Your Toilet Could Be Silently Wasting Hundreds of Gallons of Water
Last month we discussed 10 things you can do to conserve water in your Framingham area home. One of the things on that list was to fix your leaking toilet tank, which could be wasting hundreds of gallons of water per day without you even knowing it.
Your toilet is probably one of the most used plumbing fixtures in your home. They are simple mechanisms, but parts can wear out, leaving you with a silent toilet leak.
Signs Your Toilet is Silently Leaking
If your toilet is leaking, there could be several different symptoms. Some of the most common signs that your toilet tank is leaking may include:
- Your toilet flushes randomly
- There is a constant trickling sound
- The toilet tank randomly refills
- Your water bills have spiked
The Leaking Toilet Tank Test
Even if you are not experiencing one of the common symptoms above, you can easily perform a test to determine if your toilet tank is leaking using nothing but food dye and a few minutes of your time.
- Remove the cover on the tank of your toilet and put a few drops of food dye in the tank.
- Wait at least 10-15 minutes. (Have a snack or take a quick power nap.)
- After the short break, look in your toilet bowl to see whether any of the food coloring made its way into the bowl.
- Once you have made a mental note of the results, flush your toilet to avoid the dye staining your toilet.
Interpreting The Results Of Your Test
The test is only the first part of the solution. You now must apply what you have learned.
No food coloring in the toilet bowl – Congratulations! Your toilet tank is not leaking. File this test away for future reference. Most toilets have parts that eventually wear out and need replacing. This test will help you determine when that happens.
Food coloring in the bowl – Your toilet tank is leaking and could be wasting hundreds of gallons a day, depending on the severity. Most likely, the culprit is the flapper in the toilet, which will need to be replaced. This should be done as soon as possible – even small leaks waste a lot of water.
Need help fixing your leaking toilet tank or another plumbing problem? Contact Nicholson Plumbing online today.
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Our level of commitment to our customer and superior service is the reason you can find comfort in choosing Nicholson Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning.
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Francis from Nicholson Plumbing and Heating was excellent. He was here to evaluate HVAC in our home. He was very patient and answered all my questions. He is also polite and easy to communicate with him. He explained technical concepts to me in layperson terms!
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Nicholson offered what is possibly the best customer service I have dealt with in a home repair situation. I called them because I was looking to replace my very old furnace. They came out to do an initial estimate, and then came back when I had some further questions about my options. After installing the furnace, they ran into some problems with my air ducts. This happened on a Friday, and the problem was fixed by Monday afternoon. In addition to their excellent service, they did quality work at a fair price. I would recommend them to anyone looking for an HVAC company in the Framingham area!
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Recently used these guys because my HVAC unit AC wasn’t working (first hot day of summer). Showed up on time, wore booties, fixed the unit. During the visit we talked about how my unit was having problems in the winter – which was resulting in NSTAR service calls of maybe 3-4 times per season (I am on a service plan with them). He was the first guy to tell me WHY the problem was happening, and HOW to fix it. I find it strange that all of the NSTAR guys etc. no one took time to point out how to fix the source of the problem…Very professional, smart. I would use them again, and plan to for the fix on my heating unit!
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