One of the worst problems you can encounter in your bathroom is to have a leak around the base of your toilet. These leaks usually occur whenever you flush the toilet, and they often spill dirty water on your floor, creating terrible odors. If you are having such a problem, don't panic! This article offers you a detailed guide on how to fix leaks around the bottom of your toilet so you can prevent damage to the flooring and sub-floor and make your bathroom sanitary once more.

Fasten the toilet tee bolts

Your toilet needs to be firmly secured to the floor so as to prevent water spilling out during flushing. The tee bolts usually attached to the toilet flange are supposed to firmly hold the toilet base and compress the underlying wax ring so as to make the toilet stable and create a watertight seal.

First, position the toilet correctly on the floor and then attempt to tighten any loose bolts with an adjustable wrench. If you notice bolts that are rusty or that just spin around, replace them with new ones so that your toilet is effectively bolted to the floor. 

Replace the toilet wax ring

If tightening the tee bolts doesn't stop the leaking, you may be dealing with a wax ring that isn't properly sealed. A wax ring is typically a rubber padding placed between the toilet base and the floor to create a watertight seal. If damaged, the wax ring will likely let water leak around the bottom of the toilet, creating an unsanitary situation in your bathroom. 

To replace a failed wax ring, you will need to remove the toilet from the floor, which might require professional help or a few extra hands. Next, carefully remove the old wax ring from the bottom of the toilet and toilet flange and remove any debris that would compromise the seal on the new wax ring. Now you can place the new wax ring on the bottom of the toilet and add a filler wax ring if your toilet flange is depressed below the floor line.

Before you bolt the toilet back in place, replace any corroded toilet tee bolts. You can now turn the water back on and flush the toilet to check for further leaking. It would be wise to keep inspecting the seal for a couple of days so as to be absolutely sure the leaking has stopped, after which you can apply caulking around the base of the toilet. The caulking helps prevent water from mopping or spills from getting under the base of the toilet where it can cause mold and odor issues. 

For more help dealing with this kind of issue, contact a company like A Absolute Plumbing & Heating.