How to Fix a Leaky Toilet: The Only Guide You Need to Read

You’ve walked into your home’s or business’s bathroom to discover a leaky toilet! You’re suddenly overwhelmed with worry, frustration, and confusion. A leaky toilet is one of the last things you want to come across when entering a bathroom.

As you stand in front of the problem, you’re left wondering how to fix a leaky toilet. If you’re not a professional plumber, then you’re most likely not sure how to fix the problem correctly. Luckily, we’re here to help!

Whether you’ve stumbled across a leaky toilet in your own home or business, or whether you’re wanting to learn how to make the fix for other reasons, you can find out everything you need to know below.

Continue reading to learn how to fix that leaky toilet and save the bathroom today!

1. Discover the Source of the Leak

Your first step is to discover the source of the leak. Unfortunately, not all toilet leaks are due to the same problem. There could be several reasons why your toilet is leaking.

For starters, look to see if the water is leaking outside of the toilet or inside of the toilet. If you walk into your bathroom and automatically step in a puddle of water, then you know that the toilet is leaking to the outside. However, this isn’t the only type of leaking that your toilet is subjected to.

Your toilet could also be leaking internally. Do you hear a constant running sound? Is the water from the tank leaking into the bowl of the toilet?

These are a few things that you need to know.

2. Look Inside Your Tank

Before you cut straight to removing the toilet from the floor, begin by looking inside the tank. Do you notice any sure signs of an issue? Water that’s rising above the overflow tube presents a problem.

This means that water could be leaking into the toilet’s bowl. One trick to determine if there’s a leak is to place food coloring inside the tank of your toilet and see if the coloring enters the bowl without you flushing it. The inlet valve and the float may be the culprits here.

As the water rises, the float rises with it. This tells the inlet valve when to shut off. Check the inlet valve by flushing the toilet and holding the rod up connected to the float.

If you do this and the water stops filling, then the float needs adjusting or replacing. Otherwise, the inlet does.

3. Adjust the Level of the Float

The level of the float in the tank can be adjusted. You may need to make an adjustment to the float to keep the water inside the tank from leaking into the bowl. There are screws that assist you in making this adjustment.

Adjust the level of the float to reduce how much water is able to enter the tank. If you do so and water is still leaking into the tank, then you may need to replace the float. You can replace the float and the rod easily and for a fair price.

5. Replace Your Toilet’s Assembly

Another reason for a leaky toilet is the toilet’s assembly. If the toilet’s assembly needs replacing, you’ll need to start by turning off the water supply. After turning the water supply off, flush your toilet and hold the handle down.

Any leftover water in the toilet should be soaked up using a towel or sponge. The supply line connects to the bottom of the tank, be sure to remove this. You can then lift the assembly out by pushing it from the bottom.

You’ll then replace it with a new assembly and attach the supply line back to the base of the tank.

6. Inspect the Flapper 

If you’re still having issues with water leaking into the bowl from the tank, then you might want to inspect the flapper. Be sure to turn the water supply off once again. Take a few moments to inspect the water level in the tank.

Has it gone down? If it has gone down, you may have an issue with the flapper. Check the chain that’s connected to the flapper.

Is the chain too short, preventing the flapper from closing all the way down? If so, you can adjust the height of the chain and make it longer. In other cases, you may need to replace the flapper itself.

You can remove the flapper and inspect it for signs of cracking or aging. If it shows these signs, replace the flapper.

7. Loosen Bolts and Remove Toilet

If you notice that toilet leaks at base, then you need to check for a few other types of problems. One issue that could cause this is loose bolts. Your first step should be to tighten the bolts on the base of your toilet without tightening them too much causing cracking.

If this doesn’t solve the problem, then you’ll need to loosen the bolts and remove the toilet. Do keep in mind that if you need to remove the toilet to fix a leak, it might be time to call in a professional. Toilets are heavy and awkwardly shaped, making it easy to drop them, break them, or hurt yourself.

If you’re able to remove the toilet with the help of someone else, you can then check the wax ring for issues. In some cases, the wax ring needs replacing. This happens over time due to aging.

Learn How to Fix a Leaky Toilet Today!

Learning how to fix a leaky toilet is simple when you have this guide by your side! You can now find some independence because you know what to look for and how to make simple repairs. Although, when it comes to removing the toilet from your floor, do keep in mind that a professional plumbing service might be your best bet.

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