A sizable leak from a running toilet can potentially waste hundreds of gallons of water per day. When your toilet is leaking, it’s important that you repair the problem or replace the toilet as soon as possible. And much of the time, it takes a professional plumber to be able to do this properly. However, there are some steps you can take to monitor your toilet and test for leaks between the tank and the bowl, which may not always be so apparent.
Testing for Leaks
Often, a leak between the toilet tank and bowl causes the toilet to run intermittently or incessantly, an unnecessary water waste that may be an easy fix for an experienced plumber. You may already know that your toilet is leaking due to a running sound from the toilet long after you flush or randomly in the night. However, sometimes the leaking is so intermittent, it’s hardly noticeable.
You can test for leakage using dye tablets from a hardware store designed particularly for this purpose, or with some simple food coloring. Simply place several drops of food coloring in the tank (the top portion of the toilet, underneath the lid) and wait 15–20 minutes. If the color has seeped into the bowl, there is a leak. If the color appears in the bowl very quickly, the leak is probably quite large.
What’s the Problem?
A leak between the toilet tank and bowl is sometimes an indicator of a leak that requires you to replace the flapper valve in the tank, which may have deteriorated or warped over time. Tank cleaning chemicals may speed up this deterioration. A plumber should be able to replace the valve fairly quickly. But if your toilet was installed before the 1990s, you might want to opt for a new water-efficient low-flush toilet instead to cut back on your water usage much more.
Call our super friendly team for exceptional service! Contact Admiral Plumbing Services, LLC for toilet repair or replacement in Boca Raton, FL.
