What To Do When Your Toilet Is Leaking

5 min read

No property owner wants to deal with a flooded bathroom. It can be even more stressful when you find that the leak is coming from your toilet, which can be an overwhelming experience.

If you find that your toilet is leaking, dealing with the problem immediately is key to ensuring the problem doesn’t spread to other parts of your home and cause water damage to your property.

In this case, the best approach is to act swiftly and deal with the problem right away. If the leak has affected your home, you’ll likely need restoration services from a company offering home restoration in Chicago North Shore. Below, we’ll delve into tips to help you deal with a leaking toilet.

What’s Causing Your Toilet to Leak?

Many reasons can cause your toilet to leak but knowing what to look out for is key to resolving the issue. Watch out for the following reasons to determine what’s causing water to leak out from your toilet:

Condensation on Toilet Collects on the Floor

More often than not, water leaking out of your toilet isn’t actually coming from the inside. Sometimes, it could be just condensation forming on your toilet bowl or tank’s outer surface. This is caused by the huge difference in temperature between humid air and the porcelain toilet, which causes water vapor to condense on the toilet surface.

Toilet Is Loosely Attached

Bolts are used to attach the toilet to the floor and strengthen the base. These bolts are typically made from a plastic closet or metal flange. These attachments are used to connect the toilet to the floor right above the sewer line. Over time, the bolts could loosen, which causes the water from the toilet to leak out around the base. Even when the toilet base is sealed with caulk, the seal could come loose due to the water gushing out, causing water to flood your bathroom floor around the toilet.

Faulty Toilet Seal

Aside from the seal around the exterior of your toilet base, your toilet is also sealed with a wax ring under the base. This seal is found underneath the base against the top of the sewer pipe and closet flange and is made from wax. Issues can arise when the wax hardens, loosens or is improperly installed, causing water to leak from the pipes.

Toilet Overflow Issues

In many cases, the water leaking out of your toilet isn’t coming from the base but instead comes from the toilet tank, which causes the water in it to overflow. These issues can be caused by the following:

• Damaged Toilet Bowl or Tank: Despite your toilet being made from durable materials that are built to last, they are still prone to wearing out over time. Cracks can form on the toilet bowl or tank, which can cause the water to leak out.
• Worn Out Toilet Flapper: The toilet flapper blocks water in the tank from reaching the bowl. If it is removed or damaged, water will continue to pour from the tank to the bowl until it overflows.
• Damaged Float: The float is designed to stop water flowing into the tank until it reaches a certain level. Once it’s damaged, water will continue to pour into the tank, causing it to overflow.

How to Fix a Leaking Toilet

Finding water emanating from your toilet and flooding your bathroom floor can be alarming. If that is the case, the first thing you should do is stop using the toilet and turn off its water supply. Then, get to the heart of the issue and work on resolving the problem.

Experts in home restoration in Chicago North Shore recommend the following tips to fix your leaking toilet:

• Equalize Temperatures: The key to preventing condensation is by preventing extreme temperature differences in the bathroom. You can do this by using a heater, installing an exhaust fan in the bathroom to lessen humidity, and taking warm instead of hot showers.
• Tighten Floor Toilet Bolts: A wiggling toilet is a sure sign of loose bolts. Tighten the bolts on your toilet base by removing the plastic cap and using pliers to grip the nut to tighten it. Repeat the process on the other side.
• Tighten The Toilet Tank: Flush your toilet and remove the tank from the base. Remove the old gasket at the bottom of the tank and replace it with a new one in the center drain hole. Then, re-install the tank. If this stops the leaking, then a loose gasket was the issue.
• Replace The Toilet Seal: If you’ve done all of the above and the toilet is still leaking, it may be due to a faulty seal. You can replace the seal by removing its floor connections and lifting the toilet from the floor. Using a putty knife, scrape off the wax remnants and replace the seal with a new ring.
• Fix Cracks Immediately: Cracks in your toilet bowl are never a good sign and can grow over time. In some cases, a hairline crack can be fixed with waterproof epoxy. Unfortunately, replacement is the only option for cracks more prominent than a hairline crack.
• Replace Broken Tank Elements: Faulty tank elements are the likely culprit if the leaking stems from an overflowing toilet. Simply replacing the tank elements and installing them properly can fix the issue.

Fix Your Chicago North Shore Water Leak Problems With Restoration 1

Companies that provide restoration in Chicago North Shore services know that prevention is always better than many quick fixes. For example, when dealing with a leaky toilet, swift action to correct the issue is always the key to preventing water damage on your property. When you’re dealing with a significant problem, Restoration 1 is here to provide restoration for Chicago North Shore water leak issues in your home. Get in touch with Restoration 1 today, your go-to provider for restoration in Chicago North Shore.