toilet pipe leaks after one week, then stops

[relishguy]

I have a commerical-type toilet in my condo. It has a sloan-valve and a lots of water comes through on each flush.

Sometimes I travel out of town and when I get back it is leaking when the toilet is flushed. Recently I was gone for several weeks and when I came back, it was leaking profusely (fills up a small glass after 3 flushes). The leak is at the seam connecting the 2 pipes between the sloan valve to the toilet. (1 is less than 2 inches long and the other is an L-shaped pipe of about 4 inches maybe.)

I got a plumber to come in and he put some "plumber's compound" in the seal and it seemed fixed.

Then I was gone for several days again. When I got back, it only had a small leak for the first 4 flushes or so and then no leak. This happened again last week (where I was gone for 4 days and it leaked lightly for the frst 3 flushes then it was OK).

This problem is confounding me. If I replace the 2 pipes between and the sloan and the toliet, should it have any effect?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or help you can provide.

Regards..RogerW

[DIY Guy]

Your plumber tried an easy fix that was inadequate. It was worth a try, if he guaranteed not to charge you the full rate if he had to come back out. it would cost a lot more to replace the pipes, so he might have been trying to save you money. On the other hand, the compound was not a sure fix and he should have warned you.

The connections are probably not properly aligned or the threads are damaged. Replacement is likely the cure.