The first thing you do if your toilet is leaking at the base is stop using it. Water from a leaking seal will damage ceilings, structural members, and floor sheathing if left uncorrrected. This water intrusion can also introduce mold and mildew into the living space.
Have you noticed leaks around the toilet? If your toilet wax ring is not sealed properly at the base of your toilet, it can cause health risks to you and your family or structural damage to the subfloor of your bathroom, requiring expensive repairs.
The most likely culprits are the drain line, wax ring, flange bolts, cracks, or water supply line. You can replace a wax ring on a toilet, or you can call in a pro for the job. A pro may recommend replacing parts or the entire toilet. Leaks can lead to expensive water bills and repairs, so quickly investigate.
Obviously, a toilet leaking from base is the last thing you'd want to see when you're off to work in the morning or trying to run some errands for the day. Rather than waiting for your bathroom to turn into an indoor swimming pool, call for local plumber services immediately.
As a result, having a local plumber replace your toilet's wax ring can be anywhere from $75-250 depending on the cost of the trip charge and whether anything else is discovered in the process that needs fixing.
or certainly 20 to 30 years.
Besides leaking, signs that the wax ring may need replacing could be an odd odor seemingly stemming from the area where the toilet meets the floor, or if the toilet itself feels wobbly.
Every toilet in your home has a wax ring connecting it to your plumbing, which creates a waterproof seal to keep what goes down to the sewer from seeping out the sides. This piece of equipment usually lasts as long as the toilet, about 30 years.
A sewer gas smell in the bathroom can be caused by:
broken seal around the toilet in the wax ring or the caulk. A burst pipe. tree's roots have grown into or have caused damage to your sewer pipes. the sewer or main drain has bellied, collapsed, deformed, or deteriorated.
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.
🚽 Caulking Prevents Water Contamination
It could be water splashing out of a bathtub, mop water, water from a shower and even misguided potty training from your young boys who seem to miss the toilet bowl every single time! Without caulk around the toilet base, water can get under there and sit for a long time.
In conclusion, the wax ring on your toilet will most likely never need to be replaced for the lifetime of the toilet. But, it will if you find that the base of your toilet is leaking. Sometimes, leaks at the base can be caused by the bolts being too loose. On the other hand, it could be because of a faulty wax ring.
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.
If the wax ring isn't sealed correctly, it can cause wastewater to leak from the bottom. Leaking water can lead to mold around the floor. A poorly sealed wax ring can also cause foul odors to stink up your bathroom. If you smell sewage or see water leaking, then you may need a new wax ring.
$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.
In your situation, it sounds like the floor has been build up around the flange and it is lower than the floor so they have to put multiple wax rings so the toilet seals down to the flange or use the rubber extension flange.
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.
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.
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.
Think again! Caulk keeps your toilet secure the floor, and avoids any chance of injury or toilet malfunctioning. It's actually required by the International Plumbing Code to caulk a toilet to the floor, and now knowing the reasoning behind it, why would you not want to?
Tighten the Closet Bolts
If your toilet is wobbling or rocking but you haven't noticed any leaks, the nuts on top of the closet bolts may have simply become loose. Using an open-ended wrench, gently tighten the nut on the closet bolt until it feels firm.
The wax ring is exactly what it sounds like: a ring made of sticky wax that helps form a watertight seal between the bottom of the toilet and the sewer pipe. 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.