How to Tell If Your Toilet Is Leaking

June 22, 2018 Published by Leave your thoughts

Does your water bill seem higher than usual without any explanation? This phenomenon can leave homeowners scrambling to figure out why their water consumption seems to have doubled without any changes in their day-to-day habits. Believe it or not, water leaks actually account for approximately 12 percent of all water usage in many American homes, and the most frequent offender is the toilet. Sometimes the sound of running water, a faint trickling or puddles on the floor make it easy for homeowners to tell when the toilet is leaking. That isn’t always the case, though. Even some of the most severe leaks can be overlooked because the water is flowing through the tank silently.

Luckily, it’s not too late to put a stop to all those leaky spots. All you need is food coloring and a few spare minutes! Try this simple trick to determine whether your toilet is leaking:

  • Add color: Pull out one of the droppers of food coloring or dye tablets usually reserved for the kitchen. Then, remove the lid of the toilet tank before squeezing at least 10 drops of food coloring liquid directly into the water inside of the tank. The water throughout the tank should change into the color of the dye.
  • Wait: Put the lid back on the tank, and then wait about 15 minutes for the test to fully develop. Make sure not to accidentally flush the toilet during the test.
  • Check the results: Lift up the toilet seat and take a look inside of the bowl after about 15 minutes. If the water is now the same shade as the food coloring, you have a leak somewhere within the toilet. If the water is clear, the toilet isn’t leaking. Flush the toilet immediately to keep the dye from staining the inside of the toilet tank or the bowl.

There’s only one obvious follow-up step if the test reveals your toilet is leaking: call for a plumber in Las Vegas, NV. It’s critical that the leak be fixed as soon as possible to prevent any additional damage to your budget or the bathroom. A leak could be caused by anything from a leaky gasket to a loose feed line, a failed wax ring or even a cracked porcelain bowl. Any of these issues could cause the water to leak out from the tank. Only a professional plumber can properly diagnose the cause before taking the necessary steps to fix the problem.

Are you ready to put an end to the leaking toilet in your home? Then call the team at Orchard Plumbing today! We pride ourselves on our honesty and our high quality plumbing services. We offer complete and comprehensive services for both residential and commercial plumbing at a reasonable price. Best of all, our team is available 24 hours a day for whenever an emergency strikes. Call us today to schedule an appointment with one of our qualified and experienced plumbers—we look forward to assisting you soon!

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