So you’re not alone if you notice water pooling at the base of your toilet bowl. It’s something that plumbers see all the time, and it can be caused by a number of things, from tank leaks to loose bolts. One thing is for sure, it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with promptly, so you don’t have to deal with any significant problems down the line. In this blog post, we’ll go over some common causes and offer solutions to help keep your plumbing intact during these cold winter months.
Common Causes of Leaks in The Toilet Base Include:
All toilets may leak from their bases for a variety of reasons.
Loose Tee-Bolts.
The two bolts that hold your toilet’s base to the ground are called tee bolts. These bolts are likely to loosen, causing the toilet to rock, resulting in a broken seal. When your tee bolts are very loose, drain water may leak out each time you flush the toilet.
Wax Rings Need to Be Replaced.
If the toilet is loose, the wax ring seal usually needs to be replaced with a new wax ring.
In addition to damage from age, wax rings may require replacement because they have become rigid and inflexible over time. In other words, it no longer has a watertight seal. The result is water seeping through the base.
Cracked Toilet.
This may be caused by putting more than just your body weight on the toilet; impact; or just plain old age. You would notice dirty water and excess water on the bathroom floor every time you flush. Another indicator is that the water level in the toilet is lower than usual. The biggest giveaway of a cracked toilet is the visible crack.
An Unsecured Water Supply Line Exists.
There will be a constant water leak if there is a loose water supply line, rather than just when you flush. You should make sure the rubber seal and the nut on the connection of the supply line to the tank have a tight seal.
A Large Amount of Water Is Condensing on The Toilet.
Most toilet tanks and bowls contain cold water, as do the porcelain bowls. When your room is humid, water will drip from the porcelain on the bowl, causing water to pool at the base of your toilet.
Once you’ve discovered the actual toilet leak’s source, we will know what to do next.
When Should I Call a Plumber?
It’s best to call a professional plumber for anything that concerns the toilet. The toilet manages human waste and is the only connection to the home and sewer pipes. It’s best to leave that to trained professionals who know how to handle black water.
What the Plumbers Are Trained to Do:
In replacing the wax ring seal on a toilet, the plumber would need to shut off the water supply for the toilet tank. To minimize the wetness of the workspace, the tank would be emptied by flushing the remaining contents of the tank and removing the tank lid to make sure it’s empty.
The water supply tube should be disconnected and the tee bolt nuts exposed and removed. The plumber will carefully rock the toilet back and forth and break the seal and slowly remove the toilet and avoid potential damage. With a putty knife, the old wax gasket will also be removed from the bottom of the toilet and from the flange in the floor.
The floor flanges would need to be checked if they needed to be replaced entirely.
After the wax seal has been replaced, the toilet needs to be put back in place securely and tightly.
In the event of a cracked toilet, it would more or less constitute emergency plumbing issues and would need to be addressed immediately. It’s not just a leaky toilet base; it would be best not to put any weight on that cracked toilet. Call a plumbing service and tell them about the cracked toilet. Most plumbers would hook you up with the best toilet models to replace the cracked toilet. Not to mention the instalment of such a fixture.
How to Prevent Future Leaks
Most toilet leaks are caused by wear and tear. Over the course of the toilet’s life of service, wax seals will eventually break, water supply gaskets will leak condensation is natural. The only thing we can actively avoid is putting too much weight on the toilet. The wax seal and the bowl are designed to support body weight at certain angles. Using a toilet for other activities that they weren’t meant for would undoubtedly cause damage.
Regular inspection of your plumbing, including the toilet, would make sure that any plumbing issues are discovered and dealt with before getting too big and expensive. Call the courteous plumbers in Perth at Rowson’s Plumbing Services and ask about regular plumbing checks.
