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PlumbGate

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Location
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I noticed a spot on my kitchen ceiling slowly getting larger. It is now around 6" in diameter. Originally I thought it was the roof leaking (it is right at the sunroom split) but after testing, it is the toilette in the master bath above it. We flushed a few times and after about 3-4 flushed water started dripping. Nuts.

So my plan is to remove the toilette and hope to God it is the wax seal. Easy fix. If it is not, then my next steps are to start ripping stuff apart to find the leak. It is all PVC btw.

My question is should I break up the ceramic tile under the toilette and cut through the subfloor or go at it from below necessitating ceiling repair? The ceiling right now could be fixed with a little putty and some Kilz. It is a very visible section right in the middle of the room and I am not that good at drywall so would have to farm out the finish work if I cut a hole.

What would a plumber do in this situation?
 
Not an expert, but my guess is that it is the wax seal, or possibly the toilet itself.

If it is the plumbing, I would attack it from below. If you start ripping up tile and subfloor, you will have to go from joist to joist when replacing it. Much bigger hole than would be the case from below. To me, drywall repair is far easier.

Good luck!
 
first off.
pull the toilet and replace the wax ring
while the toilet is removed, inspect the wood around the flange for wood rot
if it looks ok, replace toilet

it s a whole lot cheaper to repair dry wall than retile a floor
. some would say to paint the stain with kilz and let it go.
that is an option
I myself, would cut the rock, remove the saturated insulation
then replace the rock and paint the ceiling
 
While the toilette is off I was going to pour a few gallons of water down the pipe to make sure the leak is stopped. If so, wax seal is the culprit. As far as replacing the toilette, since it is cast ceramic why would it leak if not physically broken? Are you thinking this is a factory defect? It is the Kohler toilette the builder put in 18 years ago.
 
Sometimes toilets leak at the joint between the tank and bowl. If the tank is not tight enough, this leak will occur only when the toilet is flushed. To check this, flush the toilet a few times, and feel around the bottom of the tank, the top of the bowl, and the floor. If none of them are wet, that 8s not your problem

The other much less likely possibility is that the bowl is cracked.

I would be willing to bet it is your wax seal, but wanted to point out other possibilities.
 
PlumbGate said:
While the toilette is off I was going to pour a few gallons of water down the pipe to make sure the leak is stopped. If so, wax seal is the culprit. As far as replacing the toilette, since it is cast ceramic why would it leak if not physically broken? Are you thinking this is a factory defect? It is the Kohler toilette the builder put in 18 years ago.
Click to expand...
I think he meant to replace the toilet back on the new seal. Not a new toilet.
 
Agree with frodo. With the exception that I would inspect things in this order:
1) inspect all around the floor area in the toilet. Find out if water is leaking onto the floor from the supply line, the supply valve, or one of the connections (at the supply valve or at the toilet tank).
2) inspect all around the sides of the tank to see if the tank is wet. This could range from the tank bolts leaking to condensation forming and dripping from the tank.

The above are not likely because you discovered that the leak occurs after the toilet has been flushed a few times, but they are free and easy to do.

3) Cut out the drywall section from the ceiling below, about 12"x12". Get a flashlight and find out exactly where the water is dripping from. You will then know if it's coming from the drain plumbing, or from around the toilet seal.

Drywall is relatively easy to repair. The only problem is that it's too small a job for most skilled drywallers, and most handymen are hacks. If I repaired it, you would never be able to tell where the patch was, so it is possible. But it is by far more definitive to see the leak from this perspective.
 
This weekend I replaced the wax seal. I definitely saw evidence of leaking around the old one. I also decided to go with a synthetic seal. I got it all buttoned up and ran a good 20 plus gallons through it with no evidence of leaking below. Sweeet! However, I was seeing some leaking at the tank so I replaced the tank to bowl seals and still leaking. Turns out when I removed the tank and set it against a wall, it toppled over and cracked. I didn't see the crack at first but definitely saw it later after I traced the leak. Nuts! So I ordered a new tank should be in hopefully this week.

Also my dishwasher is not draining now. No sound from the pump at all. Ughh.... I think that's what it is (drain pump). Sad as it is the top of the line Kitchenaid (with the window even). The DW is under parts warranty for 5 years (it is 2 years old) but I suspect they will only cover parts that a repairman installs. It is stupid to pay a repairman $400 for a 5 minute repair so I just ordered the pump. Never ends!
 
Jamesplumbing06 said:
Naw they will send you a pump. Sry I didn’t catch you in time.
Click to expand...

I wanted to get the pump in the mail so I just ordered it over the weekend. I'll call Kitchenaid this morning and see if they will send one too. For $46 I figure this apparently is a wear item and it never hurts to have a spare on the shelf.

Do you know if all the water that wouldn't drain will come out when I remove the pump? Or is it designed in such a way that there will be no or little leakage?
 
PlumbGate said:
I wanted to get the pump in the mail so I just ordered it over the weekend. I'll call Kitchenaid this morning and see if they will send one too. For $46 I figure this apparently is a wear item and it never hurts to have a spare on the shelf.

Do you know if all the water that wouldn't drain will come out when I remove the pump? Or is it designed in such a way that there will be no or little leakage?
Click to expand...


Dishwasher basin should be empty after the cycle is over. Dry basin is normal. You may need to disassemble the inside of basin and cleanout all the funk you can see. Just use the parts diagram as a visual of what pieces to take off.
 
Jamesplumbing06 said:
Dishwasher basin should be empty after the cycle is over. Dry basin is normal. You may need to disassemble the inside of basin and cleanout all the funk you can see. Just use the parts diagram as a visual of what pieces to take off.
Click to expand...

Yeah it will be empty if the pump was working! ;)
 
Ok. Then yeah your gonna break the seal holding water in bottom. Get a towel to soak up all you can first then just be prepared for more.
 
Jamesplumbing06 said:
Ok. Then yeah your gonna break the seal holding water in bottom. Get a towel to soak up all you can first then just be prepared for more.
Click to expand...

Thanks I'll drain what I can then. I also spoke with KitchenAid and they say the only thing covered after a year is like the SS basin. What a joke and a POS. I will never get Kitchenaid again! This thing never cleaned worth a damn anyway.
 
PlumbGate said:
Thanks I'll drain what I can then. I also spoke with KitchenAid and they say the only thing covered after a year is like the SS basin. What a joke and a POS. I will never get Kitchenaid again! This thing never cleaned worth a damn anyway.
Click to expand...

All dish sanitizers are pretty much junk. I hate even calling them dishwashers. I stopped using ours. One day after running truck thru auto car wash. I got to thinking. That’s a big dishwasher. Then I looked at my truck. Lol I ain’t eating off that. So we hand wash thoroughly and then I have hot water set at 150 to sanitize in dish”washer”. So any dishwasher you buy is only as good as the soap and temp of water. I tell people find a pretty one and at least it looks good. They all junk in the end.
 
We splurged about three years ago and got the Bosch that you are talking about. It has light under the door that shines on
the floor so you know its running. My wife loves it. :D And the warranty covers everything for the amount of years that you get.
 
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