Plumbing question regarding toilet?

[demarpaint]

TIA I'm helping a friend from a distance. Second floor bathroom: when the toilet is flushed water is leaking into the room below it. My guess is the waste pipe connected to the toilet might have rotted through? The toilet is secure and no water is leaking onto the bathroom floor, and the water level in the toilet is not going down, it remains at the normal height once the tank refills. I'm going to make a trip there tomorrow and have a look, maybe remove the toilet and get the scope down there. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[skyactiv]

The toilet flange height and or a wax ring could be the issue. Lots are installed wrong supposedly. I'm no plumber.

 

[demarpaint]

The toilet flange height and or a wax ring could be the issue. Lots are installed wrong supposedly. I'm no plumber.

That thought crossed my mind, I got the info over the phone, I'll see it tomorrow. I would have thought there would be some trace of water on the floor if it was the wax ring?

 

[hemitom]

Do you know if it's cast iron ? possible cause.
More likely wax ring issue.

 

[SOUNDMAN5000]

Does the toilet move? Most of the time that can be fixed with a new WAX ring or even a double wax ring if someone had added thicker flooring or something but could be a sewer pipe but most likely the seal, remove toilet and inspect, may have some rot?
I'm no plumber but have owned rental property.

 

[hemitom]

That thought crossed my mind, I got the info over the phone, I'll see it tomorrow. I would have thought there would be some trace of water on the floor if it was the wax ring?

Sometimes people chalk the toilet all the way around the base ! this can mask leaks

 

[demarpaint]

Do you know if it's cast iron ? possible cause.
More likely wax ring issue.

He says the plumbing is cast iron. I just asked him to dump a bucket of water down the bowl to simulate a flush and it didn't leak.

 

[demarpaint]

Does the toilet move? Most of the time that can be fixed with a new WAX ring or even a double wax ring if someone had added thicker flooring or something but could be a sewer pipe but most likely the seal, remove toilet and inspect, may have some rot?
I'm no plumber but have owned rental property.

No that was the first thing I told him to do.

 

[The_Jeff]

Yeah the flange rots at the toilet interface, a lot of the time the bolts/ studs pull out or just rust until they disappear.

Bet if you pulled the throne you'd find the problem.

There are fixes-- repair flanges-- but the trick is working the tile floor so you can run new fasteners through, and/or having more solid flooring in the right places in the first place.

 

[spasm3]

Yeah the flange rots at the toilet interface, a lot of the time the bolts/ studs pull out or just rust until they disappear.

Bet if you pulled the throne you'd find the problem.

There are fixes-- repair flanges-- but the trick is working the tile floor so you can run new fasteners through, and/or having more solid flooring in the right places in the first place.

This. I think the only way is to pull it and see. Also to make sure the subfloor is not being damaged. It may have been slowly leaking for some time. Best to lift it off and check.

 

[hemitom]

He says the plumbing is cast iron. I just asked him to dump a bucket of water down the bowl to simulate a flush and it didn't leak.

Obviously hard to diagnose blind but sounds more like wax ring issue and possibly loose toilet

 

[DukeOfFrontenac]

How old are we talking - is the place 10-30-50-100 years old? Could be a lead 90 that finally failed.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

That thought crossed my mind, I got the info over the phone, I'll see it tomorrow. I would have thought there would be some trace of water on the floor if it was the wax ring?

Not necessarily. Both instances I have dealt with had no leakage around the floor. Leakage noted from below subfloor. Of course inspect the flage closely too.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Good on you for helping your friend @demarpaint

 

[Geekhead]

Good on you for helping your friend @demarpaint

 

[Japanese]

More likely wax ring issue.

This was an issues once at our home. Also when that happens the grout become darker (gets wet) around the toilet. If the grout is wet it's most likely the wax ring.

 

[Geekhead]

TIA I'm helping a friend from a distance. Second floor bathroom: when the toilet is flushed water is leaking into the room below it. My guess is the waste pipe connected to the toilet might have rotted through? The toilet is secure and no water is leaking onto the bathroom floor, and the water level in the toilet is not going down, it remains at the normal height once the tank refills. I'm going to make a trip there tomorrow and have a look, maybe remove the toilet and get the scope down there. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I had a copper waste pipe develop a leak just after the pipe turns horizontal, caused by an impurity in the copper. You can cut it out or just solder on a patch. Also if the wax ring has a plastic funnel built in it can also case leaks by altering how the water flows down the pipe. Youtuber Steven Lavimoniere a plumber in New England hates those funnel rings and claims in most videos that the leaks he fixes are casused by those funnel wax rings. He constantly replaces them with plain wax rings.

 

[demarpaint]

How old are we talking - is the place 10-30-50-100 years old? Could be a lead 90 that finally failed.

The house is close to 100 years old. He said cast iron, I have a feeling he might be wrong. Thanks for all the replies I'm going to give him a hand with it today. I spoke with him last night and said we'd be removing the toilet.

 

[Lubener]

Wax ring is a few dollars and easy to change. That's where I would begin. When the toilet is off, maybe you can see of the sewer pipe is rotted out.

 

[billt460]

Be sure to bring every tool with you that you could possibly need, or think of.