Loose toilet bolts cause your toilet to rock, which leads to leaks and increases the risk of the toilet base cracking. If your toilet is leaking from the base, call a plumber as soon as possible.
yes it can. a loose bolt can let the toilet rock. that will cause the wax seal to break and leak.
Normally, if you tighten the tank bolts carefully a little and evenly from side to side, you can get the tank to nearly touch the bowl. Getting it tight might risk it breaking down the road, but if you just get it to kiss, should be okay. You don't want it to be under any porcelain to porcelain pressure, though.
The most common causes are condensation accumulation, loose bolts, a cracked toilet, impaired wax rings, and a loose water supply line.
My goodness, overtightening flange bolts will cause either the flange slots to fail (inconvenient at best, mega-expensive at worst), or crack the toilet (also probably expensive).
Check the mounting bolts.
See whether you can jiggle either of the bolts underneath with your fingers. If a bolt is loose, simply use a socket wrench to tighten the nut until you feel some resistance. (Beware of overtightening — you don't want to crack the porcelain of the toilet itself.)
Each bolt will have a rubber gasket or washer that helps prevent leaks. Replace these gaskets with new ones. You may want to also replace the metal washers, bolts and nuts as well.
Reasons to Caulk Around a Toilet
Moisture Prevention: Without caulk around the toilet base, external water can seep under the toilet, leading to floor and subfloor damage over time. This is especially important in bathrooms with wooden floors, as prolonged exposure to moisture can lead to rot and structural issues.
A: No, you must remove the toilet to access and replace the flange.
Test the toilet for stability by sitting on it and rocking gently from side to side. If it feels secure and doesn't wobble, you're good to go. If the flange or pipes are loose, cracked or visibly broken, or you have a rotted floor under the toilet, it's a more complex problem.
One reason for a toilet leak from the base might be a loose connection where the tank meets the toilet. Check the connecting bolts. If they seem loose or you can see water gathering in that area, use the screwdriver to tighten them. Approach the bolts from inside the tank and screw downward to create the best seal.
Loose Toilets: Why They're a Problem
The excessive wobbling can cause cracks along toilet bowls and bases, or even misalign the valves or pipes. These issues dramatically increase the likelihood of leaks, so it's important to secure your toilet before they take hold.
Wax Seal. If your toilet still has a leak at the base, it is then likely this is being caused by the wax seal. This is a larger problem: when the seal between the bottom of the toilet and the wax seal has broken, there is not much you can do except replace it.
An undetected toilet leak could waste as much as 5 gallons of water per minute. The most common toilet leak is caused by a deteriorated flush valve (flapper) at the bottom of the toilet tank.
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.
Turn off the water supply, then flush it until it's empty. Get a 3 gallon bucket, fill it with cold water from the tub spigot, and pour it in as needed to flush. Ignore the suggestions to fix the tank with tape or glue. It will leak when you least expect it and ruin floors and anything below it.
The leak's location on your toilet is important in assessing the severity. Leaks occurring at the tank bolts or the toilet base where it meets the floor are more likely to require emergency service. These leaks allow water to spread to places it doesn't belong, behind walls or under floors.
Look at the base of the toilet, and you'll see two tee bolts, which might be covered with caps. If the wax ring under these bolts doesn't form a water-tight seal, the toilet will leak from the base when you flush it. To fix this problem, simply tighten the bolts that hold the toilet to the floor.
Tightening the bolts too much can crack the brittle porcelain of the toilet, for which there is no repair. Check the flange bolt at each side of the toilet, using a pair of pliers or a small wrench. If a bolt is loose, tighten it slowly just until it is snug.
Tighten up the bolts with an adjustable wrench and screwdriver. Use a flathead screwdriver to hold the bolts in place, then take an adjustable wrench and turn the bolts underneath the tank clockwise to tighten them.
The extent to which you tighten the bolts is also important. They should be snug, but not too tight.