What causes was seals to fail when they don't rock?

[Neil.Steiner]

I just reassembled a toilet that had suddenly leaked fairly dramatically between the tank and bowl when I flushed (a real plumber helped me with the shutoff valve).

After turning on the water, I checked for leaks and found none. Then I flushed the toilet and noticed a little bit of water coming out under the front of the bowl.

I know that rocking toilets will damage the wax seal, but this bowl has never rocked at all: Not before, during, or after my aforementioned repair. That kind of makes we wonder what might have caused it to fail. I haven't used the toilet for about two months, but I don't believe that should harm the seal.

I do remember that sometime in spring I had a trail of small ants going under the bowl, so I suspected there might be moisture there, but I never saw any evidence of a leak.

And I haven't seen the flange, but based upon some other flooring work in the house, I suspect the toilet has two stacked seals. I guess I or my plumber will get to see what's wrong, but in the absence of rocking, what would cause the seal to leak?

 

[Dj2]

Between the tank and bowl, there is a heavy gasket sitting tightly on the flush tube. Replace it.
The tank is secured to the bowl with 2 or 3 bolts and nuts with rubber washers. Replace them too (make sure they are brass).

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

Not absolutely sure where your leak is...between the flange and the bowl, I think. If the flange is cracked, or it is not attached firmly to the subfloor, it can move when you try to set the toilet. In that case, it may not actually compress the wax to make a decent seal. Or, if the flange is far enough down below where it is supposed to be, even two wax rings may not be enough. Terry likes to use a wax ring with a funnel on top of a 'normal' one when it cannot be sealed with one standard one. The horn of the funnel helps to keep the two wax rings aligned. It also helps if you put the wax rings on the flange, rather than the toilet, as they are less likely to shift when you have the toilet up in the air. When you set the toilet, if you do not feel the wax compressing, there is no seal.

Last, the toilet itself may have a defect, and it has nothing to do with the wax seal at all.

 

[Neil.Steiner]

Jim, I probably won't be able to determine the cause until I remove the bowl. But the bowl has been in place for at least the two years that I have owned this place, so I'm just surprised that the seal on a non-rocking bowl would begin leaking now when it never did before.

dj2, what you describe is exactly what I did yesterday because the tank gasket had indeed developed a leak. But all of that is now fixed and back in place, and the new leak is from underneath the bowl, not between the bowl and tank.

 

[Jadnashua]

If you've used more than one wax ring, and you had a clog, then used a plunger, it's possible to 'blow out' a wax seal (possible, not easy). Normally, when things are installed properly, it's a lot harder to do with a single wax ring.

 

[Gary Swart]

Here's another idea, just a shot in the dark, but did you have occasion to plunge the toilet just before it began to leak? Violent plunge can blow a wax ring out.

 

[Neil.Steiner]

I have never had to plunge this toilet in the two years I've owned the house. That's why I'm surprised to find a leak now.