Leaking toilet

[marsaday]

I have just put in a new basic toilet from screwfix. It is leaking though and i am sure it is from the donut washer area.

The bolts which you turn to pull the cistern down onto the pot work fine, and you hear the porcelain bite pretty quick when the two elements come together. So i am thinking the washer is not that good.

Should i buy a new donut washer ?

I have tightened the nut which connects the syphon onto the cistern and so i think this is all ok.

It doesnt leak any more when you flush, but after about 4h's there is a puddle under the toilet on the stone floor.

 

[seco services]

It doesnt leak any more when you flush, but after about 4h's there is a puddle under the toilet on the stone floor.

If you dry the floor and leave a few hours without flushing and the floor is wet again it's not the donut washer at fault.
It'll either be the flush valves not tight/sealed or the fill valve, cistern bolts Or worst an airline crack.

Do the bolts go through the base of the cistern or fit onto a plate ?

 

[marsaday]

Ok, thanks for that.

The bolts go through the base, no plate. The syphon is on pretty good.

The fill valve is on fine as well and no leaks there.

I did think of a crack and thought it may be in the pot. I will have another look at the cistern chamber to see any cracks. Can you see them usually.

 

[Charnwood]

Lay kitchen towel on the floor, watch for the first few drops, look directly above where they land to see where water is emerging from.

Just a thought - it's not condensation, is it?

 

[HERTS P&D]

Put some dye in the cistern, the fault will show straight away. I always do this for customers to show there is No leaks with any work that I have carried out on their toilet.

Andy

 

[marsaday]

Not condensation. Dye sounds ok.

What do you think of this ?

I switched the water off the other day and all the water in the cistern has now gone pretty much.

So i have taken the cistern off and put it on the kitchen table and supported it. It is now full again and i am waiting to see where any leak comes out. Nothing so far. Is this the right thing to do ?

 

[longdogs]

Assuming that the donut washer was new and came with the toilet then, in theory it should work but the fact that you can hear the porcelain 'biting' sounds like it is not sealing the gap.

Has it got a close coupling kit or does it bolt down through the cistern itself? Sometimes water leaks down through the bolt holes. A bit of sealant around the holes (on the inside) before the bolts go in will normally stop it. If you have a sponge washer, you may be able to buy a slightly thicker one.

Is it sitting level?

If all else fails, you can apply some sealant around the donut washer on the porcelain - not professional but it works.

 

[longdogs]

Not condensation. Dye sounds ok.

What do you think of this ?

I switched the water off the other day and all the water in the cistern has now gone pretty much.

So i have taken the cistern off and put it on the kitchen table and supported it. It is now full again and i am waiting to see where any leak comes out. Nothing so far. Is this the right thing to do ?

Sounds like it was leaking through the valve hole then. I always put a bit of sealant around the hole before the valve goes in and a bit more on the underside of the cistern around the top of the thread so that when the back nut is tightened it makes a good seal inside and out.

 

[marsaday]

I have had the cistern sat on the kitchen table all afternoon and it is full up with water.

Only had about 5 drops where the syphon nut on the underside is.

This all means it is leaking much less than when the toilet is all fitted together .

As far as i see, no leaks around the fill valve area or the two screws holding the cistern and pot together.

The washer was new and with the toilet, but is the very thin kind, not the big thick rubber ones you get sometimes.

Should i try a new donut or just try adding silicon to the syphon ?

The toilet is not fully level as floor is out a bit.

 

[seco services]

Should i try a new donut or just try adding silicon to the syphon ?

You can smear a bit of silicon on the rubber washer then re tighten the nut.
Don't worry about the do-nut that only comes into play when toilet is flushed.

 

[marsaday]

Ok will try tomorrow and see how it goes. Prob get it put back together on tues.

 

[marsaday]

I checked the syphon and i had put the washer on the wrong way round so that the flat bit was not sitting on the ceramic bottom of the cistern. Instead i had the ribbed side sitting here.

No leaks now, and thanks for all help.