Hi,

I have a toilet which is a back to wall style. It sits in front of a
wooden unit which contains the cistern.

I'd noticed a darkening of the grout between the floor tiles at the
base of the wooden unit, and when I took the top off it looks like I
have a minor leak when the toilet is flushed.

I don't think it is the soil pipe, but appears to come from the joint
where the ccistern pipe connects with the back of the ceramic toilet.
Becuase this is all fitted, I cannot see this joint only reach in , but
it seems damp.

I'd like to understand how this joint is secured. How does the plastic
L shaped pipe from the cistern make a water tight seal with the back of
the toilet ?


>From wabbling the pipe it seems like it's sealed with a putty of

somesort. would that be right ? Maybe I just need to remate this joint,
but the trouble is I'd have to remove the toilet from the floor , so
it's quite complex.

The pipe enters the back of the toilet horzontally, not vertically, so
I guess some water is able to seep back only the outside of the plastic
and drips from there. It only happens for a short time after a flush as
I guess eventually no water is left in the cistern pipe.

wrote in message 
news:1126706234.300021.199250@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

> Hi,
>
> I have a toilet which is a back to wall style. It sits in front of a
> wooden unit which contains the cistern.
>
> I'd noticed a darkening of the grout between the floor tiles at the
> base of the wooden unit, and when I took the top off it looks like I
> have a minor leak when the toilet is flushed.
>
> I don't think it is the soil pipe, but appears to come from the joint
> where the ccistern pipe connects with the back of the ceramic toilet.
> Becuase this is all fitted, I cannot see this joint only reach in , but
> it seems damp.
>
> I'd like to understand how this joint is secured. How does the plastic
> L shaped pipe from the cistern make a water tight seal with the back of
> the toilet ?


I can't promise that all loos are the same, but a favourite way to seal
the cistern downpipe to the back of the loo is with a plastic flexible
flanged seal, often it's done with a clear plastic. It is a simple push-fit.
Older loos might well have been sealed with putty.

I had a loo where the waste pipe connection to the soil pipe was sealed
with putty, but it would never seal properly and I eventually removed
the loo and installed a plastic connector with a multi-flanged rubber seal.

Andy.

>
>>From wabbling the pipe it seems like it's sealed with a putty of
> somesort. would that be right ? Maybe I just need to remate this joint,
> but the trouble is I'd have to remove the toilet from the floor , so
> it's quite complex.
>
> The pipe enters the back of the toilet horzontally, not vertically, so
> I guess some water is able to seep back only the outside of the plastic
> and drips from there. It only happens for a short time after a flush as
> I guess eventually no water is left in the cistern pipe.
> 

jives@uk.oracle.com wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have a toilet which is a back to wall style. It sits in front of a
> wooden unit which contains the cistern.
>
> I'd noticed a darkening of the grout between the floor tiles at the
> base of the wooden unit, and when I took the top off it looks like I
> have a minor leak when the toilet is flushed.
>
> I don't think it is the soil pipe, but appears to come from the joint
> where the ccistern pipe connects with the back of the ceramic toilet.
> Becuase this is all fitted, I cannot see this joint only reach in , but
> it seems damp.
>
> I'd like to understand how this joint is secured. How does the plastic
> L shaped pipe from the cistern make a water tight seal with the back of
> the toilet ?
>
> >From wabbling the pipe it seems like it's sealed with a putty of
> somesort. would that be right ? Maybe I just need to remate this joint,
> but the trouble is I'd have to remove the toilet from the floor , so
> it's quite complex.
>
> The pipe enters the back of the toilet horzontally, not vertically, so
> I guess some water is able to seep back only the outside of the plastic
> and drips from there. It only happens for a short time after a flush as
> I guess eventually no water is left in the cistern pipe.


If I understand you correctly it's most likely a pushfit connector like
this:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101308&ts=27617&id=15330

A rubber seal sits around the ceramic outlet of the toilet but can
become brittle and wear at the bottom where water normally sits,
especially with all the cleaning chemicals we dump down our toilets.

I suspect you'll need to move the toilet out to fit unless you have
enough clearance to push the pipe back and then pull the connector out.

The connector is called a flush cone and is best replaced with a new one ,a
spray with silicone before applying will assist installation.2 types
available plastic or rubber,the latter is very difficult to install

Thanks, that sounds about right.If I reach down with a torch & mirror
it looks like the plastic pipe is sealed at the end with a giant clear
plastic washer, which may extend internally as a flange. Possibly the
problem is limescale buildup ? Perhaps the limescale accumulates and
eventually deforms the seal. I have recently had this happen with a
Gaggia coffee maker.

I'm hoping I can clean the whole thing out and reseat without too much
deconstruction

IN fact it was about right !

I prized out the clear plastic flange and cleaned it while still on the
supply pipe. I also cleaned the ceramic inlet on the WC.

I reseated the flange and pushed it home. I think it had previously
fouled on the edge of the wood cutout in the cisterm cabinet.

Anyway no leaks.

Many thanks for the replies which were most helpful
jives@uk.oracle.com wrote:

> Thanks, that sounds about right.If I reach down with a torch & mirror
> it looks like the plastic pipe is sealed at the end with a giant clear
> plastic washer, which may extend internally as a flange. Possibly the
> problem is limescale buildup ? Perhaps the limescale accumulates and
> eventually deforms the seal. I have recently had this happen with a
> Gaggia coffee maker.
>
> I'm hoping I can clean the whole thing out and reseat without too much
> deconstruction