4 Signs Your Toilet Is Leaking

When your toilet springs a leak, you can face serious consequences, such as unsanitary bathroom conditions, high water bills, and damaged floors. Fortunately, you can prevent these issues from spiraling out of control when you know the main signs of a toilet leak and take action to fix it fast. Find out more about the four most common signs your toilet is leaking and what you should do about them.

1. The Floor Around Your Toilet Is Wet or Stained

A wet or damp floor is probably the most obvious sign of a toilet leak. Your toilet should never allow water to flow onto your floor, as it can cause the floor to suffer from water damage. Due to the negative effects of water damage, such as mold growth or structural damage to your home, it’s important to quickly schedule an inspection from a plumber. The plumber will likely need to replace a wax seal or repair a leaking supply line to fix the issue.

Your toilet might also have a leak if you notice stains around your toilet. This staining will indicate the water leakage has happened for a long time, meaning your floor will be much more likely to have suffered from water damage. As a result, you’ll want a plumber to inspect the toilet immediately to fix the issue and evaluate whether any water damage they find needs attention.

2. You Notice Cracks in Your Tank

Your toilet’s tank stores the water used to flush your toilet, and when this tank is cracked, this water will leak out. While a large crack is usually incredibly noticeable, you’ll also want to look for signs of smaller cracks. Typically, small cracks will cause moisture to accumulate on the exterior of your tank or water to form a puddle under it. 

When you notice any of these signs, you can put a little bit of food coloring in your tank’s water to check for cracks. After waiting a few minutes, see if you notice the colored water on your floor or the exterior of the tank. If you do, your toilet’s tank is cracked. Sometimes, a plumber can fix smaller cracks with a sealer, but any large cracks may cause you to need to replace your toilet.

3. Your Toilet Won’t Stop Running

Your toilet shouldn’t continue to run after it finishes its normal flush cycle. When it constantly runs and leaks water into your bowl, it’s a major sign of something going wrong in your tank. Typically, water leaking from your tank to your bowl is caused by a broken flush valve, damaged fill valve, or a worn-down toilet float. 

Due to the amount of water a continuously running toilet will waste, you’ll likely want a plumber to perform a running toilet repair as soon as possible. Before they make the repair, they’ll need to find the source of the issue first since there can be so many different causes. Once they’ve determined what’s at fault, they’ll usually need to install a replacement toilet float, fill valve, or flush valve to fix the leak. 

4. Your Water Bill Is Higher Than Normal

When your water bill suddenly spikes and you don’t remember using more water than normal, you could have a toilet leak. As you might expect, a leak will cause water to continuously run onto your floor or into the bowl, causing your water usage (and bill!) to go up as well. Since a leak will only get worse and continue to raise your water bills, contacting a plumber to inspect your toilet and the rest of your plumbing systems for leaks can end up saving you money.

Choose Newcomb and Company for Leaking Toilet Solutions in Raleigh

If you’re looking for a plumber near you in Raleigh to solve a leaky toilet, Newcomb and Company can help. Once you schedule an appointment, our team will arrive at your home fast and inspect your toilet to find the source of the leak. Next, they’ll fix the issue for you, providing any running toilet repairs, part replacements, or other fixes you might need. Besides repairing your toilet, our team can also replace your toilet with a new high-efficiency model when a repair can’t solve the issue.

Learn more about our plumbing services and leaking toilet solutions. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please contact us.