Many of you know I installed a new toilet downstairs after the old one split open along the side of the tank.
Well, last week the grout joints heading out from under the toilet were damp in three directions, leading me to suspect a leak at the wax ring. (I first checked closely for condensation and for leaks at the water inlet and the tank/bowl connection, and I’m also fairly confident it’s not just “bad aim”.)
So today I pull the toilet. Well, right around the drain (a bit of a “well”, due to the after-the fact tile job) it was perfectly dry, and the dampness in the grout lines basically ended just under the edge of the toilet.
So I lifted the toilet for nothing, and a still don’t know what’s causing the dampness. (I suppose it’s possible that the slab simply hasn’t dried out thoroughly from the flooding it got.)
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I believe the Cadet has an insulated tank, but warm summer months can still occasionally produce condensation. Any chance?
Like I said, I checked for condensation. You get some on the feed line if you flush 2-3 times in a row, but that's about it. But certainly it has been humid recently, so maybe when my back is turned.
>>>(a bit of a "well", due to
>>>(a bit of a "well", due to the after-the fact tile job
Any chance the "well" is simply collecting a bit of moisture from cleaning, or splash from the sink or shower, or whatever?
Sounds like you've checked everything else out. I'd reset the toilet with a new ring, and leave it for a month or two to see what happens.
Check
the tank bolts with your fingertips. Sometimes you can get a drip there, in spite of the rubber washer inside the tank.
I've checked that but will check again. My technique for checking for leaks is to use a bit of tissue -- it will show any amount of water as a dark spot, in situations where your fingers can't tell if something's wet or just cold.
If the tissue paper test shows dry on the outside, it's possible that there's a crack thru the china up inside the hollow of the bowl.
Pour dye into the tank, flush, repeat twice more, and then let the dyed water sit in the bowl for a day.(Seems you mentioned that this is a basement toilet that's seldom used.)
Then, of course, you'll have to pull the toilet again to look up inside the hollow of the bowl.
(You should be an old hand at pulling toilets by now, sorry.)
While I had it up I looked for any signs of cracks or leakage in the bowl. The underside was clean and dry, with no salt trails like you'd expect from a slow leak.