The caulking around the base of our toilet has a slow leak..?

Question

My question is.... should I remove the old caulk and recaulk the base of the toilet where it meets the tile floor.... or is the problem something having to do with the wax seal leaking, therefore causing the leak around the caulk. Thanks.

Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

NOSEWIW & AK have you covered, only thing I could add to there answers USE a wax ring with a rubber flange that fits into the sewer pipe ( closet pipe ) . It's not a hard job to do, on a 1 to 10 scale I'd say3.5--4. Good luck. *

Answer 2

The thought behind caulking around the base of the toilet is to keep the flushed water from entering the house. Assuming the caulking is in good shape then try this. Mix some food coloring in the tank and do not use the toilet for a while. If the colored water appears on the floor then your problem is the seals on the bolts that hold the tank to the bowl have failed.
If not then what kind of shape is the water supply line in? Flush the toilet and look for drip's.
If you find no problem with these items, the only thing left is the wax ring. Other people have described proper procedures to replace that item except this. Make sure the new wax ring is warm which will make the wax more pliable and more likely to provide a good seal. Set the new ring on a heater vent or on top of the water heater while you remove the toilet. That shoud be enough time to warm it up.
I also suggest that you remove caulking around the base of toilets because if the ring does fail the water that leaks out may cause water damage to the floor or drip into the dirt under the house and stink the place up. You won't know it has been leaking and the next thing you will know is that the floor has become spongie and in need of replacement.

Answer 3

Well Im a Plumber and some answers here are ok I guess but
The caulking is only for LOOKS and nothing else.
You have water due to a bad wax ring or a cracked toilet.
Also look under the tank Thats were the tank meets the bowl Alot of time the bolts rust out and start to drip and it makes alot of people think there wax ring is leaking. Also Run you hand all over the outside of the tank IE sides front The back if you can Check for any water If you find nothing then your gonna have to remove the WC (WC=Water closet=Toilet)
When you replace the wax ring make sure you replace the nuts and bolts. Also make sure you get a wax ring with a horn (If you ask at home depot or lows or where ever they will know what I mean.
TIP= Before you put the wax ring down and the WC on top and bolt it down. Put the wax ring in the Sink in HOT water this helps the wax get really soft and it will flow into the right places it needs to be. ( The reason for this is if the wax ring is to cold and stiff and you just put it down and tighten the bolts you could crack the WC while you tighten the bolts.
If you need any other help Feel free to drop me a Line
[e-mail]

Answer 4

Your problem sounds like the wax seal is leaking. Caulk doesnt leak..lol. Turn the water supply off, flush the toilet, then get all remaining water that you can out of the toilet. Take off the two nuts holding the toilet down and also remove the old caulking. Lift up the toilet and inspect the toilet flange for rust or other damage. Install a new wax ring if no further repairs are needed and set the toilet down onto it with firm pressure while rocking it into place. Replace nuts and turn water back on. tada.

Answer 5

The wax ring is leaking. Change it out right away because the floor under the toilet is staying wet if water is leaking out around the caulking. Changing a wax ring is no big deal. Just shut the water valve off, drain the toilet and disconnect the water line, loosen the nuts that hold the toilet down, then gently begin to work the toilet loose by rocking it around. Don't pry it up because you will crack it. It will come loose. Pop up the old wax ring, drop in a new one, and reverse the process. You will be a hero!

Answer 6

The wax seal is probably leaking. You will need to remove the toilet and replace the wax seal. The caulk at the bottom is probably just for looks.

Answer 7

Probably, but check for two other things: There may be a hairline crack somewhere on the toilet bowl. Also, check to see if you're getting heavy condensation on the toilet tank that then traces down to around the bottom of the toilet. This second issue can occur if the bathroom gets very cold over night and then warmed up with a heater in the morning. The water in the tank holds the cold temperature and add a steamy shower in the quickly heated room and there can be significant condensation on the toilet tank.

Answer 8

One more thing to add to all the above... When you lift the toilet and remove the old wax ring, be sure you scrape and clean off as much of the old gunk as possible. Wipe the porcelain dry, and make sure you dry off the floor surrounding the sewer hole before putting in the new ring and replacing the toilet. Wet flooring will stay wet under that wax, and decay fast. A hair-dryer on high or even a fan will help dry it faster. Until you get the toilet replaced, you might also want to plug the sewer pipe hole with a wet rag, as sewer gasses are likely to come out of it. Just remember to pull the rag off before putting the toilet back down!

Answer 9

It's not the caulking that's leaking, that's just for "show" it's the wax ring under it. Your going to have to take the toilet off to do this right. It could be coming from to much plungering.

Answer 10

You are going to have to take the toilet up and replace the wax gasket. There should not be any caulk around the base. If there is, its not going to be pretty when you take up the toilet.