Leaky toilets… Oh boy…
Toilets are one of life’s more essential items but not something we particularly want to talk about – or work on, ya know? (Insert bad plumber joke here…)
But occasionally your porcelain throne develops an issue of some sort and – well it’s got to be fixed!
A handyman website has to have a toilet picture…ok…maybe not but I can fix leaky toilets like this one!
Here in Victoria I’ve seen many toilets including the two in my house begin leaking around the base. This means that the seal between the toilet and the floor flange has been compromised for some reason and not everything is going down the drain. Most of the time when this occurs it’s because the bowl isn’t secured to the floor properly. It may not have been installed properly to begin with!
Several pottys (getting tired of typing toilet) I’ve re-seated were sitting on ceramic tile that wasn’t flat. So the toilet couldn’t sit level or flat. The original installer just bolted it to the floor flange and left it. It was fine for years but the owner experienced a wobbly stool… and eventually that wobble compromised the seal and the leak eventually became evident. I say eventually because when I pulled the commode up, there was evidence that it had been leaking for a long time. Bottom line is…(see what I did there?)…if your toilet wobbles or wiggles when you sit upon it, it’s probably already leaking a little whether you realize it or not. If it’s on a wood floor, you’ll be rotting out the floor. If it’s on a concrete slab, water may be going down between the slab and the drain pipe.
Don’t tolerate a rocking toilet. It won’t get better and it might create damage underneath. To remedy the problem the commode just needs to be re-seated, new wax ring seal installed and shims placed so it sits level and doesn’t wobble.
Another place toilets may leak is between the tank and the bowl. It’s rare, but I’ve had to replace those seals as well. Sometimes a fracture can develop and it’s hard to tell if the leak is coming from the seal or somewhere else. Bolts that are over tightened or maybe the tank got bumped during a wrestling match that went down in the bathroom… I don’t know how this stuff happens!
If it’s the seal between the tank and bowl that needs to be repaired, I’ll need to know the brand of toilet you’ve got. They vary and some of them can be a pain to install. Kohler…I’m talking to you! Oh, it’s not so bad…a lot depends on the condition of the bolts and that depends on the water that’s been working on them for years. Sometimes the bolts can’t be removed because of the corrosion – and cutting bolts under a potty tank… Yeah… that’s why you call me.
If you hear the sound of water running and don’t see a leak, it’s probably just the flapper valve inside the tank. The valve assembly may be bad as well or the float out of adjustment. It’s funny that something as simple as a commode can be so complicated and I’ve written over 500 words about fixing a leaky toilet.
Regardless your commode issue, I can repair it – or replace it. And if you want me to dispose of the old one I can do that as well for an extra charge.
