4 Problems That Can Cause a Toilet Leak

2/8/2021 (Permalink)

The toilet in your bathroom is a relatively simple apparatus, but multiple things can still go wrong that cause it to leak water onto your floor. There are four things that plumbers look for to determine the reason behind your leaking toilet.

1. Loose Bolts

Pooling water at the base of the toilet can mean several things. The easiest thing to fix is a loose bolt. Before you call for a plumber in Springfield/Mt. Vernon, try tightening the bolts around the base. If this stops your bathroom leak, that is likely the only thing that was wrong.

2. Faulty Gasket

The wax gasket is the seal that holds the toilet in place. It also keeps water from escaping and damaging your floor. To replace a dry or broken gasket, you have to remove the toilet and scrape the old gasket off the floor. Once you've determined the flange is intact, you can replace the gasket and return the toilet to its position. Most homeowners have the tools to do this themselves, but a plumber can help if you are not comfortable with the task.

3. Broken Valve

If the shutoff valve is broken or malfunctioning, it will probably result in a leaking toilet. Water damage specialists often have to replace walls and flooring when a faulty valve releases a lot of water in a short amount of time. Plumbers can inspect and replace bad valves so that your toilet runs efficiently.

4. Cracked Bowl

If the toilet bowl itself is cracked, water is likely to leak out of it. If you cannot see the crack, it can be difficult to determine the source of the problem. Inspect your tank thoroughly to look for this possibility.
A leaking toilet is often an easy fix, but you want to make sure to fix it quickly. Finding the source of the leak is the first step in doing so.