Toilet Leaks at Base with Heavy Use

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T

Toxarch

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Location
Weatherford, Texas
The house is on a septic tank with a drain field. I have a 1st floor half bath where the toilet works fine most of the time with occasional use. When there are a bunch of guests and the toilet gets heavy use, there is water on the floor in front of the toilet. It is not leaking at the back by the valve or the tank. So I am wondering if this is a drain issue, a septic backing up issue, or just a failed wax bowl ring.

No problem with any other drains backing up on the 1st floor which is why I haven't decided that it is a septic problem. Never had a septic issue before, septic enzymes are added monthly, however the septic has not been emptied in a long time. Wouldn't I see more problems if the septic were too full? The toilet still flushes and is not backing up. The wax bowl ring has been replaced maybe 5 years ago by a plumber so I would think it would be good but that appears to be where the leak is and it should seal, right? Think I can replace the wax ring and be good?
 
Is the toilet secure or is it a little loose. All the use with a rocking toilet could cause a little leak and with heavy use cause the leak to spread. Like Tom said pull it and replace the wax and make sure it doesn't rock when re setting it.
 
I have a guy coming out to pump the tank. The house was built in 1987 and they didn't have a code and permits for septic until 1988 here so it's a weird setup. I only know of one tank about 50 feet from the house and there is a drain field between the house and the tank. Maybe there's a tank by the house I don't know about. There is definitely not a riser on the tank(s) for pumping them.

I will replace the wax ring just to be sure. There is a tiny tiny rocking to the toilet. I can see how that could cause a leak. I know the plumber had shimmed it in the past with a flattened copper coupler. Is there an ideal way to fix it while the toilet is off?
 
Toxarch said:
The house is on a septic tank with a drain field. I have a 1st floor half bath where the toilet works fine most of the time with occasional use. When there are a bunch of guests and the toilet gets heavy use, there is water on the floor in front of the toilet. It is not leaking at the back by the valve or the tank. So I am wondering if this is a drain issue, a septic backing up issue, or just a failed wax bowl ring.

No problem with any other drains backing up on the 1st floor which is why I haven't decided that it is a septic problem. Never had a septic issue before, septic enzymes are added monthly, however the septic has not been emptied in a long time. Wouldn't I see more problems if the septic were too full? The toilet still flushes and is not backing up. The wax bowl ring has been replaced maybe 5 years ago by a plumber so I would think it would be good but that appears to be where the leak is and it should seal, right? Think I can replace the wax ring and be good?
Click to expand...
when you say heavy use does this happen all year or just when it warms up...could it be condensation???????
 
Geofd said:
when you say heavy use does this happen all year or just when it warms up...could it be condensation???????
Click to expand...
It just started happening. And by heavy use I mean there's 15-20 guests visiting one day and all are using that restroom. First time it happened, I thought maybe the shutoff valve was leaking or someone spilled something on the floor. I put something under the back of the toilet to catch any leaks and it was dry the next time it happened so it has to be coming from under the toilet. With just regular daily use (it's right next to the home office) it never has a problem. And running the shower and toilet upstairs above the 1/2 bath never causes a problem for the 1/2 bath toilet leak. It only happens when there are a bunch of people using the toilet in one day.
 
Somethings not adding up.

In order for this to be a septic issue, it would have to be causing enough of a back up to leak out of the seal under the toilet. This would happen wheather you flushed the toilet, ran the tub, sink or anything. You would notice bubbling in your toilets and slow draining. I doubt your septic is the issue, but sounds like you're due for a cleaning anyways.

The fact that there's was coming out from around the toilet at all, regardless of how many people are using it is a sign that the wax seal is leaking. Replace it.
 
Just for completeness, make sure the water is really coming from under the toilet. Assuming this is a two piece, check the tank to base seal and/or tighten the bolts there. A leak at the tank seal could cause a trickle of water that runs in back where you can't see it. With lots of people, there will be more leaning on the tank which could cause intermittent leaking.
 
Thanks for everyone's input. I finally got around to replacing the wax ring. I ended up using one of the silicone covered wax rings (Perfect Seal Wax Ring from Danco) since the flange was at a slight angle. Part was at tile level and part was below tile level. This wax ring ensured a good seal and appears to be working great so far. I also ended up having to replace the valve at the wall. Unfortunately I did not realize that until after I had installed the toilet.
I still haven't been able to get a call back for emptying the septic tank. Looked down the toilet drain and it was clean for the 2-3 foot drop below the slab. So I guess it is not backed up. Still want to get it drained.
 
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