If your toilet is leaking from the water supply, the water supply line may need repairing. This is a common and inexpensive repair for your plumber to make. If the toilet rocks when you sit on it, your plumber may need to replace the wax seal.
It costs between $150 and $300 to fix a leaking toilet in most cases. The cost would be a lot more if the leak has caused damage to your floor or if it's a recurring problem.
Do I need a Plumber? Repairing a leaking toilet is something you want completed as soon as possible. Hiring a professional plumber will mean that you don't need to worry about what parts need replacing or whether you have done the job correctly.
Leaking Around the Base of Your Toilet
The worst-case scenario is that the toilet leaks through the floor and causes damage to the room underneath. For this reason, it's best to involve a plumber to pinpoint the cause of the toilet leak and provide a quality solution.
If water is leaking from beneath the toilet, you might be able to stop it by simply tightening the closet bolts that secure the toilet to the floor. Use a putty knife or slotted screwdriver to pry off the caps that are covering the bolts. Then use a wrench to alternately tighten each bolt, a little at a time.
The only-when-flushed toilet leak could be caused by loose mounting bolts or a worn-out wax gasket while the all-the-time leak could be caused by a loose water supply line connection, a problematic water shutoff valve, or a faulty seal between the toilet tank and its base.
When a toilet leaks at the base, with water pooling on your bathroom floor, it's typically due to the failure of the wax gasket that seals the toilet to the floor. This seal should make a watertight connection between the toilet and floor. A leak often means that the wax seal may need to be replaced.
The most common toilet leak is caused by a deteriorated flush valve (flapper) at the bottom of the toilet tank. If the flapper does not seat properly, water will leak into the toilet bowl. Often this leak will occur without being heard.
While leaky sinks and pipes can cause damage to your home, there's a vast difference between a tiny leak that's dripping and a considerable leak that quickly fills buckets of water. A large volume of leaking water is generally considered a plumbing emergency.
If your toilet bowl is leaking, it's smart to turn off the water at the shutoff valve. You will usually find it behind your toilet.
A leaky toilet might not seem like a huge problem, but the water can quickly damage the bathroom walls and floor. External leaks can cause water puddles that can damage a downstairs ceiling, while internal leaks prevent the toilet from holding water properly.
Toilet repair is a simple task and does not require an expensive plumber. Almost no tools are necessary (all you need are some pliers, rib joint pliers, and a bowl to catch the excess water) and it should not take over ½ an hour at the most.
Sewage backup
While a leaking toilet may be covered by your homeowners insurance policy, a flooded or backed-up sewage system is not covered, even though it may overload your plumbing system.
Since the water flows down the sewer, leaking toilets don't necessarily leave any signs of a leak, until you get the bill. The average leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water per day. That's over 6,000 gallons a month ($70.06*) for just one leaking toilet!
Your water and sewer bill could double or even triple in a quar- terly billing cycle. About 20 percent of all toilets leak. Most toilet leaks occur from the tank on the back of the toilet into the bowl, and then into the sewer. They might not make much, if any, noise.
Typically, a running water toilet will waste thousands of gallons of water per month which translates to approximately $200 unnecessarily tacked onto your monthly water bill-- that's nearly $2,500 dollars a year down your toilet bowl. The above scenario is in the case of an extreme toilet leak.
You'll be covered for plumbing leaks if it's sudden, accidental and significant enough that it's discovered right away. But again, most homeowners insurance policies exclude damages that occur gradually.
Put 10-15 drops of food coloring or a dye tablet in the toilet tank. Wait 30 minutes without flushing. After 30 minutes, if the water in the bowl turns color, your toilet tank is leaking. Replace the parts inside your toilet tank.
Again, leaky water is a telltale and common sign of a bad wax ring. If you do not regularly see moisture or puddling water under your toilet, you may be fine. Leaks can, however, happen where you do not see them, under the finished floor and into the subfloor.
A silent leak can be caused by a fill valve set too high.
The fill valve is the part of the toilet that is responsible for refilling the tank after being flushed. Over time, a worn or out of alignment fill valve can become a problem, cause a leak, and wear on valve's components and parts.
It requires no maintenance and can last 30 or more years, often as long as the toilet itself. But sometimes wax rings can dry out, crumble, and fail prematurely. When that happens, they need to be replaced.
The three most common types of toilet leaks are in the flapper, the water supply line, and the wax ring under the toilet. For each type of leak, the first way to try to identify where the leak is coming from is to do a visual inspection. Often, you'll see evidence of water leaks.
Bathrooms. Flex Glue can be used for an assortment of bathroom repairs. Customers often use the waterproof glue to fix toilet tanks, shower tiles, sink pipes, and other bathroom needs. Flex Glue is also mold and mildew resistant, making it perfect for bathroom repairs.