Intermittent Toilet Leaking

[Caxcan]

What could be causing my toilet to leak?

A couple weeks ago, my toilet started leaking, but only when I sat on it to do #2, it would not leak with #1.

I installed a Fluidmaster toilet seal. It stopped leaking for a week.

Then, it started leaking again. I thought maybe the bolts were loose so I tried to tighten them. I tightened the right side and the left bolt, I guess I over-tightened it, something snapped and now it won't tightened at all. It's loose on the left side, but the toilet hasn't leaked, yet.

So, sometimes it leaks, sometimes it doesn't, what could it be?

 

[Jeff Handy]

Are you talking about a leak from the bottom of the tank, or a leak from under the bowl, by the floor?

 

[Caxcan]

Are you talking about a leak from the bottom of the tank, or a leak from under the bowl, by the floor?

Hi, sorry for not specifying, the leak is from under the bowl, by the floor. It drips down forward

 

[Jeff Handy]

You might have snapped the head off of a toilet floor flange bolt.

Or the bolt just slipped out of its retaining notch in the flange.

Or the edge of the floor flange that holds the bolt has cracked and loosened, or broke off entirely.

Meanwhile, your floor or sub-floor might be getting soft from long term slow leaks.

So when you sit the toilet is moving, and the seal is distorting.

Probably time to pull the toilet up again and check all those things.

 

[Caxcan]

You might have snapped the head off of a toilet floor flange bolt.

Or the bolt just slipped out of its retaining notch in the flange.

Or the edge of the floor flange that holds the bolt has cracked and loosened, or broke off entirely.

Meanwhile, your floor or sub-floor might be getting soft from long term slow leaks.

So when you sit the toilet is moving, and the seal is distorting.

Probably time to pull the toilet up again and check all those things.

Thank you .. I'll do that.

 

[Jeff Handy]

If you find that the bolt just slipped out, then you can slide a 5/16 inch stainless or galvanized washer over the bolts then put that under the flange, to make it impossible to pull up through the slot, then another stainless washer on top of the flange, then a stainless hex nut to lock the bolts down to the flange.

A 5/16 inch washer is approx 3/4 inch wide, so it’s wider than the slot in the flange.

This also makes it easier to drop the toilet back on, without the bolts being loose and wiggly.