Toilet problem; should we be worried?

[babylonsister]

About every 5 flushes, I get a little stream of water that appears to be soaking up from under the terra cotta tile, though the water can't be traced back to the toilet, or even the shower. It doesn't happen every flush, but it's pretty consistent. I guess I should assume there's a leak under the floor?
We had the new tiles installed 2 years ago; I guess this also means we'll have to tear up part of the tile floor whenever my husband realizes that the problem is not going away.
Should I be real worried, and could there be heavy damage happening under the floor?

Thanks.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Yes, there is cause to worry. This could be a serious problem.

Water damage is the worst kind that routinely can attack your house. There are worse problems, but water damage is all too common.

I suspect your problem is a leaky toilet/drain connection. I'd suspect the wax ring, actually, but it could also be pipes.

If I understand your post correctly, the toilet sits in a room with a tile floor and the water is coming up through the tile's grout joint(s). If that's the case, then you have to expect, at a minimum, that the tile will have to be reset and regrouted. Not only has the grout been compromised, but the mastic holding the tile itself has also been compromised. You probably also have damage to the wood floor (if you have wood) below the tile. In any case, you'll have to rip up part of the floor and then wait for everything to dry thoroughly. Leaving things wet - or even damp - can lead to mold formation, if it hasn't already started.

So yeah ....... this could be real serious.

Good luck! And let us know what it turns out to be.

[babylonsister]

2. Thanks, H2S. I'll share this with my husband. I kind of

figured any news wouldn't be good news. And yes, the water is coming up through the tile, but I can see no water trails from either the toilet or shower, so the drain/toilet connections could be the leaky problem.

[Warpy]

3. Water always wins

and ignoring a leak even for a short period of time will make it much, much worse and hideously expensive. Call a plumber NOW.

What's come to my mind is that the wax ring sealing the toilet to the drain pipe has failed. It's not an expensive fix, but it does involve removing the toilet to replace the seal, something most homeowners won't want to tackle.

It could also be a leak in the supply pipe, that's a more expensive fix.

However, unless you want to start repairing whole walls and floors, get it fixed NOW.

[babylonsister]

4. I showed my husband this thread so he's going to

replace the wax ring-soon. I did find out the tile was put down on the concrete foundation so we don't have to worry about wood rotting. Thanks for your advice!

[Stinky The Clown]

5. All may NOT be as well you might think ........

Water on the slab below the tile has, for sure, allowed the slab to absorb some water. That water is actually sewage. The slab MUST be allowed to dry absolutely and completely before you complete the repairs. If you're lucky, the slab is 'dirty' but not unhealthy. How would you know it is not unhealthy? Your nose will tell you. If the slab smells badly, you'll know it needs to be sanitized. Bleach will do it, but you need to get the bleach to soak in as deeply as any sewage did. The whole process could take a week or three .... for the bleach to soak in and then for the slab to dry.

I saw this situation - on a much larger scale - in a nursing home that was a client of mine. The dishwasher had been leaking on the floor. Commercial dishwashers drain their wash tank on a continual basis and refresh it with the spent rinse water. This waste is highly acidic (food 'sludge' is all acidic) and the acid had eaten the floor tile's grout away. Water got under the tile and contaminated the concrete slab. The whole kitchen smelled like a sewage treatment plant. Long story short ..... they had to close the kitchen for over a month and make the repairs I outlined about, but on a FAR larger scale. And they had to pay to have all their meals catered for the entire time the kitchen was closed.

Yes .... water damage is VERY expensive when it finally reaches beyond the point where the repairs ***should*** have been made.

[babylonsister]

6. Ugh-now that's bad news. Thanks again, and I will inform

my husband of this other potential problem; this might inspire him to get busy on it this weekend.