Is Your Toilet Phantom Flushing?
Do you ever lie in bed at night and hear the sound of running water coming from your bathroom? Have you noticed an increase in your water bill? You can rest assured that you have a leak somewhere. Once you recognize there is a problem, you will need to set out to determine where the leak is coming from so that you may repair it adequately. However, you may be surprised to discover that many toilets are the cause of high water bills, so you may want to begin by checking your toilet for leaks. If you notice condensation on your toilet bowl or tank, or hear your toilet automatically flush, then you most likely have a leak in your toilet.
In some cases, it is easy. If you have to jiggle a handle to make a toilet stop running, if you regularly hear sounds coming from a toilet that is not being used or if a toilet periodically turns the water on for 15 seconds or so without you touching the handle; you can be fairly certain that you have a leak. But sometimes, even if your toilet does not have any of these symptoms, it is still possible that it is leaking. These “silent leaks” can go undetected for long periods of time, potentially wasting thousands of gallons of water
How can you tell if your toilet has a “silent leak”?
Carefully remove the cover on the toilet tank and set it aside. Remove any “in-tank” bowl cleaners and flush so that the water in both the bowl and the tank are clear. You can use dye capsules or tablets available from the hardware store, but food coloring or powdered fruit drink mix also work well. Put enough dye in the tank water to give the water a deep color. Wait 30 minutes and do not use the toilet during that time. After waiting 30 minutes, if the water in the bowl contains dye, you will know that the toilet is leaking Get the facts. A properly operating toilet will store the water in the tank indefinitely without any water running into the bowl.
Rebates
As the world grows in population, the need to be aware of energy savings is getting more important. Many Mass cities/towns are offering a rebate for energy efficient toilets. They are discounting your water bill anywhere from $75.00 to $200.00 (depending on where you live) to replace your existing and wasteful toilet. Contact Papalia Plumbing & Heating today to determine if you are one of these communities.
Water Facts
- A typical household uses approximately 260 gallons of water every day. We can reduce this amount and save money by using water more efficiently — detecting and fixing leaky faucets, installing high efficiency clothes washers and toilets, and watering the lawn and garden with the minimum amount of water needed.
- A leaky toilet can potentially waste 500 gallons of water a day.
- Less than 1% of all the water on Earth can be used by people? The rest is salt water (the kind you find in the ocean) or is frozen.
- If you do need to replace the entire toilet, look for a WaterSense labeled model. If a family of four replaces its older, inefficient toilets with new WaterSense labeled ones, it could save more than 16,000 gallons per year. Retrofitting the house could save the family approximately $2,000 in water and wastewater bills over the lifetime of the toilets.
- Fixing easily corrected household water leaks can save homeowners more than 10 percent on their water bills.
- If your toilet is leaking, the cause is most often an old, faulty toilet flapper. Over time, this inexpensive rubber part decays, or minerals build up on it.
Call Papalia Plumbing & Heating to help you save money on your water bill today! 978.897.1701
