Toilet Leaking Between Base and Floor
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Nancy asked: My toilet seems to have a tiny bit of seepage between the base and floor. The house is 7 years old; I've owned it for 6 months.
It happens very slowly over a couple of weeks and is fairly consistent all around the base. It's yellowish brown and looks like urine but isn't. After about a month of not cleaning it up, it's about a quarter of an inch out on the floor and all over the caulking between the toilet and floor.
We live in an area with a high water table and wonder if the caulking (or maybe the wax ring) isn't sealing tight enough and this is humidity coming from under the house.
What do you suggest we try first?
Our team responded: The problem you described sounds very typical of a faulty wax seal, which is a common toilet problem. My first course of action in this instance would be to disconnect the toilet and replace that wax ring which sits between the toilet and the floor, they usually only cost a few dollars at any large home improvement store.
While the leak seems to be pretty mild at this point, it should be taken care of as soon as possible. Often, these types of leaks go un-addressed and can lead to more significant damage, such as mold and erosion of your flooring. I highly doubt that this water is coming from humidity or anything similar. I have seen this exact scenario hundreds of times and it is almost always just a leak caused by a bad wax gasket. In regards to the color, most wax seals come in a yellowish brown color when installed, my thought would be that the water passing through is bringing some of the waxy film with it, which is where the color is probably coming from.
If you are unsure as to how to remove or replace the toilet, you can follow along with our guide here http://mycloggedtoilet.com/how-to-replace-your-toilet/
FEATURED REPAIR GUIDES
- How to Unclog a Clogged Toilet
- How to Replace Your Toilet
- How to Fix a Leaking Toilet
- How to Use a Toilet Auger
- Unclog Toilet Using Household Items
PARTS AND SUPPLIES
TOILET REPAIR HIGHLIGHTS
You may enjoy these random highlights from advice and information found right here on the My Clogged Toilet website.
Make sure that you do your research and you will be able to avoid having to pay a plumber to work on your toilet.
A professional that is trained in repairing a clogged toilet will be able to unstop your toilet in a very fast amount of time.
You may have to place the tube back up onto the overflow to get your toilet to stop dripping.
If the water in the floor is not coming from the bottom then you may have a cracked tank.