Your home may have a secret. A slow drip from your toilet over months or years can wreak havoc on foundations, walls, flooring, sheet rock, and more. Because they're slow and silent, leaking toilets are some of the most insidious culprits in your home or business. While plumbing repairs are typically best left to the professionals, there are some proactive steps you can take to slow or stop the leak temporarily.
1. Turn Off the Water Supply
The first and most crucial step in addressing a leaky toilet is to shut off the water supply immediately. Located behind your toilet, usually below the tank, you'll find a silver handle with attached hoses leading to the toilet. Gently turn this handle clockwise until it stops, ensuring not to force it, as applying excessive pressure can lead to a more significant mess. By turning off the water supply, you'll prevent further water damage until the professionals arrive.
2. Inspect for Damage
In addition to identifying the source of the leak, a thorough inspection for any visible damage is crucial. Check for chips, cracks, or other signs of wear and tear on your toilet components. If you discover any damage, it's essential to communicate this information to your plumber. It may indicate a need for toilet replacement.
3. Consider the Wax Ring
Most homeowners have no idea that a thick ring made of wax is the only thing between their toilet water and a major flooring catastrophe. When installing a toilet, the wax ring is the most common way to seal water into the system itself. As the years go by, that wax ring wears down, leaving no protection from the water in the inner workings of your toilet.
If you notice water in the cracks of your flooring, the grout in your tile flooring is looking wet and dingy, or your bathroom always smells damp when it shouldn't, you likely need to replace the wax ring under your toilet. Can you do this yourself? Yes. Should you? That is quite another matter. As removing the toilet completely from the floor is necessary to replace the ring, it’s easy to crack or break the porcelain. This is a costly mistake, as you will now need a new toilet instead of just a wax ring. That’s why X-Pipe is here for you when your wax ring fails. We can save you headaches and hundreds of dollars by doing the job right the first time.
Top-Notch Plumbing Repair with X-Pipe
When faced with a plumbing repair, it's crucial to entrust the job to licensed, background-checked, and professionally trained plumbers. At X-Pipe Plumbing, our team of experts is committed to completing your repair efficiently and effectively. Our plumbers are equipped with the knowledge and experience needed to diagnose and fix a wide range of plumbing issues, ensuring your toilet runs as good as new.
A leaky toilet demands prompt attention and a systematic approach to prevent further damage. By following these four pro tips—turning off the water supply, identifying the source of the leak, inspecting for damage, and considering the wax ring may be compromised—you can take the initial steps to mitigate the issue until the professionals at X-Pipe Plumbing arrive.
Don't let a leaky toilet disrupt your daily life or cause extensive damage to your home. Call X-Pipe Plumbing today for top-notch plumbing repair services. Let our experts restore your peace of mind with efficient and reliable solutions.
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