Plus, What to Do if Your Toilet Is Leaking
Whether it’s a busy Monday night or the weekend, the last thing you want to have to deal with is a leaking toilet. It must be dealt with quickly, so if your toilet is leaking, you need to figure out why and quickly make the necessary plumbing repairs.
Toilet Leaking Reason #1: Bolts Are Loose
The tee bolts, specifically. This is the very first thing to check if you find a puddle of unexplained water at the base of the toiled. If bolts have loosed, or worse, broken, a leak can happen from a damaged seal. This is a quick and simple fix anyone can do, even if you’re not Tim the Tool Man! To tighten the bolts, make sure the toilet is level and centered. Use an appropriately sized wrench and turn each bolt until it is tightly secured in place. If it / they won’t tighten, simply replace them.
Reason #2: The Wax Ring Is Damaged
After making sure the bolts are all tightened, it gets a little trickier. If the bolts weren’t loose at all, it’s likely there’s an issue with the wax ring that creates the watertight seal between the pipe and the bottom of the toilet. While they typically last for decades, they can prematurely rot or otherwise fail.
To check the wax ring, you’ll need a few more tools and a little handyworker skill.
First, turn off the water valve that supplies water to the toilet tank. Flush the toilet so there’s as little water as possible remaining. Unscrew the nut that holds the fill valve to eliminate any remaining water, putting a bucket in place to catch any water that may come out. Plunge the toilet several times to help remove water in the based.
Then, unhook the water line and unscrew tee bolts. Carefully lift the toilet and place it on its side on something soft, and you may want to put towels underneath to help prevent any water remaining from damaging anything.
Next, remove the wax ring to inspect it. If it’s not damaged, stop here and contact a plumber. If it is, you need a replacement. You can call a plumber to do this for you, or you may try the repair yourself if you have the knowledge and skill.
If Your Toilet Is Leaking, Don’t Panic, Call the Pros at People’s Choice Plumbing!
If you’ve tried these quick fixes and your toilet is still leaking, or if you’re unable to make the repairs yourself, you should call a plumber as quickly as possible to minimize the damage from a water leak. We hope to be your first choice when you call a plumber in Jupiter or nearby!
For all emergency plumbing repairs, call our pros at 954-397-1795 anytime, day or night!