Test it

1. Dry the floor and toilet completely.
2. Put tissue around the base and behind the pan.
3. Flush and watch.
4. Check the tissue after 10 minutes and after an hour.

Causes

• Pan connector: wet only after flushing, usually at the back.
• Close-coupled bolts or doughnut: drip from under the cistern.
• Supply pipe or valve: wet all the time.
• Condensation: cold cistern sweats in warm humid rooms.
• Cracked pan: rare, but check for hairline cracks.

Replacing a pan connector

1. Turn off the water, flush and empty the pan.
2. Unscrew the pan from the floor and disconnect the cistern if needed.
3. Pull the pan forward off the connector.
4. Remove the old connector and clean the soil pipe.
5. Push the new connector into the soil pipe, then slide the pan outlet in.
6. Fix the pan, reconnect and test.

Pro tip: Pan connectors have rubber fins that grip and seal the pan outlet. That is the seal between the solid pan and the solid soil pipe.

Hygiene

Leaks at the base can be dirty water. Wear gloves, disinfect and dry the floor. Long-term leaks can rot floorboards.