Over 60% of homes that pay high water bills do so because of leaking toilets. The major reason why toilet tanks leak is if the flapper fails to seat rightly against the valve’s seat for a tight seal. When this happens, the tank will allow water to sip through and into the bowl. It may not seem like much, but trust me it will easily shoot the water bills off the roof.
For over five years I had the same problem – high water bills. I thought I was misusing water and even after buying the perfect water efficient appliances the problem persisted. It was really frustrating. So how did I finally found out it was the toilet leak that caused me all the pain? I will tell you, but first let’s look at how to fix a leaky toilet; the DIY guide.
Step I: Inspect Your Toilet’s Float
Look inside the tank; does the water rise above the overflow tube? If this happens, you should anticipate a problem with your ballcock, inlet valve, or the float.
Usually as water flows into the tank, it triggers the float to rise. The float eventually directs the inlet valve on when to shut off. Most of the good toilets are designed to work with this simple system.
If this system doesn’t operate well, the water in the tank will rise above the overflow tube and flow non-stop into the bowl.
Step II: Inspect Your Inlet Valve
The inlet valve like we have said should stop water from flowing into the tank once the ideal level is attained.
To find out if it’s the valve that’s causing problems, flush off your toilet. Then as the water flows back in, gently lift the valve’s rod until the inlet flow stops. If it stops, the valve is working alright – the problem is the float.
Step III: Adjust the Toilet’s Float
Use the screw that sits at the top of the bullock to adjust the float levels of your toilet. Tighten it until you achieve the right toilet tank water levels that you need.
If water still runs into the overflow tube, the problem is the float itself. It might have a hidden hollow or could lie too low to move high enough and trip the valve.
Step IV: Test and Replace Bullock
If you have tested the inlet valve and the float and found that they are working okay. The problem would be the bullock – replace it!
- Turn of the water that flows in to the toilet at the shut off valve
- Flush the toilet. Ensure ass much water as possible is flushed out.
- Use a sponge to mop any excess water in your toilet’s tank.
- Use slip-joint pliers and remove the direct supply line at the base of the tank
- Push from the bottom to lift out the old bullock assembly and replace it with the new.
- Tighten the new nut from under the tank together with the supply tube.
- Clip your new refill pipe and turn on shut off valve.
Replace the Flapper
If all these work, the flapper is the problem. Fix it! Shut off water. Flush the toilet. Wipe your flapper seat clean – use a cloth. Check the flapper. If damaged or worn; pull it loose to replace and fit tightly against seat.
Conclusion
I hope my guide helped you. Fixing a leaky bullock is easy. Many top home toilet experts such as toilet rated will give you the simplest tips to work with. They helped me and that’s how I found out about my leaky toilet.
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