Why is My Toilet Leaking at the Base? | Quick Solution!
Have you seen water pooling on the floor around the base of your toilet? If yes, then do not ignore this. Homeowners usually avoid this hoping that it will go away. With time, the water becomes dirty and foul and will cause a sewer smell, which is disturbing. If untreated, it will cause the water damage and the floor, subfloor, and probably ceiling of the floor. The toilet bowl leaking at the base could be fixed, but it is quite a more complicated project than one could think. So, get your leaking toilet fixed and better not allow it to become an indoor swimming pool of dirty and smelly water.
The reason behind the leakage:
Many factors could be the result of the leakage of the toilet bowl. You need to ensure what is the actual reason behind the leakage. Here are a couple of reasons behind the leakage:
Lose tee bolts:
Have you ever noticed the plastic caps around the base of the toilet? These caps cover the tee bolts, which are necessary to hold the toilet in place. The loose or broken bolts become the reason for leakage.
Fixing the tee bolts:
Just by tightening the tee bolts around the toilet may be helpful. Get a screwdriver to pry off the caps that are around the bolts. After that, you need to tighten the bolts one by one. Make sure not to add to much pressure otherwise;, you may crack the base of the toilet. If you are lucky enough, the leakage will be stopped; otherwise, you will need to remove the toilet and fix the wax ring.
Damaged wax ring:
The wax ring seals the toilet. The ring is usually damaged if the toilet is loose or may the wax ring has grown old and is not providing a good seal.
Also Read: Some of the most common plumbing problems that you’ll have to face
How to fix the toilet leak at the base?
You might be able to fix the toilet if it is beneath the toilet. You can easily do it even if you are not a professional just with simple steps.
Fix the damaged wax ring:
If your toilet is still leaking after fixing the loose tee bolts, then you need to fix the wax ring. Following steps are involved in fixing the damaged ring:
- Turn off the water supply to the toilet via a valve behind the toilet.
- Flush the toilet to remove as much watch as you can, and then wipe the water out.
- Unscrew the water supply line and then unscrew the tee bolts as well.
- Put the toilet aside and carefully remove the old wax.
- Now place the newly bought wax ring on the flange.
- Put the toilet back on and make sure it is properly fixed and sealed.
- Tighten the tee bolts and now connect the water supply to the toilet.
- Your toilet is ready to use again.
