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Water Leaks

It’s Only a Small Drip…Right?                  

Slow drips of water can add up quickly.  A toilet that “keeps running” after you flush or a sink that drips after it is turned off can waste thousands of gallons of water a year.  Fix leaks as soon as you find them!

A “Running” Toilet Leak

Toilet leaks can range from small to large, constant or random.  Many are even silent.  Even a small, silent leak can easily waste $50 per year in water and sewer costs.  Large leaks can waste much more.  Fortunately, most toilet leaks are relatively easy to fix.  In a properly functioning toilet, no water should move from the tank to the bowl, unless the toilet is being flushed.  A leaking toilet loses water from the tank to the bowl without being flushed.

Checking for a leaky toilet:

  1. Remove the tank lid
  2. Put 5-10 drops of food coloring in the toilet TANK.
  3. Put the tank lid back on but don’t flush it
  4. After 15 minutes, check the toilet BOWL.  If you see colored water, you have a leak.

The most likely culprit is the flapper valve, the rubber thing in the bottom of the tank that keeps water in the tank.