Leak is below the toilet in the 1st floor ceiling and it only leaks a small amount and only after flushing it. No water appears on the floor near the toilet. And the leak is from the tank water-put food dye in the tank and flushed it and sure enough the leak water was the same color as the tank water. I have a small hole poked in the ceiling drywall so it drains thoroughly after each flush. So is there a leak inside the toilet fixture somewhere then? Need a new toilet?

Thanks;

Bryan

No you need a new wax ring.

I would suggest removing the toilet and then carefully inspect the floor, flange, and piping. You can test the drain piping by pouring water directly into the flange. The flange should be installed with it's outer ring on top of the finished floor. This helps the toilet outlet ( or horn) stay aligned with the funnel shape of the flange, and insures that the wax gasket will never get wet during an uninterrupted flush...

Are there any bubbles when you flush? Back to you, Tom

Bubbles in the bowl? None that I can see. It flushes normally but after each flush there is around a 1/4 cup of clean tank water that leaks into my bucket on the first floor. It is not sewage water-it is water from the toilet tank as I put blue dye in it and then flushed it. The leaking water was colored blue so I know it is the tank water for sure- not the waste bowl water.

So as I understand it the wax seal is for the waste water coming from the bowl. The tank water flows from the tank into the bowl so the leak must be between the tank and the bowl then? Not from the waste water going down the drain where the wax seal sits. And there is zero water sitting on the bathroom floor around the toilet fixture. Could the leak be inside the toilet fixture then? Like a crack in the tube that takes the tank water and flushes into the bowl then?

As I said it only leaks when it is flushed and a small amount only.

Bryan

Flush the toilet a few times. Now take a wad of toilet paper and white down the back of the bowl. If you see moisture then get back and tell me about it. Good luck, Tom

If there is no water on the floor around the toilet then the leak is coming from the connection of the bowl to the pipe and the floor. That is where the wax ring is.

If the leak were between the tank and the bowl it would leak all the time. Naturally the water will be blue, the water goes from the tank to the bowl to the drain. If its blue in the tank its going to be blue no matter where it comes out.

If there is no water on the bath floor and water is coming out of the ceiling below, the leak is at the wax ring or in the drain pipe itself.

Have you tried "flushing" the toilet by pouring (quickly) a bucket of water into the bowl? That would eliminate or confirm any flaw in the tank-to-bowl plumbing?

This really is not rocket science (although modern plumbing standards do border on that, lol). Pull the toilet, clean the closet flange and the bottom of the toilet, reinstall toilet with new wax ring and my bet is your problem will be solved. Google replacing a wax ring on a toilet.

If the wax ring on the floor was bad wouldn't the water leak smell of sewage? That is were the waste water goes down the drain-right? This water leak is clear and does not smell at all of any sewage.

I will try flushing the toilet with a bucket of water down the bowl and see what happens then. That way the tank water stays in the tank and can be isolated as the cause-like the idea and never thought of doing that.

Bryan

Did you try my suggestion and what were the results? Let me know. Tom