What To Do When Your Toilet is Leaking at the Base?

Most people can imagine why the toilet bowl might fill up and overflow when clogged, but a toilet leaking at the base is a different proposition entirely. Neither is pleasant to contemplate, but water dripping from the connection between the tank and the bowl is a far more tolerable proposition, as the water will be relatively clean thanks to the efforts of WaterNSW. Some potential causes of a leaking toilet base are as follows:

The connection between the toilet bowl and the tank

Almost all standard toilets have a wide connecting pipe between the water tank and the bowl, allowing the water to flush when the handle is depressed. This joint necessitates an O-ring, usually rubberised or wax, that can perish over time and leak. If this gasket is loose or cracked, water will find its way past and manifest as water leaking from the base of the toilet. This will only happen when the toilet is flushed, and water rushes past, so it should not necessitate turning the water off entirely. 

If the O-ring is intact, it may be that the connection is not tight enough or has become loose through thousands of micro-movements over time or even an uncommon occurrence like an earthquake. Carefully but firmly shake the bowl and feel for movement. Either way, this toilet seal leaking is the best-case scenario, and tightening the bolts should be enough to remedy the issue within minutes. Replacing the bolts or the O-ring may also be necessary, but that may require assistance depending on your confidence level and capability to handle the task yourself. If in doubt, call us out.

Condensation

In humid areas like bathrooms, moisture can condense on the cooler surface on the underside of a toilet bowl or the tank and connecting pipes. This can give the impression of the toilet leaking around the base, although it is merely condensation collecting and moving from the bowl to the floor. Especially prevalent in toilets that share spaces with showers and the steam they give off when the temperature drops, that moisture finds its way onto the outer surfaces of the toilet and, subsequently, the floor.

This is a dream result compared to others mentioned here, so thank your lucky stars, install an extractor fan for the moist air, or keep the temperature up in the room to prevent condensation. Alternatively, you might install a drip tray at the toilet’s base to collect and empty the water regularly.

Other potential causes of a toilet leaking water at the base

If your toilet leaks when flushed at the base, there are some other potential culprits to be aware of, including:

• Split supply line or loose connection
• Clogged drain line
• Cracked toilet bowl 

None of these is a disaster in the broader scheme of things, but neither are they something you can ignore, and hope will go away. Call in the professionals as soon as you notice the problem, do not allow it to spread, and create new ones as it does so. 

How to fix a leaking toilet base

The straightforward answer to this is don’t. There are some jobs that life is too short to undertake on a DIY basis, and, as far as we're concerned, anything involving a toilet leaking from the bottom when flushed is reasonably high on that list. Luckily, expert, licensed professionals like the ones at Dr Leak Plumbing are more than willing to step in and take the quandary of how to fix a leaking toilet off your shoulders. Pick your battles and leave the unpleasant jobs to those who know how best to handle them.

From the services of an emergency plumber in Sydney to much-needed toilet repairs in Melbourne, we can handle any task, no matter how large or small. Our commitment to the highest standards in everything we do never wavers, and you can rest assured that when you turn to us, you are in the safest hands in the business. When you use our services, you are guaranteed the following: 

• Fair, transparent prices with no hidden fees
• Rapid, effective response
• Free call-outs if booked before 5 pm
• Lifetime labour warranty
• Emergency assistance 24/7
• The undivided attention of trained technicians
• Booking discounts online
• 6-month interest-free payment plans