Water On Floor Around Toilet

Any ideas on what might be causing water around my toilet every morning?

Day 1: A couple of mornings ago I noticed puddled water on vinyl floor around sides and back of my 2nd floor toilet, about the size of a couple dinner plates. Toilet has tub/shower on one side and sink on other. No evidence it's coming from tub/shower or sink. No evidence of leak from tank or supply line. No condensation. Wiped up water - no water shows up through rest of day

Day 2: Water is back on the floor that morning. Wiped it up, no water shows up rest of day, but I went ahead and replaced wax ring that afternoon, test flushed and checked for leak several times until going to bed - no water or leaks at bedtime.

Day 3: Water is back again in morning. Wiped it up again, no water shows up rest of day. Maybe I didn't get a good seal first time, so that afternoon decided to replace wax ring again, but this time PVC flange broke off at closet bolt slot. Attached Sioux Chief brand stainless steel 'Ringer' over top of flange, caulked under it and screwed it through flange into subfloor. Subfloor is dry and solid under vinyl, flange is now 3/8" above vinyl floor level. Ringer fits tight and solid on flange. Measured and did a dry-fit of toilet over repaired flange, toilet sits flat on floor and there's 3/8" clearance from underside of toilet to repaired flange. Set new wax ring, test flushed and checked for leak several times until going to bed - no water or leaks.

Day 4 (today): Suspect that problem might actually be water splashing from shower or coming over side of tub around shower curtain when daughter showers in morning, I got up at 4:00 am before her shower to check for water on floor - none! Left her a note to check for water before she showers at 5:30 am - she finds water before she showered.

I'm at a loss. No evidence of water on subfloor or on 1st floor ceiling below. Toilet was not flushed any of the nights from when I went to bed until after I found water next morning. How can there be no water leaking all night from basically 6 pm to 4 am, but all the sudden it appears by 5:30 am?

Thanks for any ideas.

Maybe someone needs target practice?

retighten all your fittings from the wall to the toilet. The time you describe is the time that the tower is topped up in many towns and the pressure reaches its daily max.

manintrees said:

Maybe someone needs target practice?

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Especially a guy that's half sleep and refuses to turn on the light. Sucks to get old and have to go during the night...

This is a serious suggestion: get up at 4, get a cup of coffee and a good book, and camp out in the bathroom!

Have you checked by feeling around the nuts that hold on the tank, generally under the flange where the tank sits, and at both ends of the water supply tube??


As others have suggested, a VERY common cause of calls for water on floor around toilet is someone with bad aim. No one ever admits it. Is there a male person in your household? Have you done a smell test on the liquid on the floor. We only ask these questions because it happens SO OFTEN. If most of the plumbers on here had a nickel for every time a problem turned out to be bad aim........well, you know the rest of that line!