Toilet base leaking question

[ken.yong]

My Toto toilet base has been leaking for some time now. I hired a plumber and we did a test:

He cleaned up the floor base of the toilet. Bone dry. Turned off the shut off valve and I didn't use the toilet for days. Today there is still water coming out from the base and the plumber suggested cracks on the toilet and I need to buy a new toilet. Also, I smell sewage gas.

I just want to make sure his diagnosis is correct, since I contacted Toto support and they said it's a wax wing issue. My Toto toilet has a rough adapter but I don't know if it makes a difference in this case.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Reach4]

The plumber's suggestion makes much more sense than the Toto suggestion if the water level in the bowl went down. If the level of the water in the bowl stayed up, you should repeat the test, but first remove much of the water in the tank. The reason for that is to make sure that the stop valve was not stopping the water.

If the wax is bad, that would explain a smell. It would not explain the water from a toilet you are not flushing. Bad wax plus a leak from the tank to the floor would make sense, however. I am not a plumber.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

You may have a main line backup if there is water leaking out of the base and it isn't being used. Which model of TOTO is this? Maybe a picture 800 pixels or less.
With a main line backup, and a bad seal, that can happen. I highly doubt there is anything wrong with the bowl. More likely the sealing, which can sometimes take two wax rings.

 

[ken.yong]

It's a Toto Carlyle 1.6GPF One-Piece Elongated Toilet. The toilet base leaked about 5 years since installation. Then a plumber came in to put in 2 wax rings. And then the toilet base leaks again after 2 years.

 

[Reach4]

It's a Toto Carlyle 1.6GPF One-Piece Elongated Toilet. The toilet base leaked about 5 years since installation. Then a plumber came in to put in 2 wax rings. And then the toilet base leaks again after 2 years.

Have you used a plunger? Vigorously?

 

[WorthFlorida]

The cause of multiple leaks over the years could be the waste pipe is moving under the toilet. The best solution now is to remove the toilet and inspect the sub floor for rot, the pipe is well secure to the flange and that the flange sits on top of the floor. A neighbor of mine had sudden serious leak from the second floor toilet. Problem was the waste line was never secured enough and the waste line dropped about an inch pulling away from two wax rings. Terry could be right that there is a back up and the waste water seeps through the wax ring since you can smell sewer gas.

Today, being in the single digit outside temperatures, the extreme cold could be causing the pipes to contract and move especially if you have cast iron or copper waste lines. If it's PVC, doubtful.

 

[Jadnashua]

FWIW, the thermal expansion/contraction rate for PVC is way greater than copper or CI.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Interesting. Thanks for the note.

 

[ken.yong]

OK. Here is what I did after I posted:

I cleared out all liquid from the bowl. After a while I saw some water accumulation. Possibly water leaking from the water tank. Then I added enough water into the bowl to cover the toilet hole (so I wouldn't smell sewage gas). Next I added blue food dye into the bowl. There was still some clear water in the water tank. The water shut off valve remains closed.

After a while, I inserted a piece of kitchen paper towel into the base of the toilet. Saw clear water marks on the paper towel.

In addition, from time to time I heard this "gong" sound coming from within the toilet. Sounds like "flushing" noise but then I wasn't doing anything at all. And whenever I heard the sound, the water in the bowl also vibrated.

N.B. I live in an condo unit with concrete floor. The pipes are metal. Plus, I haven't used a plunger in years.