The resulting damage caused by the Category 3 water damage resulting from a
Contact Your Insurance Provider
For example, if the toilet overflows because of a user error (i.e., flushed too much toilet paper or a toy), it will likely be covered by insurance. However, if the toilet overflowed because of a sewage issue, it likely will not be covered by insurance.
A damaged wax ring not only creates a leak every time you flush your toilet, but it can allow gases from the sewer system to leak into your home.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An improperly installed wax ring may leak. Perhaps the installer used a ring that wasn't thick enough, or perhaps the flange is high enough to lift the toilet off the floor and make it rock. Once water begins seeping through a compromised wax ring, it won't stop. It doesn't take standing water long to rot a subfloor.
First and foremost, a loose toilet will often cause a wax ring to lose its seal and leak. Next, in the event that you have to replace your toilet, your wax ring will lose its seal, so you'll need to install a new one along with your new toilet.
The first sign of a failing wax ring is water that seems to be seeping out of the base of your toilet. Other signs to look for include: Water stains on the ceiling from the floor below. A lingering, unpleasant bathroom odor from escaped sewer gasses.
If the drain pipes are blocked and the toilet's flushing system is broken, water can fill up in the pipes and will eventually lead to toilet overflow. Such cases are generally covered by homeowner's insurance.
The good news is that leakage from a shower pan is damage that is usually covered by your homeowner's insurance policy. However, you should act quickly when you suspect a leak, to make sure you don't miss reporting deadlines in your insurance contract.
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.
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.
Here are some possible reasons why your toilet is leaking at base anytime you flush: Your fill or supply valves are loose. A cracked toilet tank. The flapper isn't shutting as it should over the valve seat, causing the flush valve to leak.
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!
If you're the only person living in your home, flushing the toilet might amount to just several extra dollars each month, but that will increase as the number of people in your household does, and it might not be out of the question for some households to end up spending hundreds of dollars per year—just on flushing ...
A running toilet can quickly turn into a flooding toilet. If you have a septic tank, all of that excess water risks flooding the tank, which can lead to the saturation and failure of your drain field.
$90-$120 is a good ballpark.
If you are having other plumbing work done, they might do it cheaper, and if they have a large travel fee, you may pay closer to $150. Unless there is a problem, it should take them under a half hour, whereas, it might take a novice 1.5-2 hours.
Wax-free toilet seals are made out of a heavy duty rubber, so they're flexible enough to shimmy into the flange without smearing a wax ring. Wax-free seals can also be reused. As long as they're still attached to the bowl in good condition, you can reinstall the toilet without replacing the seal.
You should always consider replacing the toilet supply when replacing the wax seal. If toilet is caulked to the finished floor of the bathroom, score the caulking all the way around the toilet base with a razor knife.