How to Fix a Leaky Toilet

Few things can cause more inconvenience in the bathroom than a leaky toilet. It makes the floor wet, spongy and slippery. If left unattended for a long time, it can permanently damage the floor. People have been known to slip on such a floor and hurt themselves. A leaking toilet is usually the result of nuts, bolts, rubber gaskets and spud washers in the toilet tank, deteriorating over time due to the action of minerals present in water and oxygen present in the air.

Fixing a leaky toilet is not difficult if you don’t mind doing some manual work. It mostly involves fixing loose nuts and bolts or replacing the corroded or worn out components with new ones. The first step is to determine the point where leakage is occurring and then take action accordingly.

1. Leakage at the tank-bowl connection: If water is leaking at the point where the tank joins the bowl, the leaked water spills on the floor. It is usually caused by loose spud pipe nuts or worn out spud washers. First tighten the spud nuts and see if that stops the leakage. If that doesn’t work, unscrew the whole thing and replace the spud washers with new ones.

 

2. Leakage at the water inlet connection: If water is leaking at the water inlet connection, then the leaked water spills on the floor. It is usually caused by loose locknut and coupling nut or worn out washers and gasket. First tighten the locknut and coupling nut and see if that works. If that doesn’t work, then unbolt the whole thing and replace the worn out washers and gasket.

 

3. Leakage at the toilet flange: Toilet flange is the pipe fitting that connects the toilet drain to the drain pipe. This is also where the toilet sits on the floor. If water is leaking at the toilet flange, then the problem is with the wax ring seal. Remove the toilet, replace the wax ring seal with a new one and put the toilet back.

 

4. Cracks in the bowl or tank: If there are cracks in the tank or bowl, you may use a sealant to seal the cracks, but it is often better to replace the broken area all together.

 

5. Water runs from the tank into the bowl constantly: There could be several reasons for this, including misaligned float ball, bent float arm, jammed lift rod and worn out tank ball and ballcock assembly. If the float ball is misaligned, carefully move the ball to its right position. If the float arm is bent, gently bend it to make it straight. If the lift rod is jammed, drain the water and remove the corrosion. If the ballcock does not shut of water, drain the water and replace either the washers or the entire ballcock assembly. If the tank ball (at the bottom of the tank) does not seal properly, drain the water and remove the corrosion from the valve or replace the ball.

 

Depending on where the leakage is, you may need an adjustable wrench, a screwdriver, a wire brush, nuts and bolts, gaskets and a spud washer to fix a leaky toilet. Before replacing any component, you should try and see if you can fix the problem by removing the corrosion and tightening or realigning the fixtures. Only if that fails to produce the desired effect should you check and replace the parts.

If you are in doubt at any point while you’re fixing your leaky toilet, do not hesitate to call an expert. ExpressRooter is here to help!