Ajacobs
New Member
Had a toilet on a tile floor that was leaking *very* slightly - like, once every two days a small rivulet of water seeping along the grout on one side around the base - after replacing the wax seal multiple times found that the bowl as loose. I guess that in an effort to not overtighten the bowl each time I'd undertighten so that the bowl eventually worked loose over time. So I went in and started tightening the nuts and sure enough, still plenty of give on the bolt so I tightened until the nuts started to firm up. One quarter turn into *that* and I heard a snap sound....not a crack like with glass, but more like a plastic snap or a pop. Backed off that quarter turn.
However, the toilet is now snug. No more leaking after two days. No dripping in the ceiling heard from the room below when the toilet is flushed or for half a minute afterwards. Even no more times when the toilet would make a hard pumping noise on occasion when the water in the bowl went down. The bolts aren't loose when wiggled, and the nuts are still firm. My guess is I cracked the flange where the bolt comes up but didn't break it. I know I *should* take the toilet back up and check for damage....but after so many months of intermittent leaks and the number of times bringing the toilet up, replacing the wax ring, putting it back down and having problems afterwards every time I did, I'm a little gun shy about doing it again now that the leaks from underneath appear to have stopped.
So my question: should I take the chance and leave it, with a chance of a slow leak soaking into the subfloor if I cracked the flange leading into the wastepipe itself, or should I take it back up and check anyway, and run the risk of restarting this all over again with the slow leaks? I know it's hard to diagnose over the internet, but I'm looking to get a sense of how likely is it I'm in trouble if I leave it?
However, the toilet is now snug. No more leaking after two days. No dripping in the ceiling heard from the room below when the toilet is flushed or for half a minute afterwards. Even no more times when the toilet would make a hard pumping noise on occasion when the water in the bowl went down. The bolts aren't loose when wiggled, and the nuts are still firm. My guess is I cracked the flange where the bolt comes up but didn't break it. I know I *should* take the toilet back up and check for damage....but after so many months of intermittent leaks and the number of times bringing the toilet up, replacing the wax ring, putting it back down and having problems afterwards every time I did, I'm a little gun shy about doing it again now that the leaks from underneath appear to have stopped.
So my question: should I take the chance and leave it, with a chance of a slow leak soaking into the subfloor if I cracked the flange leading into the wastepipe itself, or should I take it back up and check anyway, and run the risk of restarting this all over again with the slow leaks? I know it's hard to diagnose over the internet, but I'm looking to get a sense of how likely is it I'm in trouble if I leave it?