Common Causes of a Leaking Toilet and Their Fixes

4/14/2021 (Permalink)

Common Causes of Toilet Leaks

A leaking toilet is absolutely no fun. From having to clean up gross toilet water to having to deal with secondary water damage, there are countless reasons you need to suck it up and either invest in professional plumbing services or figure out how to fix the leak yourself. Which you choose to do all depends on the cause of the leak. Below are just four common causes of toilet leaks:

• The wax ring is dry.
• The toilet was improperly installed.
• The tee bolts are loose.
• The flange is broken.

If you don't feel confident in your ability to make an accurate diagnosis and repair the issue yourself, call a plumber. Otherwise, keep reading for repair solutions.

Solutions to a Bathroom Leak

The solution to your leaking toilet all depends on the problem. If the problem stems from a dry-rotted wax-ring, you may have to remove your toilet and exchange the old ring with a new one. This can be kind of a pain to do, as toilets are heavy and what lies beneath them is generally not very pretty. However, if you're strong, and if you can get over the gunk that rests at the base of a toilet, you can save big on making the repair yourself.

If the toilet was improperly installed, you may need to, again, remove the toilet and reinstall it. This is also something you can either do yourself or have a handyman take care of for you.

Loose tee bolts is the best-case scenario. Tightening tee bolts involves nothing more than taking a wrench and twisting the nuts with all your might. Hopefully, tee bolts are your only concern.

If possible, fixing a broken flange is worse than fixing a rotted wax ring. It's also a much more complex process than any of the above fixes, which is why, if the flange is the problem, you should allow your local plumber to do the job for you.

Once the Repair Is Done, It's Time To Cleanup

Once you've fixed the leaking toilet, contact your water damage restoration team to clean up around the leak site and ensure that there is no residual moisture that can cause secondary damage. This final step can save you money and your home.