cast iron pipe is leaking in our crawlspace right under the toilet. Does this mean

[dy]

cast iron pipe is leaking in our crawlspace right under the toilet. Does this mean its clogged and needs to be snaked out? will that stop the leaking water from the cast iron pipe. When you flush the toilet it starts to leak..like a flowing leak right away.

help! any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Cwhyu2]

The first thing I would do is pull the toilet,then pour a 5 gal bucket of water into the pipe and see if it backs up
if backs up into the closet bend then you have a stoppage.
You will have to replace the wax and closet bolts any way.
If it is not a stoppage you will have to get into the crawl space to look at the pipes.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[dy]

hey..thanks for replying
I did go in my 4ft crawlspace and saw the large black cast iron pipe leaking close to the elbow part. The toilet is right above there. The leak was leaking quit a bit..more like a flowing leak,not a drip drip one for sure.

Once the clog is fixed, will it not leak anymore?

 

[Cwhyu2]

Once there is a leak there is always a leak.May not be as much but you have to clear the stoppage first then test as in my first post,no mater what you are going to have to pull the toilet.Is this your only toilet?

 

[Gary Swart]

You could pull the toilet and pour water in to determine whether you have a clog or not. However, if you do have a clog, the next step is to call a plumber to clear the drain. While waiting for the plumber you would either have to reset the toilet with a new wax ring or just wait with the toilet inoperative. If there is not leak, you will still have to call a plumber to make the repairs on the cast iron pipe/fitting. So, in either case, this almost certainly is not a DIY job, and a plumber is in your near future. My advise is to call the plumber before doing anything.

 

[Jadnashua]

The only way it should leak is if it overflowed the toilet...since that didn't happen (did it?), there IS a leak. Now, why it leaked is the bigger question. It could be the pipe is holey, it could have cracked, the wax ring could be shot (does the toilet rock? if it does, when repairing, you MUST shim it so it doesn't), or the toilet itself may have a crack and leak. Most of these scenarios imply two problems: a clog that allows the waste to build up enough to overflow out the leak point, and a leak point itself. You need to fix both problems, starting with the clog (normally).