A leaky toilet can unknowingly waste hundreds of gallons of water each month. It’s hard to believe that a leaking toilet can waste that much water, but it can. For those with monthly water bills, the amount of money going down the drain can be quite significant. For those with wells, there are other factors to consider.
Many people with wells have water softeners. When water is constantly flowing at a slow rate of speed, some water softeners will not function properly. Twin tank water softeners are designed to recycle after a set number of gallons have been used. A twin tank water softener is designed to automatically switch to the other tank after a certain amount of water has flowed through the system. Because a twin tank water softener does not detect water leaking at such a slow rate of speed, the softener cannot keep track of it. Households with leaky toilets may run out of soft water before a twin water softener has a chance to switch to the first or second tank. If you have a twin tank water softener, and it isn’t maintaining soft water in your system, chances are you have a hidden leak. Most hidden leaks are within toilet tanks and bowls.
It isn’t always obvious when a toilet is leaking. You won’t always hear water running or see a ripple in the bowl. However, there are some indications that a toilet is leaking. If you have well water, look for streaks of rust in the bowl. Streaks of rust don’t usually form when a toilet is cleaned on a regular basis. Simply flushing the toilet day after day when it is regularly cleaned will not create dark streaks of rust. These streaks are generally caused by continually flowing water. If you repeatedly find streaks of rust in your toilet bowl, chances are that toilet is leaking.
One way to tell if a toilet is leaking is by sprinkling powdered cleanser around the inside of the bowl after it fills. Watch the cleanser to see if wet lines form on the surface. If the toilet has stopped running and you see wet streaks forming, the toilet is leaking through the rubber flap inside the tank.
Another part to check is the siphon tube. This is the part where excess water flows down and into the bowl. After the toilet bowl and tank have finished filling, look at the siphon tube to see if water is overflowing there. Sometimes it flows over so slightly that it goes undetected. If this is the problem, you can easily adjust the float arm to cut off the flow of water before it reaches the top of the siphon tube.
Another reliable way to check a toilet for leaks is by putting dye in the toilet tank. Before going to bed in the evening, put an adequate amount of food coloring in your toilet tank. If the flush valve is leaking, you’ll find dye in the toilet bowl in the morning. It’s important to conduct this test at night so the tank has several hours to leak into the bowl if it’s going to. Some leaks are very slow, so the dye may not become visible instantly.
If you’re noticing water on the floor surrounding your toilet tank, the problem may not be a leaking toilet. When the humidity is high, most toilet tanks begin to sweat, which in turn creates puddles of water on the floor. Toilets also sweat when the temperature of the water in the tank is much colder than the surrounding air. Reduce the occurrence of a sweating tank by avoiding flushing the toilet after a hot shower or bath. For a seriously bad case of a sweaty toilet, you may want to consider having a mix of warm and cold water fill the tank. Toilets are usually only connected to a cold water line, so this job may require the assistance of a plumbing professional.
If you’re finding water on the floor and the toilet tank does not appear to be sweating, there may be a hairline crack in the tank. These breaks are usually very inconspicuous, so carefully examine your tank for cracks.
