My home is 5 years old - first plumbing problem.

Our first floor half-bath. I noticed a mold ring forming around the base of the toilet. It's coming from underneath the flooring. No smells/odor - yet. After reading other posts - I'm going to try to remove the toilet, inspect the seal / replace it with a wax seal w/funnel (recommended by speedball1), take up the flooring a little and try to clean/bleach as much as possible, and let it dry out.
Looking up from the basement, I do see mold on the wood surrounding the toilet drain - maybe 4 square inches. How do I handle this? It's not spoongy. Thanks in advance...

Hi JP,

It looks like a ruptured wax seal but before you go to tearing up stuff lets check a little farther. Take a wad of TP and run it all the way around the back of the bowl down to the base, not the floor. Any moisture show up? If so the leak's between the tank and the bowl. If it comes away dry then pull the toilet, clean off the old wax seal and reset with a new wax seal. The funnel's just added insurance. As for the mold, clean it with bleach and repaint if you think it's necessary . Good luck, Tom

Did the TP test. No water anywhere. I'm assuming the seal is bad. I bought a wax extender kit. I'll report back later...

I'm just curious, is your toilet caulked to your flooring? If not maybe water from shower, sink, whatever you can imagine could cause a spill on the floor got under the toilet and just stagnated. It could have soaked in between your flooring and floorboards at the point where your toilet flange is.

It's a very small 1/2 bathroom. No tub/shower. Sink has never flooded. I don't think the toilet has ever overflowed. Should I be caulking around all my toilets etc..

It has its draw backs i.e.. Not easy to service a toilet that's caulked down, I just like to do it after I shim the toilet up and know its not going anywhere for awhile because it makes the floors easier to clean

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jp1216

Should I be caulking around all my toilets etc..?

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All your toilets should have been caulked with Dap White Tub and Tile Caulk around the base when they were installed.. This designates professionalism and neatness and finishes off the installation without unsightly gaps that allow bugs and roaches, (we call them "Palmetto Bugs" in Florida) to create a condominium under the bowl.
That was speaking as a plumber. However it's a prudent idea for a homeowner that pulls and resets his own toilet to wait a few days and check the base for any leaks before caulking. Good luck, Tom

Well - I removed the toilet. Yep, bad seal. Forgot to take a picture. Near the back of the seal, there appeared to be a slight gap. The floor is worse than anticipated. Lots of mold. I'll have to rip up the flooring, cut out some of the floorboard and replace it. Should be fun!
:(