Water level dropping in toilet bowl - where's it going?

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

sounds like a wax ring to me. Very easy fix.

[DPW928]

R Wilco,

Thought the same thing when I first read about his problem, then I reread it. His leaking is in the bowl, not the tank.

[914GT]

Phoenix has had some strong winds lately, so I bet it's just air pressure changes like what dhoward pointed out. Or a cactus wren built a nest in your roof vent pipe. Go up there and check it out. I had one get stuck in my clothes dryer vent one time. If this has been going since you moved in, may be due to poor plumbing or no vent pipe.

[LeeH]

It's a fairly new problem. I popped it off and hauled it into the back yard. Interior looked fine as far as I can see. Wax ring looked fine - no signs of a leak. I put a piece of plastic wrap over the hole. It's moving a little, but there doesn't seem to be enough suction to pull the water level down as far as it's been going. The only conclusion I could come to was a crack up inside.

We just got back from Lowes with the new unit. Hopefully this wasn't $188 waste of money. Either way my wife is happy as the tank lid got cracked a few years ago when a decorative tile fell off the wall. Time for the install.

[azasadny]

Lee,
Remember that when you caulk around the bottom of the toilet that you don't want to caulk behind the toilet. That ways, if there's a leak, the water will come out and you'll see it. If you caulk it all up, water can sit on the wood subfloor and rot it out without you even noticing. Good luck!

[dhoward]

Wax ring isn't it. That only seals the union between the fixture and the flange. You could put a toilet in your back yard, fill it with water, and the level would stabilize at the point where the trap is full. Crack, partial clog (siphoning), or vent pressure.

[LeeH]

New unit is in. I checked all the roof vents and they are clear. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for all the advice!

[rick-l]

There was an episode of Ask This Old House that had this problem last year. It was a clogged vent pipe. When water was added to any drain that shared this vent it would create a suction and drain the traps.

Of course they had a video camera they lowered down the vent to find and show the dead bird or something.