I noticed a black stain on our bathroom floor on the left side of the toilet. It wasn't there 2 days ago? My husband said there might be water under the linoliuim. He said it mighit be the toilet leaking. Why would it leak, and why is it only on the left side? Someone help, thanks.

Toilets leak because the wax collar that seals the toilet to the floor flange cracks. This can happen if the toilet wobbles. Why is it only on the left side? Probably because the toilet wobbled to the right and cracked the left side.

The best way to figure this out is to remove the toilet. It might seem like a big job, but it's really not.

1. Shut off the water going into the toilet (usually at the back of the toilet) and flush the toilet. Hold down the flush lever until the maximum amount of water has discharged.

2. Disconnect the water line going into the toilet.

3. Take a large sponge and remove the water from the bowl (no one said that this was going to be fun). Don't worry about getting water on your hands. It's clean enough and you can wash later.

4. Unscrew the floor bolts that hold the toilet to the flange. You'll probably have to remove a cover over each bolt.

5. Lift the toilet straight-up and forward. You may want to use the sponge again in the bowl when you have tilted the toilet forward so as to not get water all over the floor. You might want two people to lift the toilet.

6. Get another wax collar from the hardware store. They're $2 to $3 each. Use a putty knife to remove the existing wax collar. Place the new wax collar on the bottom of the toilet. You might want to get a new set of floor bolts also.

7. Get someone to help you to position the toilet exactly over the flange and set the toilet down. Make sure the floor bolts come through the holes in the toilet's base.

8. Push down on the toilet until it moves down as far as possible. Sit on it to make sure it's down.

9. Put the nuts on the floor bolts and tighten them *gently*! Don't over-tighten or you'll crack the toilet. Replace the water supply tube and turn on the water.

10. Wash your hands.

While the toilet is removed, fix the floor. By the way, it's probably a vinyl floor. Linoleum isn't very common any more.

[QUOTE=rwinterton;1553569]Toilets leak because the wax collar that seals the toilet to the floor flange cracks. This can happen if the toilet wobbles. Why is it only on the left side? Probably because the toilet wobbled to the right and cracked the left side.

The best way to figure this out is to remove the toilet. It might seem like a big job, but it's really not.

Thank you so much for your advise. You really are a big help. I will show this to my husband and we will let you know our progress.