Toilet Leaking at Base? 4 Possible Causes

Mar 29, 2023 | News and Events

Entering your washroom to find a puddle, or worse, around your toilet can make for an anxious few moments. Water damage is a real concern, not to mention the fact that a functioning toilet is really a necessity, and if you only have one restroom in your house, you definitely want to get that toilet working as quickly as possible.

However, water leaking from the base of your toilet is often not nearly as big of a problem as you might imagine at first.

Common Causes Of Toilet Leaks At Base

Let’s look at some of the most common causes for leaks at the base of a toilet.

Problem with the Wax Ring

A common issue is problems with the toilet’s wax ring. The wax ring is the wax seal that seals the area where your toilet goes into the floor below it. If your wax ring has an issue, it can cause water to leak from the base out onto the floor. The good news, however, is that a wax ring is very cheap to replace—even though it does involve a relatively complicated process to replace if you choose to do so yourself.

Condensation

If you are extremely lucky, the water around the base of your toilet may actually be the simple result of condensation. This is more likely to be the culprit if you live in a very humid area. To determine the possibility, you should wipe the toilet bowl down and wait to see if water pools up again.

Loose Bolts

Another common reason for a leaking toilet base is loose bolts. These are the bolts that hold your toilet fixture in place. If they become loose, the toilet’s base will not be firmly fixed to the floor. Tightening these bolts should fix the toilet firmly into the floor and stop the leakage issue if this was indeed the culprit.

Cracked Toilet Bowl

This is certainly one of the more extreme possibilities, but it is a possibility nonetheless. In this case, the crack could be anywhere in the toilet bowl, not necessarily at the base of the toilet. However, due to the water pressure within the toilet, some water will be forced to escape through the cracks and will then run down the toilet bowl. The result is water pooling around the base of the toilet.

In order to fix this issue, the toilet bowl will need to be emptied and then the cracks will need fixing with a waterproof sealant. If, however, water still escapes, it might indicate a need for an entirely new toilet.

If you are in need of kitchen renovation services, Jay Green Plumbing is the choice for remodels in the Comox Valley. Contact us today!