plumbing contractors

What to Do If Your Toilet Is Leaking At the Base

An expert plumbing contractor will have sufficient experience and knowledge to carefully move the bathroom so that it doesn't crack the tank's porcelain.


It's never a pleasing sight to see puddles of water near the base of your toilet. The water, particularly around the bowl, means leaking at the base. While this is undoubtedly a plumbing problem, this could often go under the radar due it doesn't necessarily across the sight. It's essential to mention this is not much of a difficult task for competent plumbing services in Brisbane. However, the task at hand is marginally complex than the other, regular plumbing issues.

Water leaking around the toilet base could remove the toilet set up to replace the wax ring. An expert plumbing contractor will have sufficient experience and knowledge to carefully move the bathroom so that it doesn't crack the tank's porcelain.

Causes (and Solutions) of a Leaky Toilet Base
While discussing plumbing leakage, it's essential to address the difference between a leak that only gives out water only after flushing and consistent water leaking on the floor. 

If you are struggling with a toilet leak that releases water only after flushing, then the toilet bowl is sourcing the leak. While this leak can effectively damage your bathroom flooring and subflooring, it's unsanitary and unhygienic. 

If your toilet floor is filled with water despite no flushing for once, then the leak is not in the toilet bowl but somewhere else. This water could very well be clean. But it will still damage the flooring tiles nonetheless. 

As mentioned already, both of these toilet leaks may not have an exact cause for the plumbing problem. Similarly, the solutions will be different as well. If your toilet is leaking water when flushed, then the reason could be loose mounting bolts or a worn-out wax gasket. The other scenario where the bathroom is continually leaking through the toilet could be a loose water supply line connection. This could be due to a problematic water shutoff valve or a damaged seal in-between the toilet tank and base. 

Here's a breakdown of the two primary reasons why your toilet base is leaking:
•    Loose Tee Bolts
•    A Damaged Wax Ring

The Tee Bolts Might Be Loose
If you can look around your toilet carefully, you will spot tiny plastic caps. Those plastic caps are effectively covering tee bolts that are pulling together your bathroom in place. It's essential to mention that if those toilet bolts are loosened or broken, they could lead to leaks. The easiest way to address this issue is by calling plumbing contractors. Otherwise, you could also solve this toilet problem by tightening the tee bolts. First, you must take off the tee bolts' plastic caps and use an adjustable wrench to tighten the bolts to stop the leakage. You could also find conditions where you will have to reposition your toilet to prepare a balanced platform to begin drawing the bolts.

Your Toilet Could Have a Damaged Wax Ring
If tightening the bolts did not help your cause, you might have to try the next best alternative. At first, try flushing the toilet to see if the function is working correctly. 

If the water is still leaking out onto the floor, then it's a clear case of failing wax rings. While toilet wax rings are not expensive for purchasing and can be easily replaced without the need for any complicated procedure, you might still need to reposition the toilet.

In the end, it's only noteworthy to mention that if the tee bolts cannot be effectively tightened, you must consider installing new wax rings. This could involve removing or reinstalling the toilet only to put the new tee bolts and the new wax ring in place.

If you are struggling with the above-discussed toilet leaks, you might want to step aside and call professional help instead. Try contacting our folks at Plattsplumbing.com.au. We have amassed a fine reputation for offering expert plumbing solutions. 

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