Is my toilet leaking or do my boys just have REALLY bad aim?

[annettemarie]

OK, this might seem like a straightforward "duh!" kind of question. It seems like my toilet base is leaking, down where it meets the floor. There's a seal or something there, right? I keep cleaning up urine and when I go back in, there's more. The only thing that has me thinking it might be bad aim rather than a leaky seal (and pardon the grossness) is that is seems to be pure dark yellow urine. If it was leaking from the toilet, wouldn't it be someone diluted? Is there a way to tell? I don't want to call a plumber if one of my boys, for reasons unknown to God or man, somehow managed to aim the stream at the base and that's what's leaking out.

This has been your Saturday morning gross-out, brought to you by Nicholas, probably.

[JamieCatheryn]

Yes there's a seal, a ring of some sort, ours leaks some now. The dark color could be from diluted stool if it is coming from toilet waste. But if it seems to be just urine then yeah that's a direct hit from your boys, not from the toilet.

I expect having the seal replaced will cost us a couple hundred so we have to put it off, if it's bad aim consider yourself lucky.

[thixle]

This can be a VERY easy fix if you do it now!

First, clean around the toilet on the floor. Flush and check to see if you can see it seeping. You may have to flush a couple of times and watch for a few minutes. You will most likely see it coming out (it's dark yellow, urine-looking bc the seal is yellow and the water is going through it).

Line up the help of one really strong friend, and go to a home improvement place. Buy a $6 wax ring. Pray the subfloor isn't damaged (if you leave it to leak too long, you'll have to cut out the floor!!!) We've done this a few times (once bc of the leak; once bc the big, strong friend plopped down and broke the bolts; once bc DH put too many shims in; once bc the floor was unstable and we had to buy a stablizing plate -- it's really a very simple fix if you catch it early )

Here's one of the websites I have bookmarked:
http://www.toiletology.com/wax-ring.shtml

Seriously, took us first-timers an hour to change the seal. We got quicker after that. Heck, I bet our time is down to 20 mins now
Any plumber that charges over $60 (time + part) is ripping you off!

[annekevdbroek]

Agree with PP. If it is just the wax ring it is a pretty inexpensive fix, even if you hire a plumber (and then at least you don't have to worry about hefting a heavy toilet or cracking it.....).

[Mama Rana]

I get this, and I JUST had the seal changed for another reason, so I know it's not the seal. L sits to pee, but he doesn't always get his penis tucked into the bowl, so it goes out under the seat, and then dribbles down the bowl onto the floor around the base. Yuck.

Good luck!

[SleeplessMommy]

You can put food coloring into the toilet to check for a leak.

As others have said, the wax seal is a DIY.

[annettemarie]

I'm pretty sure it's a combination of easily distracted boys and the toilet brush caddy being knocked over but we're going away for the night so will try the food coloring thing to be sure. Thanks for all the help!

[boatbaby]

We have the same issue here (though ours is a marine toilet, totally different system). I am slowly determining it's a little bit of both.
DS waits until the last minute to pee and then as he's getting himself situated he starts peeing before he's totally on aim (and is a 4 year old ever really totally on aim) And DH may hate me for this, but marine toilets are short compared to household ones, and for him I think there is a splash back issue b/c the pee has such a long way down to travel.

YUCK.

[mom0810]

ALL boys miss. It not bad aim, it's just they all do it. Even my 38 year old DH misses sometimes. The toilet is not leaking. You would have only water and no pee then. It's just boys missing. Every house with boys in it has pee around the base of the toilet. Every single one. I use a steam cleaner to get rid of it and it does great because it gets what I can't see or smell or reach. Just blast the heck out of it.

[Kim Allen]

My toilet leaked when my sewer was kinda backing up. matter of fact i didnt know anything was wrong with the pipes until my toilet started leaking. If i was draining the bathtub and flushed at the same time it would leak back up into the floor. it smelled like urine and was really gross. ALso it would do it if i was running the washing machine and soap suds would go all over the floor by the toilet. good luck!

[oneKnight]

When DH misses, it's dark urine colored and stinky.

Our wax seal DID leak earlier this year and it was just plain water, that's how I knew the difference.
I agree with the PP's it's a pretty easy fix (if the floor is good) if you have someone who can lift the toilet. We got the 20 year guarantee seal and it cost about $19, hope it lasts the whole 20 years because I expect to move before that long! hehehe

[talia rose]

I have wondered this for years now!

[MayBaby2007]

Originally Posted by talia rose

I have wondered this for years now!

This is OT......

But why is it so hard for boys to pee w/o creating a mess? (I'm sure this question has been asked for hundreds of years).

At my gramma's house, there is always yellow lines of grossness visibly running down the front of the toilet--top to bottom--because of her husband. Dried and thick yellow lines of pee. That's just after one day. I always freak out when dd goes in there. *shudder*

At my house, when dd's dad comes over, my foot always gets wet when I step near the toilet : I used to think the toilet must be leaking. Nope. It's only wet when dd's dad is there.

My male cousins always had the bathroom destroyed. And we babysat a little boy, who not only "missed", but litterally hosed the bathroom down--in the heat vents and all.

Aside from missing completely, why don't most boys at least wipe (or dab) with toilet paper before stepping away from the toilet? (I think that's what dd's dad does--he steps away from toilet and drips and makes messes).

What is so hard about boys peeing w/o making a mess? (Little boys should be excused, of course--but older/grown men? I just don't get it).

Sorry for the OT jibber jabber. Things I've always wondered but never really talked about. *shrugs*

[greenmansions]

Originally Posted by MayBaby2007

This is OT......

But why is it so hard for boys to pee w/o creating a mess? (I'm sure this question has been asked for hundreds of years).
.....

Sorry to continue the OT, but jeez this is one thing that just really baffles me and ticks me off. They just need to sit down when they pee. Problem solved.

And OP, my vote is for bad aim.

[mom0810]

Yep, it's pretty universal. I used to clean houses when I was in college, for spending money, and EVERY home with a man or boy living there had pee around the toilet. Every one. It's so gross. Boys can just be really gross about that. I think that their "stream" isn't always dependably straight.

[annettemarie]

Well, I can't speak for my husband, but my boys seem to view peeing as some sort of sport. They like to start and stop the stream, pee in tandem and "cross the streams" a la Ghostbusters, they have conversations and turn their entire bodies and end up hitting the wall. It's a little maddening.

[mom0810]

HAHAHA!

Yes, boys are quite fascinated with their, um, bodily abilities.

Even if they weren't playing, I asked dh about this because this thread got me thinking. He said sometimes you just can't help it and the stream has a mind of its own. So there you go. That's why bathrooms that boys use are just, well, dirtier.

[greenmansions]

Originally Posted by mom0810

HAHAHA!

Yes, boys are quite fascinated with their, um, bodily abilities.

Even if they weren't playing, I asked dh about this because this thread got me thinking. He said sometimes you just can't help it and the stream has a mind of its own. So there you go. That's why bathrooms that boys use are just, well, dirtier.

Yeah but then why can't they wipe up after themselves? They obviously know when the flow is haywire and they've missed the bowl. My DH is certainly old enough to do so, and so is my DS. Why does it have to be left for me to deal with when it's dried up and making the grout smelly? GRRRR.

[phatchristy]

Maybe I should thank my MIL for teaching DH to urinate sitting down when at home. I mean, how hard is it to sit and tuck it in?

No mess and you never have to deal with someone leaving the seat up!

[mom0810]

Originally Posted by greenmansions

Yeah but then why can't they wipe up after themselves? They obviously know when the flow is haywire and they've missed the bowl. My DH is certainly old enough to do so, and so is my DS. Why does it have to be left for me to deal with when it's dried up and making the grout smelly? GRRRR.

I know. I mean I DON"T know why... but I know what you mean. We are all in the same stinky boat when it comes to cleaning.

I just keep some wipes in the bathroom and wipe up around there every now and then. And the steam cleaner works great, too. Just a part of living with men and boys...