Running Toilet? Here's How Much Water You're Wasting
Running Toilet? Here's How Much Water You're Wasting
Can you hear your toilet running long after you've flushed it? Or notice the cistern seems to be refilling more often than it should? A running toilet is one of the most wasteful and overlooked plumbing problems in the home — and it's almost always a simple, affordable fix.
How Much Water Does a Running Toilet Waste?
A continuously running toilet can waste anywhere from 60 to 200 litres of water per day — that's up to 6,000 litres per month. At current water rates in NSW, this can add $50–$150 or more to your quarterly water bill, depending on the severity of the leak. Over the course of a year, a running toilet can waste the equivalent of a small swimming pool.
How to Tell If Your Toilet Is Running
The easiest test is the dye test. Put a few drops of food colouring into the cistern (not the bowl) and wait 10–15 minutes without flushing. If the colour appears in the bowl, water is leaking from the cistern into the bowl through a faulty flapper or outlet valve. You can also listen — a faint hissing or trickling sound from the toilet when it hasn't been flushed recently is a reliable sign.
What Causes a Running Toilet?
The most common cause is a worn or warped toilet flapper — the rubber seal at the bottom of the cistern that opens when you flush and closes to allow the cistern to refill. Over time, the rubber deteriorates, the seal fails, and water slowly leaks through into the bowl. A faulty inlet valve (which controls the water entering the cistern) can also cause running, resulting in the cistern overfilling and water draining into the overflow tube.
Can I Fix It Myself?
A flapper replacement is a DIY job that can be done with a $10 part from a hardware store — though matching the right part to your specific toilet model can be tricky. Inlet valve and float adjustment are also within reach for a handy homeowner. However, if you're not confident with basic plumbing, a plumber can fix a running toilet in 30–45 minutes for a straightforward callout fee. Given the water and money being wasted, it's well worth it.
Running Toilet That Won't Stop?
We carry replacement parts on the van and can fix most running toilets in a single visit. Serving Penrith and the Blue Mountains.
