As we all know water on the Gold Coast and Brisbane is getting quite expensive and we need to do as much as possible to ensure we don’t waste any. In the following article I am going to give you places on a toilet suite you can check to make sure nothing is leaking and costing you money.
You might hear a hissing sound in the middle of the night coming from your toilet cistern. This noise is your inlet valve filling the cistern. This is the part inside the toilet cistern that allows a certain amount of water in to fill it to the pre-determined level.
It could be doing this for a couple of reasons
- The inlet valve is faulty and it is constantly filling up and not shutting off or
- The outlet valve or rubber is faulty therefore letting water leak out of the cistern into the toilet pan.
Sometimes you won’t even be able to hear the inlet valve as it is such a small leak and they can be very quiet as well. This is when it is best to complete the following test.
How To Test To See If The Toilet Is Leaking
What I suggest is to lift the toilet suite lid up and visually check to see if you can notice any signs of water running into the toilet pan. You may be able to see some running down the internal walls of the toilet pan or even see some ripples in the water at the bottom of the toilet bowl.
The leak may be so small you still can’t see any trace of it so the best way to be sure is to grab some toilet paper and by holding it at the back of the toilet bowl above the water line you will be able to detect the smallest of leaks. If there is a leak the toilet paper will show it immediately by soaking it up.
Other Places To Check For Toilet Leaks
While we are checking the toilet for water leaks it is a good idea to make sure there are also no leaks onto the floor. These could be coming from the flush pipe rubber, pan collar, inlet pipe and also the isolating tap.
What you do is have a quick look around to see if you can notice any damp tiles or grout and run your hands over the flush pipe (the pipe from cistern to pan), the outlet pipe if you can see it and then check the water feed and isolating tap. Give the toilet a flush at the same time because this is a good way to test the flush pipe and pan collar rubber.
Any water that is leaking onto the floor or the wall can cause major damage and termites love any areas where they find this dampness so please don’t hesitate to contact Capital Plumbing immediately.
Conclusion
If at any stage you have any questions, are concerned or think you may have a leak please don’t hesitate to give Capital Plumbing a call on 5528 4449 we are your local Gold Coast Plumbers
