A toilet leaking into the basement can be a serious worry. You could be staring at a significant crisis. Water damage will threaten the foundation of your property, the basement will be subjected to a myriad of damages and you will also have to deal with secondary damage caused by moisture in your property which will persist even if you don’t have enormous volumes of water pooling.
You should always be proactive with a toilet leaking into the basement. Let us explore the causes of why a toilet may leak water into the basement.
Components
A toilet leak often has to do with the fixture itself. There are many components in a toilet that ensure it functions properly. There are seals, wax rings, flush valves and obviously the integration with the pipe for water supply and the drain pipe. Any anomaly in these components can lead to toilet leaking into the basement. If there is a crack or dent in the toilet, then flushing it will lead to water seeping through the floor to the basement. At times, it is the excessive water pressure that forces water through the cracks. At times, the cracks and dents are large enough to allow perpetual seepage of water through the fixture, through the floor onto the basement downstairs.
Review Structure
You can check the commode for structural problems. If you find cracks or fractures, then you should get in an expert. You may want to opt for temporary fixes with putty or mortar. But that would not be a permanent solution. In some cases, the damages are substantial so you may have to get in a new commode. For most cases of toilet leaking into the basement, the commode doesn’t have to be replaced but it is the wax ring and valves that need to be replaced. Defective rings and valves should always be replaced.
Water Supply Lines
A toilet leaking into the basement may also be due to damaged or leaky drainpipes and faulty water supply lines. There can be leaks in any pipes, either inlet or outlet. The water supply lines must have impeccable sealing at all joints, there should be no crack or dent, there should be no physical damage resulting from any cause and you should also ensure that the pipes are capable of handling the water pressure as well as volume.
If there are structural problems with the pipes, be it supply lines or drainpipes, then you should have them repaired. You may have to get them replaced.
