A running toilet can quickly become a costly problem. The U. S. Geological Survey estimates a single leaking toilet can waste an extra 22 gallons of water every day, adding up to over 8,000 lost gallons of water in a year. Even a small leak can mean hundreds of wasted dollars and thousands of gallons of wasted water.
How to Know If Your Toilet Is Leaking
The easiest way to know you have a leak is to listen. Many times, a running toilet will make a constant sound, even after you are done flushing. You can determine if your toilet’s tank is leaking by placing a few drops of food coloring in your tank water. If the color seeps into your toilet bowl when you are not flushing, you have a leak.
Why a Toilet Leak Is so Bad
Since your toilet uses the most water of any plumbing fixture in your home, even a small leak can equal a big loss of water. Here are the many risks from a leaking toilet:
Wasted Water
If you have more than one leaking toilet, the gallons of lost water can rapidly multiply. At a potential loss of 22 gallons of water per leaking toilet per day, hundreds of gallons of water may be wasted in a very short period of time.
Added Expense
A leaking toilet is literally money down the drain. If you notice your water bills rising and aren’t sure why, you may have a running toilet.
Annoying Noise
A constantly running toilet can quickly become a distracting annoyance, and spending time jiggling the hand hoping for a little silence is not how most of us would choose to spend our time.
Structural Damage to Your Home
If your toilet is leaking from the base, water can seep into your floors. Over time, this water can damage the structural support beneath and around your toilet and may lead to unsafe conditions in the floor of your bathroom.
Health Hazard
Just as leaking water can damage the structure of your home, even a small amount of water can lead to dangerous mold growth. If your toilet is leaking into your walls or floor, this mold can grow undetected, causing health concerns for you and your family.
What to Do If You Have a Toilet Leak
Detecting leaks in your home can be difficult. While the food coloring test will tell you if your the tank is leaking, it won’t identify leaks from the many other components in your toilet . The Pink Plumber offers a comprehensive leak detection service that can identify leaks in your toilet as well as the plumbing throughout your home.
