A leaky toilet is any toilet that lets water escape where it should not, whether onto the floor, down the bowl without a flush, or from the tank into the bowl. The leak may be a loose supply line, a bad tank gasket, a tired flapper or a failed wax ring.
Some of these are a ten-minute fix with hand tools. Others are slow floor-damaging seeps that deserve a plumber. Start with a simple test to find the source, then use the table below to choose your next move.
Start with a dye test
Drop a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait fifteen minutes without flushing. If color shows up in the bowl, water is slipping past the flapper or flush valve seat. If the bowl stays clear, the leak is somewhere else.
Five places a toilet leaks and how to tell them apart
| Where the water shows up | Most likely cause | Homeowner fix or pro? |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the bowl, tank keeps refilling | Worn flapper or flush valve seat | Replace the flapper, easy with hand tools |
| At the tank bolts | Failed rubber washers | Replace washers, moderate |
| At the supply line and shutoff valve | Loose nut, bad washer or cracked braided line | Replace line, easy. Stuck valve, call a plumber |
| Where the tank meets the bowl | Cracked gasket | Replace the gasket, moderate |
| On the floor around the base | Wax ring failure or cracked flange | Pull the toilet, or call a plumber |
Water spreading across the floor right now
If water is pooling and not stopping, act before you diagnose.
- 1Turn the supply valve on the wall clockwise until it stops. If it will not turn, shut off the main water valve.
- 2Mop up and move rugs and cabinets out of the wet area.
- 3Switch off power to any outlet near the water if you can do so from a dry spot.
- 4Call (855) 575-2890 if the valve will not close or the water keeps coming.
Replacing a flapper in about ten minutes
- 01
Close the supply and empty the tank
Turn off the valve, flush, then sponge out the rest so the tank is nearly dry.
- 02
Unhook the old flapper
Lift the chain off the lever and slide the flapper's ears off the overflow tube pegs.
- 03
Clean the seat
Wipe the rim of the flush valve opening with a damp cloth. A rough seat can keep a new flapper from sealing.
- 04
Fit a matching flapper
Take the old one to the store. Hook it on, and set the chain with a little slack, just enough to lift the flapper fully.
- 05
Refill and retest
Open the supply, let the tank fill, and repeat the dye test.
Quick fix or full replacement of the toilet parts
Fix the single part
Right when only one component is worn.
- Flapper, fill valve or washers are cheap to swap
- Works when the tank and bowl are sound
- Suits toilets that are otherwise in good condition
Replace the toilet
Right when the porcelain itself is failing.
- Hairline cracks in the tank or bowl
- Repeated leaks at multiple joints
- Old models with discontinued parts
Our toilet repair team handles both choices, and a persistent hidden drip can be traced through leak detection.
Your water bill is the second leak detector
New Jersey American Water supplies water in Voorhees and publishes an annual water quality report. A running toilet is silent, so your bill and meter are the best proof. Shut off every tap, check whether the meter dial still moves, and compare recent bills for an unexplained rise.
If the dial moves with everything off, the toilet is one suspect among several. The bill does not tell you where the loss is, so use the dye test next.
Source type: New Jersey American Water water quality reportMineral buildup and old parts
Hard water leaves mineral deposits on flappers and seats, so rubber parts in a toilet tank can stiffen and warp. Cleaning the tank and replacing the flapper regularly is cheap insurance.
Avoid dropping in blue tablets, since some chemicals can attack rubber and speed up the next leak.
Check the braided supply line while you are down there. Bulging, rusty fittings or a damp cloth after a wipe mean the line is due. Replace it with a new braided line sized to the shutoff valve, and tighten by hand plus a quarter turn only.
When not to do this yourself
Leave it to a plumber if the shutoff valve is corroded, the leak is from the base and the floor feels soft, or the water on the floor looks dirty or smells. Those signs can mean a drain or flange problem, not a loose nut.
Serving more of Camden County
We repair toilets in Gibbsboro and Somerdale as well as across Voorhees, NJ. If you have a leak that will not stop, call (855) 575-2890 and a licensed plumber will help you figure out the next step.
Sources and references
The points above draw on these public standards, codes and guidelines. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the agency or utility named before you rely on them.
- New Jersey American Water: published water quality report (Delaware system) and Camden County service territory information