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jelder5900 · Jun 23, 2005, 12:54 PM

I have small amounts of water seeping from the base of the toilet around the wax seal. Plumbers have taken up and re-sealed several times once even using plaster of paris to level out the floor. Each time after a few days we see water again. We had plumbers snake out the line, even sent a camera down. They told me that the old drains under the house were cast iron, and that there is a spot that the cast iron meets pvc that they can't get the camera through. They aren't positive they say, but they are telling me that they think the water seepage is caused by a partial obstruction down the line somewhere. Let me say that the toilet flushes fine, doesn't back up, all the plumbing drains the way its supposed to. We even snaked out the vent from the roof to the toilet and they told me there was no obstruction there. My question is... is it possible that some partial obstruction down the line will cause water to back up and come out at the seal even if the line is clear some 80 feet to the obstruction? I ask because they are advising me to break up the concrete on my patio to look for the problem in the drain. HELP!

speedball1 · Jun 23, 2005, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by jelder5900

I have small amounts of water seeping from the base of the toilet around the wax seal. Plumbers have taken up and re-sealed several times once even using plaster of paris to level out the floor. Each time after a few days we see water again. We had plumbers snake out the line, even sent a camera down. They told me that the old drains under the house were cast iron, and that there is a spot that the cast iron meets pvc that they can't get the camera through. They aren't positive they say, but they are telling me that they think the water seepage is caused by a partial obstruction down the line somewhere. Let me say that the toilet flushes fine, doesn't back up, all the plumbing drains jus the way its supposed to. We even snaked out the vent from the roof to the toilet and they told me there was no obstruction there. My question is....is it possible that some partial obstruction down the line will cause water to back up and come out at the seal even if the line is clear some 80 feet to the obstruction? I ask because they are advising me to break up the concrete on my patio to look for the problem in the drain. HELP!

Don't tear anything up until you exhaust all the possibilities. Every once in a while while casting a toilet bowl there will be a small blow hole in the casting. The manufacture of the bowl , instead of junking the bowl, will "float" a porcelain patch over the defect and pass it on through to the public. In time, the patch can fall out and you are left with the condition you describe. If you had a partial clog in the sewer line there would be a bubble of air sent back up the line when the discharge hit the partial clog and the toilet would belch and bubble when flushed. Sounds like your plumbers are stumped and are starting to guess. The fact that the toilet has been reset several times by licensed plumbers tells me that the seal's probably OK. By elimination that leaves the toilet itself. The way I checked for a bowl leak I couldn't see was to pull the toilet and set it up on blocks. I then filled the bowl, marked the water level and let it set overnight. Next day I checked for moisture under the bowl and to see if the level had dropped. It had. I replaced the bowl with a new one and the complaint was taken care of. Don't think too harshly of your plumbers. in fifty years out in the field I've run into most every situation. Now that I'm retired I want to share some of those experiences. Hope this helps, Tom

robbix · Aug 21, 2011, 04:34 PM

We just had this problem on a brand new toilet. I had water on the floor, reseated the toilet several times. Still a leak. We put the toilet bowl up on saw horses and filled it with water. A drop of water appeared on the underside away from the drain hole. Wiped it dry and waited an hour, another drop was visible. So water is seeping through the porcelain, out and onto the floor. I guess the glaze inside the toilet is bad and water can migrate through the porcelain out onto the floor. I will have to buy a new toilet.

speedball1 · Aug 21, 2011, 07:01 PM

You did exactly what I would do when you pulled the bowl and set it up saw horses to check for a defective bowl,
This is a factory defect in the bowl. Sometimes in casting the bowl there is a small bubble in the china. Instead of junking the bowl the manufacture will put a porcelain patch over the hole and send it on through. On occasion the patch will fail allowing the water to seep out.
Take the defective bowl back and have it replaced under warranty. Good luck. Tom