The only way to tell how much damage has been done is to remove the
toilet and inspect under it. Any bad wood should be replaced prior to
putting the toilet back. You might want to consider the new non-wax
systems out, they cost a few dollars more and will prevent leaks if your
toilet should rock or shift slightly. This seal or one like it is a
mandatory item to prevent leaking (water & gas). When a proper job is
done the toilet should not rock side to side any at all and it should be
flush with the floor surface. Someone here suggested caulking all
around the toilet base but I would suggest leaving the back side
uncaulked. Reason--you want to know if it ever develops a leak right
away, not after a lot of damage has been done. Good luck.


User wrote:
Goedjn wrote:

On Fri, 03 Mar 2006 11:34:18 -0500, User wrote:


Hi all..

I've got a leaky toilet in the guest bathroom, that's leaking from
the base. It doesn't seem to be any of the valves at the back, they
are all dry. But I suspect it may be the wax ring (That may not have
been the right shape when put in, or may have cracked due to the
movement of the toilet)

Do you have any other suggestions ?




Since the horn of the toilet dumps directly into the pipe, even
leaving the wax ring off completely shouldn't
result in leaking water. You have another problem (probably a
partial clog) *AND* a failed wax ring.



If there's a water stain on the kitchen ceiling (below where the toilet
in the guest bathroom sits above the kitchen celing) then how can I tell
how serious it is ? Ideally, I'd to cover it with some primer and paint,
but not if it's already begun to leak in the sub-floor. How can I tell
if the water has already begun to leak in the sub-floor, or it's just
staying on the floor of the bathroom (where the leaking toilet is ) ?

Thanks again