Why does my toilet still leak after replacing the seal?
New gaskets, supply lines, and replacement rings often fail to stop leaks because overtightened nuts, stuck shutoff valves, and tricky pressure points create new gaps. This constant trial and error leaves people anxious that they have made the plumbing worse instead of fixing it.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 18.8× more often in r/Plumbing than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Attempting to tighten loose floor boltsDid this help you?
- 2Trying to diagnose the leak independentlyDid this help you?
- 3Considering hiring a specialized plumber, handyman, or home improvement service providerDid this help you?
- 4Replacing the supply line with a longer hose to allow a gentler loop and reduce strainDid this help you?
- 5Checking for and fixing cross-threading issuesDid this help you?
- 6Using Teflon tape on the threadsDid this help you?
- 7taking it off, inspecting the threads on both ends, and seeing if they're still intactDid this help you?
- 8reseating the rubber washer inside that bottom nutDid this help you?
- 9Trying different variations of rubber and metal washer placementsDid this help you?
- 10Replacing all gaskets including the bolt assembly gasketsDid this help you?
- 11Checking the owner's manual for correct assembly instructionsDid this help you?
- 12Investigating whether the tank is sweating due to humidity and cold waterDid this help you?
- 13Tightening the white nut on the fill valve with a wrenchDid this help you?
- 14Tightening the tank-to-bowl connectionDid this help you?
- 15Replacing the fill unit entirelyDid this help you?
- 16reverting to plastic boltsDid this help you?
- 17using a healthy ring of silicone or boat sealant around the rubber washer inside the tankDid this help you?
- 18hand-tightening until the tank does not rock plus a quarter turnDid this help you?
- 19Pull it again and reshape the wax or replace it with a new one.Did this help you?
- 20Patched the leaking waste 90 temporarily with JB WeldDid this help you?
- 21Applying light pressure to the canister to temporarily stop the leakDid this help you?
- 22Calling Kohler to get a free replacementDid this help you?
- 23Replacing the defective red gasket with a newer yellow OEM gasketDid this help you?
- 24Cleaning the area to see if the stain returnsDid this help you?
- 25Replacing the wax ringDid this help you?
- 26calling the emergency maintenance line and leaving a messageDid this help you?
- 27Using two wax rings stacked on top of each otherDid this help you?
- 28Installing flange spacers to raise the flange heightDid this help you?
- 29Shimming the toilet to prevent it from wobblingDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The toilet valve in the back is leaking. I’m not handy and don’t have any tools.”source ↗
“Is there anything else I can safely do myself to stop or slow the leak until maintenance is available?”source ↗
“Just noticed this yesterday, no idea how long this has been here. Is this a wax ring issue or something potentially more serious?”source ↗
“It seems to be coming from the top of the plastic piece (you can see the blue colour coming through). My question is, before I go down an internet rabbit hole, can I replace this part myself?”source ↗
“If it's a pain in the arse I'll call a plumber out but we can't afford that until the end of the month.”source ↗
“Set toilet down for 10 mins. Had to lift up briefly to readjust. Is the wax still probably fine?”source ↗
“No leaks after 6 flushes. Should I replace the wax ring?”source ↗
“Those blisters are a common problem for that type of gasket.”source ↗
“7 in 5 years, the last 3 in just 4 months. Landlord keeps coming to replace it and it works for a bit but it’s getting shorter and shorter between repairs. We don’t put anything besides tissue paper down the drain.”source ↗
“I panicked and tried to diagnose it myself and in doing so found that one side had a pretty loose nut so tightened it.”source ↗
“We have never turned off the toilet valve and from perusing this group it looks like a recipe for disaster to turn it off and try to replace the wax ring ourselves.”source ↗
“I do think I could do all that but I’m very anxiety prone and will always think I screwed something up..”source ↗
“the seal between the bottom of the T-split and the water supply line has been leaking once the tank fills up and it comes to pressure.”source ↗
“I replaced the original line with a new one, as the gasket was crumbling and had the same issue.”source ↗
“I bought a Fluidmaster Click Seal, which is supposed to audibly click when the seal is made, well, it clicked, but now the leak is even worse.”source ↗
“Have been struggling to mend a leak from the right side tank to bowl bolt assembly for the past 3 days. Have been through 3 kits and end up with the same result.”source ↗
“Saw water, opened wall, found a leak on the waste 90 that leads from toilet to septic and patched with JB Weld. Looking for repair suggestions and wonder if I should attempt to sweat this off and replace or, cut and use PVC and rubber adapters to reconnect.”source ↗
“Water is leaking from the toilet and going under the tile.”source ↗
“Have a young son in my house, can confirm that's peepee ON the potty.”source ↗
“The fact that a portion of it is ON the porcelain strongly suggests urine.”source ↗
“Been having warm time with a persistent leak from just one side of the two bolts that came in the (standard metal bolt) replacement kit.”source ↗
“water sprays everywhere when I turn the water back on. Water sprays some the bottom end of the connector and not the top where an O ring will fix it.”source ↗
“Water is spraying from the bottom end as I circle in the picture after attaching and turning the water back on”source ↗