Hey folks,
I am hoping you can help me out. Two days ago I started to see water on the floor around the toilet. At first I thought it was some sloppy showering, but then ruled that out. It's definitely water coming out from where the base of the toilet hits the floor. However, I just did the food coloring test. I made the bowl water and the tank water very very blue, and flushed it. The water that came out the bottom was still clear. Do you have any ideas? Thank you very much.

Dave

Look close at where the water line goes into the bottom of the tank. It may be that the leak is there, and running along the toilet and then pooling on the floor. Unless you look close, it often appears to be coming from the base of the toilet when in fact it may be running down the toilet in a small stream that you have not seen yet.

Check that out and let us know.

Also, stand by for more input from our Plumbing Experts.

Try replacing the wax ring, turn water off to toilet, disconnect the water supply, remove water from tank and bowl, remove the toilet nuts that hold the toilet down and remove toilet. You should be able to do this without removing toilet tank. If that does not solve problem you may have a crack in bowl.

If the wax ring was leaking, then Dave would be seeing blue water come out. I'm thinking that it's got to be a supply line leak since the water is not coming out blue.

I would stick with Rick's suggestion check the supply line connections at the angle valve and the nut attached to the bottom of the toilet tank, wrap some toilet paper around the angle valve and the nut wait for some time and check if it is wet if it is you located the source of your problem and the fix is easy, se the image below I have circled both the angle valve and the nut, Thanks.

John

I may of jumped the gun in pulling the toilet and replacing the wax ring. I agree with trying Rick's and John's solution first, but the way I understood the question that the toilet leaks when you flush it, that would be the wax ring. If the tank or toilet supply were leaking it would be a fairly constant leak, but could be a very small leak that you would not notice.

Here's several more things that would cause moisture at the base. Pull the tank lid and give it a flush. If there's water that's spraying up You have located the problem. Another, ( although I don't think this is it) is a partial clog causing a momentary back up. A wax seal will not contain water that floods back intro the seal.
However, if the toilet's flushing normally then it's off the table.
The fact that the water's clear leads me to believe the problem isn't drainage.
Let's check and see.
Take a pad of TP and pat around the pipe that enters the tank. No moisture there?
Now flush and wipe the back of the tank. Let me know what you find. Good luck, Tom

Do the test a number of times... if the wax ring was leaking so quickly that you'ed see the blue right away you'ed have a cracked unit.

If the water comes out blue after a while change the wax ring. Simple job but messy due to the wax. Also get a deep set ring, they make up a lot of voids... Good luck.

Hey folks,
Thank you very much for all of your helpful advice. I don't know why the food coloring wasn't showing, but after pulling off the toilet, it was indeed the wax ring that had gone bad. I think the food coloring just wasn't dark enough.

Thank you,
Dave