it's red, it's leaking from either the gasket around where the water line goes into the toilet, or the gasket that joins the bowl and tank. If it's clear, there's a leak from the bowl (i.e., replace the toilet).
2. If there's no water around the base: Turn off the water to the toilet. Flush it. Is there now water around the base? If not, congratulations, you don't have a leak (heh!). But I'm assuming there's going to be water around the base now...
3. Suck the water out of the bowl with a wet-dry vac. Remove the bolts holding down the toilet. Pull the toilet up off the gasket and move it forward. Tilt it gently to the side, trying to keep weight off the tank. You should see streaks of red where it leaked, with some pinkish water showing tracks. If it's anywhere other than around the horn, replace the toilet.
4. If it's leaking around the horn, your drain is clogged or not properly functioning, perhaps because whoever installed it did not slope it correctly. The purpose of the wax gasket is to prevent gas intrusion, not to prevent water intrusion. Clean your drain (easy now that the toilet is out!), put a new wax gasket, center your toilet over the hole and push it down onto the wax gasket, and voila.