Summer is typically the season when higher water bills arrive. While many of us might focus on sprinklers and filling up the pool, a widespread source of water waste might actually be inside your bathroom. Even if your toilet appears to be flushing fine, there are issues that may be causing it to use more water than is necessary. Knowing why your toilet might be wasting water this summer can help you spot problems early and save on water and costs.
The Phantom Flush: Leaks That You May Miss
A silent leak is one of the most common causes that a toilet wastes water. In other words, water is always seeping from the tank to the bowl, and you don’t even have to flush. Since the water is leaking slowly, you may not notice it nor see visible evidence. One simple test is to drop some food coloring into the toilet tank. Then, wait 10-15 minutes before flushing. If the colored water ends up in the toilet bowl, water is leaking from the tank, and the likely culprit is a worn-out flapper valve on the bottom of the tank. This little, cheap rubber or silicone component is meant to form a watertight seal, but it can wear out or at the very least get stuck so it doesn’t actually seal, meaning water slowly leaches into the bowl, and the tank refills when it shouldn’t.
The Overfilling Tank: Too Much Water at the Start
Another way your toilet can be wasting water is if the tank is refilling too much following each flush. There’s a float inside the tank that moves up with the water as it fills, and, once it hits a certain point, the fill valve knows the tank is full and shuts off the water. If this float is adjusted too high or if the fill valve is defective, the water level in the tank goes higher than necessary. This extra water just spills over into the overflow tube, which is intended to keep the tank from flooding your bathroom floor. However, this convenient safety valve also means that you’re using more water with every single flush.
The Partial Flush Habit: Taking More Than You Need
Our own habits for using the toilet can also be a cause of water waste, especially on busy summer days with more people at home. If you own a toilet with only one flush handle, then you will use the same amount of water for flushing liquid waste as for solid waste. Many newer toilets now include two-flush options, one of which is a partial flush for liquids that uses considerably less water.
Paying attention to how your toilet functions, listening for anything out of the ordinary, and watching for silent leaks are all things you can do to avoid sending water down the tubes, especially in these summer months. Tackling these potential problems early will save you money on your water bill and help conserve water during a season when it is a valuable resource. If your toilet is leaking, hurry up and contact the folks at C&C Myers in Charleston, SC to rectify the problem.
