Photo from The Spruce
A leaking toilet can drive you up the wall. Apart from the dampness that such leaking will cause to your bathroom, leaks are also responsible for the growth of mold and mildew, while diminishing the air quality in a home.
While some toilet leaks are quite visible to the homeowner, the homeowner is often never aware that they have a problem. Therefore, such homeowners might discover too late that they have a leaking problem when their water bills start shooting through the roof. In a nutshell, a leaking toilet could cause a host of problems, and you’d do yourself a favor to diagnose those problems at the earliest and to effect proper remedies. In this article, we’ll discuss the most common toilet leaking problems and how you can fix them.
Signs That You Have a Problem
Before you start thinking about the remedies for your leaking toilet, you need to diagnose the problem accurately. Several signs should alert you about the possibility of a leak, including:
The Presence of Sewer Smell in Your Bathroom
When your toilet is new and working optimally, you’ll notice that the bathroom is free of bad odors. Should you start noticing that the smell of sewer pervades your washrooms, there’s a very high possibility that the toilet is leaking.
Stains Around the Toilet Floor
Have you started noticing stains on the toilet floor? In addition, could the toilet floor be permanently damp for some unexplained reasons? Both of these signs point to the possibility of a leak, and you should address them.
Noise Persists in Your Toilet after You’ve Flushed
Once you’ve flushed the toilet, you know that it should remain quiet after a few seconds. However, when you have a leak, you might hear the sound of the toilet refilling even if it hasn’t been flushed again. These are known as phantom flushes, and they indicate that water is leaking from the tank into the bowl. A phantom flush should be addressed quickly as it could make you lose a lot of water and drive up your water bill.
Problems with the toilet flapper usually cause phantom flushes. The flapper is supposed to seal the valve seat, but it’ll fail to do so when it gets run down. You can solve this problem by getting a new flapper.
Why is My American Standard Toilet Leaking?
This is a common question that people who have installed American Standard toilets usually ask. While the toilets have a good reputation, they also have issues that will crop up with time. Your toilet could therefore start leaking for various reasons.
Natural Wear And Tear
You’ll have few and infrequent problems with your toilet when it’s new, but you should expect the issues to increase as the toilet ages. Looking at the various components of your toilet, you should not be too surprised to discover that some parts will need to be replaced after some time. If your toilet is used heavily, toilet handles will inevitably malfunction after some time.
Delicate components such as the flapper and the fill valve will also fail to work properly with age. For these reasons, repairs are inevitable with time.
Water Pressure
Since some of your toilet's internal components are delicate, such components are bound to break down when they are exposed to high water pressure. The parts could also get damaged by hard water or the chemicals used to treat water.
Failure to Conduct Regular Service
Your toilet works hard and is expected to give you many years of great service. To do this, however, the toilet needs to be serviced regularly, as you’ll find out when you consult your toilet’s user manual. Regular service not only guarantees uninterrupted service but also ensures that the warranty on your toilet is not voided.
Photo from American Home Shield
Why You Should Deal with American Standard Toilet Leaking Problems Promptly
A leaking toilet could also prove quite expensive. Leaks waste thousands of gallons of water. In extreme circumstances, leaks could lead to flooding – they could therefore ruin your carpets, books, and furniture. When you remember that such flooding is usually not covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy, you know that leaks should not be taken lightly.
Conclusion
Whenever you have an American Standard toilet leaking problem, you should address it without delay. Some leaks cost very little and can be corrected by the property owner. However, some leaking problems can only be attended to by a professional plumber and should you find yourself facing such problems, you should not hesitate to ask for help.