Case Study: Leaking Toilet Replaced and Blocked Basin Cleared in One Visit

This job started with two complaints: a toilet that was leaking around the base and a basin that drained painfully slowly. Both are common, and both get worse the longer they’re left. Here’s what we found and how we fixed them in one visit.

The leaking toilet

What we found

The old pan connector still connected to the soil pipe after the toilet was removed, heavily stained, with staining on the tiles below

With the old toilet removed, the problem was obvious. The pan connector, the flexible fitting that joins the toilet outlet to the soil pipe, had perished and was no longer sealing. Waste water had been seeping out every time the toilet was flushed, staining the floor tiles and soaking into the surrounding area.

The old pan connector held up after removal, showing heavy staining and build-up inside

Inside, the old connector was heavily stained and crusted, with its seals hardened and no longer gripping. Connectors don’t last forever. Age, movement of the pan and the wrong type of connector all shorten their life.

Water damage and staining along the skirting and boxing beside the toilet

The leak had also marked the skirting and boxing beside the toilet. Left longer, this kind of slow leak can rot the floor and come through the ceiling below, which is a common and expensive problem in flats.

The fix

A new white pan connector fitted to the soil pipe, ready for the new toilet

We:

removed the old toilet and connector, and cleaned and disinfected the area
checked the soil pipe and the floor for damage
fitted a new pan connector sized correctly for the soil pipe and the new pan
installed the new toilet, fixed securely to the floor so it can’t rock and stress the connector
connected the water supply, and tested with repeated flushes to check for leaks
sealed around the base neatly once we were sure it was watertight

The blocked basin

A bathroom basin with standing water and debris around the pop-up waste

The basin was draining very slowly, leaving standing water with debris floating around the plug. Chemical drain cleaners often make little difference to this kind of blockage, because the problem sits right under the plug.

A clump of hair and soap build-up pulled from the basin waste, next to a screwdriver

We removed the pop-up waste and pulled out a dense mat of hair bound together with soap and toothpaste residue, the classic basin blockage. We then cleaned the waste and trap.

The basin draining freely after the blockage was cleared

With the plug refitted, the basin drained freely again.

How to spot these problems early

Leaking toilet:

water or staining around the base of the pan
a toilet that rocks when you sit on it
a smell around the toilet that doesn’t go away with cleaning
marks on the ceiling of the room below

Slow basin or shower:

water draining slower than it used to
gurgling noises
smells from the plughole

Pop-up plugs and shower wastes catch hair easily. Removing and cleaning them every few months, or using a hair catcher, prevents most blockages.

Landlords and agents

Leaking toilets and blocked wastes are among the most frequent tenant repair calls. Combining them into one visit, as here, keeps costs down. We send before-and-after photos so landlords can see exactly what was found. See our guides to running toilets and leaking cisterns and handyman repairs for landlords, and our plumbing and heating service.

We cover London and Essex, with our own engineers working every day across Chigwell, Loughton, Buckhurst Hill, Woodford, Ilford, Romford, Brentwood and Epping. Call 020 8227 0035 or request a quote.