Your toilet can waste water in two ways: leaking and overflushing. Both can contribute to high water bills.
Check the flapper chain to make sure it isn’t snagged on anything inside the tank. There should be about half an inch of slack.
A leaking toilet can cost you thousands of dollars over time. A moderate leak can waste up to 6,000 gallons per month!
1. It’s Running All the Time
Most homeowners want to save money on their water bills, and a running toilet can quickly add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars in wasted water. It’s important to fix this problem as soon as possible to avoid a costly water bill and possible water damage.
If your toilet is running all the time, it likely has a broken flapper seal. The rubber seal can become rough or eroded over time, causing the tank to continually refill. It may also have a misaligned fill valve, which is unable to control the amount of water entering the toilet after each flush. To check this, remove the lid and look inside. The chain should be relatively tight and not tangled or caught on anything inside the tank.
2. It’s Noisy
Although toilets seem simple enough, they can often make strange noises that indicate underlying issues. From whistling to gurgling, these sounds can be a sign that you have more serious plumbing problems and should be addressed as soon as possible to avoid water waste and other complications.
Whistling noises can occur when the fill valve doesn’t create a proper seal, leading to water seepage from the tank into the bowl. This can lead to excessive water waste and high water bills, so it’s important to fix the issue quickly.
Gurgling noises can be caused by blockages in the drain line or vent stack, which can result in sewage backup and expensive repairs. One of Melbourne’s best plumbers, Fix-It Right Plumbing for blocked drains can quickly diagnose and resolve these problems to ensure your toilet is functioning properly.
3. It’s High in Water
A toilet that constantly overflows wastes gallons of water each day and adds to your water bill. Overflowing can be caused by a number of things, from a broken fill valve to a blockage or restrictions in the drain line.
If you have a ball or cylinder float that controls your tank water level, try adjusting it by turning the screw in top of the fill valve clockwise to raise it and counterclockwise to lower it. Changing this regularly will help you avoid overflows and keep your water bill under control.
If plunging doesn’t help, consider calling in a plumber to find the root cause of the problem and fix it. A plumber will use more powerful tools than the traditional plunger and can also clean up your drain lines to prevent further clogs.
4. It’s Hard to Flush
If you have to hold or jiggle the toilet handle to get it to flush, this is a sign that your internal mechanisms aren’t working. There’s a good chance that mineral build ups are restricting the flow of water into the toilet bowl.
There are many methods to fix this, including taking the lid off of the tank and pulling up on the chain or lift wire going to the flapper valve at the bottom of the tank. You can also buy a new handle at a hardware store and use the same method to replace it.
Another method is to put 10-15 drops of food coloring or a dye tablet into the tank, and wait 30 minutes. If your toilet bowl has that color in it, this indicates that the rubber flapper at the bottom of the tank is leaking.
5. It’s Old
It’s important to conserve water because clean water isn’t endless and it takes time and effort to produce it. Water conservation can also help lower utility bills.
Older toilets use 3.5 gallons per flush and waste water when they shouldn’t. If yours is older than 1992, it’s probably time to replace it with a newer one.
A leaking toilet tank is another indication of wasting water. Check the tank for a rust colored stain or look for a faulty flapper seal that allows water to escape between flushes. To test if your toilet is leaking, drop 10-15 drops of food coloring or dye tablets in the tank and wait 30 minutes. If the water in your toilet bowl turns color, it’s time to replace the tank components.
