Charlotte Plumbing Company Advice: Running Toilet Costs

An unseen leak in your toilet can be an expensive, hard-to-find problem. If you noticed a water bill spike, you need to know how much a running toilet cost you. The constant running or leaking can cost you $100+ a month on your water bill, so you’ve got to go leak hunting if you’ve noticed a water bill spike or any other of these symptoms:

• Your toilet makes gurgling or wooshing noises long after it’s been flushed
• Your toilet won’t stop running unless you jiggle the handle
• Your toilet continues to take on water after it’s refilled
• When flushing, you have to hold the lever for a long time for the bowl to drain
• The bowl is filling above the overflow
• Your toilet starts to turn off and on by itself

If you start to notice any of these issues, you likely have a leak and you should get to work trying to find it.

1. Open the lid on the tank to look in and see if you can spot the issue
2. Trash any disinfectant products that live in the toilet tank or bowl and flush until the water is clear
3. Put dye in the tank and wait (don’t use or flush) for thirty minutes.
4. After that time, check the toilet bowl for dye. If it’s colored, you have a leak.
5. If the leak is elsewhere, start by marking the water line in the bowl with a pencil and shut off the supply, then wait to see where the water is after an hour. If it’s stayed the same, the refill valve is leaky. If it’s gone down, the flush valve is leaky.

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Learn how much a running toilet costs.

Article Summary

Quick question & answer: How do I know if my toilet is running?

You have a running toilet if you notice any of the following:

• Toilet makes gurgling or whooshing sounds long after flushing
• Toilet won’t stop running unless handle is jiggled
• Toilet takes on water after it’s refilled
• You have to hold toilet lever for a long time to get it to drain
• Toilet bowl is filling above the overflow