Whats the worst damage youve seen from a failed wax ring?

[Atomic1]

In my experience, a failure of a toilet wax ring causes a small dribble of water that wets the subfloor and rots it out. Has anyone here seen a spectacular failure that resulted in sudden damage to underlying ceilings?

 

[FullySprinklered]

The worst ones were where the wax never actually made contact with the bottom of the toilet. It'll sit there and work forever until the line backs up, then it runs out between the wax and the toilet bowl and dribbles down through the ceiling below, sometimes through a light fixture. The urgency of the situation calls for remedial action long before any significant damage can occur.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

FWIW, the horn on most toilets is barely 2" in diameter, and it is feeding, centered, into at a minimum, a 3" diameter pipe. So, under normal circumstances, it all should go down the drain. That doesn't mean that you won't have sewer gas leaks into the room. As said, though, if there's a clog...all bets are off...if you continue to flush, more and more will just pour out of the gap. Or, depending on which level the toilet is on, and where the clog is, it could just empty the water from your washing machine or shower or...out that gap. Maybe worst case, your flapper leaks, you have a clog, and you're away for an extended business trip or vacation...many thousands of gallons of water could inundate your home.