A home with an undetected toilet leak can waste more than 80,000 gallons of water each year. Can you imagine the spike in monthly water bills every month? Or the amount of wasted water and money? Stopping any type of water leak in your home is beneficial for many reasons. Since toilet leaks are common, it is important to inspect them regularly in order to stop a leak before it causes major structural damages, costly repairs, and increased water bills. Continue reading to learn how to detect a leaky toilet and what you should do about it.

Leaky Toilets

As soon as you know you have a leaky toilet, shut off the main water valve to stop all water flow in your home. Then call a professional plumber for emergency service. They retain the proper tools and knowledge to quickly and effectively repair a leaky toilet at a price anyone can afford. But before calling a master plumber, it is helpful to determine whether or not a leak exists, on your own. You can do this by checking the following areas:

Flush Valve Issues

Many leaks occur from flush valve issues. Standard toilets come with flush and re-fill valves that can sometimes leak into the toilet bowl, from the tank, if not working properly. With a leak like this, the flush valve will continue to re-fill continuously, causing a running toilet as well. This wastes an abundant amount of water. And if the re-fill valve is also defective in any way, it can cause the toilet tank to overflow.

To check for flush-valve issues:

Start by shutting off the water valve to the toilet. This shut-off valve is located on the bottom left side of the tank. Record the level of water you see, and then re-check it in 20 minutes. If the water level is lower, there is a flush valve leak or similar issue.

To check for re-fill valve issues:

Start by adding a few drops of food coloring to the tank of the toilet. Wait ten minutes and then check the bowl. If the food coloring made its way from the tank to the toilet bowl, there is a problem with the re-fill valve; most likely a leak.

Weilhammer Plumbing Co. Inc.

Call Mark Weilhammer, licensed master plumber, at 317-784-1870 for professional toilet repair in Indianapolis, Indiana. He and our team of licensed master plumbers are happy to answer your questions about leaky toilets, toilet repair, water leaks, plumbing repair, and all other plumbing issues. We provide residential and commercial plumbing services at the most competitive prices in town. Call 317-784-1870 for professional toilet installation and repair services in Indianapolis, IN.