Hello to all,
My wife has asked that I check our 1st floor toilet for a leak. The toilet seems to be pretty stable and from what I can see from the basement it all looks fine.
So what is the best way to go with something like this?
Thanks in advanc for the help
KaiserRoo
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Replies
is it occasionaly filling on it's own or leaving watwer on the floor???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Water on the floor but only noticed when using a papertowl to wipe down the outside. Another words more like a capilary action if you will. I have not seen it pooling in any area on the floor.
kaiserRoo
sometimes toilets will sweat. if the water is really cold and the room really hot.
good chance the terlit is sweating...
cool the room and see what happens...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
>>like a capilary action if you will.<<
Wet at floor at edge of bottom - suspect wax ring, especially if sewer gas smell detected or toilet rocks at all. Dye might show after a flush or two.
Wet at floor under tank - suspect condensation dripping from tank exterior (doubtful in RI in October). No dye will show.
Wet at tank / bowl junction - gasket bad, bolt broken or loose; dye might show.
A few strategically placed paper towels may help you diagnose. Once most paper towels have been wet - even 1 drop - the towel's surface texture will change and be evident even after the towel dries by evaporation.
Good luck, sounds small and pesky.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
I do believe that's it. My guess is that it's the wax ring between the floor and the bowl. I just looked at the floor from the basement and the plywood looks perfect up to this point.
BTW, my wife has wanted a new toilet for the longest time so maybe I'll just kill two birds with one stone.
Now more questions
Other than Toto what toilets install and perform the best. this one gets the most use of all and in a few years when i redo the bath I'll want to keep this new toilet. Any ideas? Also is there any good better best when it comes to wax rings and ss hose for the water supply.
KaiserRoo
Oddly enough, one of the least expensive, American Standard Cadet, shares the best MaP rating - 1000 - for flushing capability among 1.6gal models. The seat that comes with it is flimsy, though.Here's a link to toilet Maximum Performance ratings (MaP)
http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org/uploadedFiles/Resource_Center/Library/products/MaP/MaP_14/Appendix-C-14th-Edition-revised.pdfWax is wax. The ones with plastic cone are helpful for guiding things along.Check out the angle stop while you're at it. Put in a 1/4-turn 1/2" compression outlet one for fastest tank re-fill. BruceT
I second the suggestion that you look at the American Standard Cadet 3 toilet. I also second the recommendation to look at the MaP toilet performance report. There are many good toilets out there. There are also quite a few that are not so good. I have Totos in my house. They are good but they are also quite expensive. I would install American Standard Cadet 3s if I had it to do again. They are available at Home Depot in several models. I like the extended bowl 'right height' model. Its good for old folks with old knees. Cost is about $160. I like 'Church' brand slow closing seats for about $50. They have easy install posts which allow easy seat removal for cleaning without tools. The same system is on some Bemis seats. Bemis also has a slow close seat for about $25. The system is so good that I won't use anything else.
If you're installing a new toilet, you might as well go with low flow. Many municipalities offer credits for replacing an older (4 GPF and up) inefficient one with a low flow model. We recently installed a dual flow Pegasus(4L/6L), imported by home depot. $149 CAD. No complaints so far.65$ federal conservation credit
50$ municipal credit
metered water supply. Should be paid for and saving us money within a year or two. All that and good environmental Karma. There must be similar programs in the USA.It now really jumps out at me how much water is used in older toilets.Adam
We had a toilet that was leaking intermittently, and I couldn't find a leak anywhere. Finally figured out that the fill valve had an intermittent leak, and would sometimes spray water against the tank lid, and it would drip down the back.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
That's unreal - I thought I was the only person unlucky enough to have that same situation.
Finally found it (by sheer luck) by flushing with the tank top off and suddenly seeing a mist appear on the wall behind the toilet - with lid on it would drip from underside of lid, down the back of tank, drip to floor.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Same way I found it, though I also got a squirt in the eye. Probably the same brand of valve. This was in a 1976-vintage Eljer. (Dunno who made the valve, but it was the original.)
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
I just saw the same situation myself. I wasn't there to fix it so I mentioned it to the HO. It was a relatively new Koehler on-piece toilet. I haven't worked on one of those yet so I suggested that they place something on top of the fill valve to redirect the water away from the lid.
The next day, I noticed they had placed a styrofoam cup on top. What the heck, it worked... and it was cheap.
Like IMERC asked - what makes your wife think it is leaking in the first place?
Spontaneous filling? Water on floor?
Bowl water level falling? Got a big dog? Close the lid and monitor water level.....;^)
If spontaneous filling, you can confirm / deny this leak by adding food coloring to the tank and see if the water in the bowl changes color - obviously you have to wait a day or so without flushing to check for color. Leave lid down during test period.......if you have a big dog.....
Jim
Maybe its just bad aim!
The aim could be it though it's usually wide right
Kaiserroo
I doo have two dogs both are miniture short hair dachshunds. One might pee on the bowl if he could get into the room and the other might just be silly enough to jump in but they are not the cause.
One surprising source of "leaks" can be a strong wind. The wind blowing across the rooftop vents will cause the water level in the bowl to bounce up and down, and as it does this water will spill over the edge of the trap and down the drain, resulting in a low water level in the bowl.
Leak possibilities:
Leak from supply line, either at the angle-stop or connection to ballcock. Feel supply line to see if it is wet and where water comes from. Flex hose may just need a 1/4 turn on the connection to the ballcock; slip fittings may need washers replaced.
Crack in tank causing slow leak that drips directly onto the floor or runs down the back side of the bowl and onto the floor. Would occur whether the toilet had been flushed or not. Feel the underside of the tank and outside of the bowl for wetness. replace tank; cracks will just get worse.
Tank bolt gaskets deteriorated. Same symptoms as cracked tank, easier fix; just replace the bolt gaskets
Tank-to-bowl gasket leaking. Occurs only when toilet is flushed; water runs over the top of bowl and down the side. Dry the outside of bowl, then flush and check for wetness. Easy fix; remove tank and replace gasket; might as well replace tank bolt gaskets at the same time
Cracked bowl, leaking onto floor under toilet base. Cracks will be visible in the bowl, water will constantly ooze out from under the base. Dry the floor and use oblique light to see if water issues from under the base. Replace bowl.
Partially stopped up waste line and poor wax ring seal. Happens only after flushing, water oozes out from under the base but stops after a while if the toilet is not flushed. Pull toilet, clean out waste line, replace wax seal and re-set toilet.
I hope this helps.
All great points, Now I need to get the time, and money to nail this.
KaiserRoo
Older toilet fix
I have an older toilet and used a new HydroClean fill valve to reduce the water consumption. It's working out great and even has an alarm to let me know if their is ever a leak. I wish all toilets had all the bells and whistles this thing has.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR0VG_eItaU