Vaseline to fix Gasket Leaking(?)

[Aurelia]

Hello,
I live in a 13 year old apartment and the original toilet is an Eljer brand. Downstairs unit had some water leak through their ceiling a few days ago and is guessing it's coming from our toilet.
Supervisors came in and flushed the toilet a few times, but no new water appeared downstairs. So we're not sure if it's a sporadic leak, if it's the toilet, or something else.
Anyways, my parents want to change/fix the gasket of the toilet just in case. They once saw a plumber put in some commercial vaseline before putting the gasket back in and screwing the toilet back in.
They 're wondering if this is a possible way to fix the leak, or should we get a new gasket (or a new toilet altogether)?
Thanks for the help!

Aurelia

 

[Reach4]

I live in a 13 year old apartment and the original toilet is an Eljer brand. Downstairs unit had some water leak through their ceiling a few days ago and is guessing it's coming from our toilet.

Since flushing the toilet cannot duplicate the problem, it seems more likely that you did not have the shower curtain possioned properly some time, or did some big tub sloshing. It is easy to do.

I am not sure where you were thinking of using Vaseline, but Vaseline is not the answer to any question about toilet maintenance or installation.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

While sitting on the toilet, does it move in the slightest? If it does, you need to reset the toilet with a new wax ring and shims to make it perfectly stable. The wax does not rebound if it gets compressed, and then the toilet rocks back the other way creating a gap. Normally, it still won't leak because the outlet of the toilet is smaller than the toilet flange, but if there's any backup it could leak. It would also allow sewer gas to leak into the room.

Petroleum based products are not good to use on anything rubber in a seal (but might not hurt with a wax ring). What they may have seen was silicon plumber's grease, but again, it isn't something you would use on a wax seal.

 

[Aurelia]

While sitting on the toilet, does it move in the slightest? If it does, you need to reset the toilet with a new wax ring and shims to make it perfectly stable. The wax does not rebound if it gets compressed, and then the toilet rocks back the other way creating a gap. Normally, it still won't leak because the outlet of the toilet is smaller than the toilet flange, but if there's any backup it could leak. It would also allow sewer gas to leak into the room.

Petroleum based products are not good to use on anything rubber in a seal (but might not hurt with a wax ring). What they may have seen was silicon plumber's grease, but again, it isn't something you would use on a wax seal.

Thanks for the thorough reply! When I sit on the seat, it doesn't rock, it's pretty stuck on the floor... So we're still not sure what's causing the leak. There also haven't been any spills on the floor from the tub, so continuing to figure out the problem.

We're not entirely sure what the seal is made of since they put the toilet in when the building was built, I'm guessing we may take it apart and then buy parts (since I heard there are different Gasket sizes as well and don't want to get the wrong one).
Best,

Aurelia

 

[Jadnashua]

Assuming this is a floor mounted toilet with an infloor drain, given the age, it almost certainly has a wax ring making the seal. They are a standard diameter, but come in two general thicknesses...a standard one is designed for when the toilet flange is installed on top of the finished floor, and a jumbo if it is lower. If it's recessed too far, sometimes, you may need to stack two together. If it doesn't rock, that seal is probably fine.