A running toilet water bill is never a good thing.
In addition to creating unnecessary water waste, a continuously running toilet flushes money as well. Home and business owners can lose thousands of dollars per year due to this issue. A toilet with significant leaks can result in even more money lost. A leaky toilet that results in water damage is even more costly.
It is time to stop flushing money down the toilet. Read on to learn how you can diagnose and treat this problem.
Is Your Toilet Constantly Running?
Not sure if your toilet is running a 24/7 marathon and costing you money?
Here are a couple of things you can do to diagnose a continually running toilet.
Dye Test Your Toilet: Drop a couple of drops of food coloring into your toilet tank (not the bowl). Wait twenty minutes and check the toilet bowl. After twenty minutes,dye in the bowl means that you have a leaky toilet tank. Having your toilet’s tank sealed will reduce wastewater and eliminate the running toilet water bill problem.
Have a Close Listen: This technique is as easy as it sounds. Listen carefully to your toilet after a flush. A leak will create a hissing sound, and a stuck flapper sounds like continually running water. In either case, you will have some idea of what is going on. Doing the occasional sound check can help to avoid the problem in the first place.
Take a Look Under Your Toilet’s Tank
Taking the occasional peek under your toilet tank will help reduce wasted water and money.
The first item on the list to check out is your toilet’s flapper. This rubber part can become brittle or cracked due to minerals and general wear and tear. A damaged flapper results in a bad seal, creating a vicious cycle of drain and refill. If the chain attached to the flapper is too long, it can cause problems as well.
Replacing a flapper or shortening the chain are both simple repairs to make.
Your toilet’s fill valve can contribute to a running toilet water bill.
This valve indicates the level where the water should fill inside your tank. A fill valve that is old or damaged may cause water to drain and refill continually. Repairing the valve is an easy and inexpensive repair most people can complete themselves.
Adjust Your Toilet’s Float Valve
Most toilets have an optimal amount of water to be held in the tank. Your toilet’s float valve helps to determine this amount.
The water level in your toilet tank is more important than you might think. Too much water in the tank and your tank has a higher chance of developing a leak. Too little water in the tank can lead to other issues.
Make sure that your float valve is adjusted correctly. If you aren’t sure about this, consult the manufacturer info about your toilet. The model number of your toilet is likely to be found underneath the tank lid.
If you aren’t confident in your minor plumbing repair skills we are here to help. Golden Rule Plumbing makes these kinds of repairs and adjustments all the time. Give us a call today to stop wasting water and losing money.
