4 Different Ways to Determine if Your Toilet Is Leaking

Toilet leaks are problems that homeowners want to avoid as much as possible. After all, if you happen to have a leaky toilet for an entire year, you’re wasting 72,800 gallons of water, and you’ll likely face a spike in your water bill. Unfortunately, it can be somewhat difficult to determine if your toilet is leaking. Thankfully, there are also various methods to help you confirm this if you have any suspicions.

1. Overflow Pipe – One of the ways you can determine if your toilet is leaking is by checking the overflow pipe in your tank. Make sure your water level isn’t above the pipe, and, if you see water trickling down the inside of your toilet bowl despite not being flushed, it’s a sign that you have a leak. If the water goes above the overflow pipe, however, it means there’s an issue with the fill valve. Either way, it can cause toilet leaks.

2. Running Noise – Another method of knowing if you have a toilet leak is by checking for running noises despite not using the toilet. If you hear a running noise, then it’s likely that you have a leak.

3. Dye Tablet – One of the most popular methods of checking for toilet leaks is the dye tablet method. Simply drop a dye tablet (or food coloring if you don’t have a dye tablet on hand) in the toilet tank, and wait 15 to 20 minutes. Afterwards, look in the toilet bowl, and, if you notice the water’s color has changed, you definitely have a leak.

4. Overnight Method – If none of these methods work, however, there is one last method you can try: the overnight method. Before you go to bed, shut off the water to the potentially leaking toilet. In the morning, check the water levels of that toilet’s tank. If there’s hardly any water left, then it means that one of the parts in your tank is broken and leaking.

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