Sometimes a toilet leak is immediately obvious because of the extra water on the bathroom floor. Sometimes an increase your water bill will give the problem away. Either way, a toilet leak is something that most people can repair themselves rather than something that requires a new toilet installation. Most leaks take only a few tools and a little time to fix. The parts required are inexpensive, and the directions are pretty straightforward.
The first step is determining where the problem lies. If you don't have an obvious toilet leak or water on the floor around the base of the toilet, but your water bill has increased or you can hear water running when the toilet hasn't been flushed, then you could have a flush valve leak.
Take the lid off the back of the tank, then flush the toilet. Once the tank refills, add enough dark food coloring that you can clearly see a difference in the color of the water. After about 20 minutes if any of the color is visible in the toilet bowl, you have a flush valve leak. This can waste thousands of gallons of water over time.
This toilet leak can be cause by different things. It could be that the flapper is deteriorated or broken so that it doesn't seal over the hole properly. The gasket beneath the valve could be damagee, or the overflow pipe could be split or broken. Even the tank ball could be worn out and not working the mechanism properly. Flush the toilet and look for problems in the operation like the chain getting underneath the flapper or some type of foreign material blocking the seal.
When you determine what's not working correctly, simply taking the old piece to the hardware store and purchasing new will fix the problem. Follow the instructions on the equipment--replacing the ball-cock mechanism and the flapper is simple, but be sure that you take the older flapper to the store if it needs to be replaced to be sure you get one that will fit correctly. If you've recently replaced the flapper and are now having the leak, you likely need a different type.
Another type of leak could be one cased a ball cock mechanism that somehow prevents the valve from closing so that water keeps coming into the tank and into the overflow tube. You can see this happening by looking into the tank when it's full. This is fixed by simply bending the arm so that the float-ball stops the water intake at a lower level, or by adjusting the water level adjustment clip on the fill valve.
For a toilet leak around the base, turn off the water and flush, the remove the remaining water. Remove the toilet by disconnecting the bolts on the base, and replace the wax ring around the draining hole. Lower the toilet in place, making sure it's lined up, connect and turn the water back on to make sure the toilet leak is repaired.
Photo Credits: crazytales562
Originally posted 2009-09-19 03:11:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Window Glazing Repairs If you're not ready to sink money into replacement windows but your windows are drafty and in poor shape, you can make simple window glazing repairs yourself. Also known as reglazing, this is simply the removal of the old glazing (the putty around the panes of glass) and application of...... -
Toilet Troubleshooting In homes, the most common type of toilet is one that consists of a tank and a bowl, be they a single piece, or separate tank and bowl. These are not the only toilets however. Some toilets instead of having a tank, use a exposed flushing mechanism that is often...... -
How to Replace a Shower Head Replacing a shower head is a task that does not require any difficult or painstaking steps. It is a matter of fact that the steps are quite simple. What is difficult for most people is the full process. There are quite a few, easy steps that if done out of...... -
How to Install a Toilet Installing a toilet is a lot easier than you might think and just about anyone can do it. Whether your old toilet is past its usefulness or you want to add a new one to match your décor, the process is pretty easy and should only take a few hours....... -
How to Drain Your Home's Water Pipes for Winter When winter comes around, the temperature drops and it gets to be time to bundle yourself up. Not all of your water pipes will get to enjoy the warmth of your home, so steps should be taken to ensure that the pipes do not get damaged by freezing water. If......
Related Websites -
Golf Ball Glossary Continued Here is a continuation on the golf term glossary that we have been working on for a little while now. Divot - This is a piece of the turf that has been cut out with the club head during a shot. The golfer that creates the divot is obligated to...... -
Reviews of Golf Balls Just as every new product that comes out on the market comes with its own unique set of individual reviews, golf balls also have their own unique set of reviews as well. There are a wide variety of different golf balls out there that are being manufactured on a daily...... -
Fishing and Boating Lexicon Continued Clarity - This refers to how clear the water is, this is measured by how deep an item can be and still be visible from the water's surface. Clearwater - This is a term that is used in order to describe a body of water like a river or lake...... -
How to Exercise When It's Hot Summer is almost here and if you're trying to get healthy and start exercising more, there are plenty of reasons to get discouraged and stop. If you're not used to exercising in hot weather, it's also very easy to get sick. Let's look at some ways that you can...... -
More Tennis Tips pt 1 This is another installment of tennis tips that will improve all aspects of your game. Armed with the right tennis playing tips, you really can improve all aspects of game play from serves to returns and back again. 1 - When Hitting Forehand, Lay Wrist Back Where the ball......
- Alaska Toilet Composting Garden Tools & Equipment Gardening & Plants Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
- Cast Iron Water Fountains Water Features Garden Decor Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living
- Pond Level Valves Watering Equipment Gardening & Plants Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living
- 40 Lb Sand Base Lanterns, Strings Outdoor Lighting Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
- Sunmar Toilet Composting Garden Tools & Equipment Gardening & Plants Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living
Categories:
Bathroom, Fix, Handy Man, Toilet
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment