How To Fix A Leaking Toilet Cistern The Easy Way
If you were a plumber, you'd know just how often you have your hands down a toilet. They get clogged; the flush is broken; the bowl becomes loose; they become noisy; they stink. But one of the most common problems is a leaking toilet cistern.
As you no doubt know, the cistern is the upper element of every home's favourite and most-used throne - the part that holds the water ready to be flushed. It's another name for a toilet's water storage tank, and it will usually house the flush button that connects to the flush mechanism that lies within.
Is your toilet cistern leaking?
It's critical to recognise and address a leaking toilet cistern as soon as possible, so as not to waste water, cause water damage, and make your toilet or plumbing problems more serious and expensive to fix.
- Seeing water or water stains around the toilet?
- Hearing dripping?
- Toilet constantly running?
- Water bills up?
- Cistern water levels low?
- Musty odours or mould/mildew growth?
At this stage, you can either call your friendly local Gold Coast plumber right now, or you can look into whether learning how to fix a leaking toilet cistern is something you can handle. In Queensland, repairing a drop valve washer, float valve washer or suction cup rubber within a toilet cistern is something you legally can do without the assistance of a licensed plumber - even though you might just make things worse and cause an even bigger mess and repair bill.
8 easy DIY steps to fix a leaking toilet cistern
If you're determined to learn how to fix a leaking toilet cistern yourself, here's how:
1. Turn off the water
Before fiddling with anything to do with your plumbing, switch the water off. Start with the shut-off valve at the toilet's base and follow it up with the main supply.
2. Remove the tank lid
Be careful as you do this, as it is often heavy or fragile.
3. Inspect the water level
If the leak is bad enough, you'll already see the water level declining or notice a low level of water in there. But if the water level is actually too high, you may have discovered a problem with the float assembly or fill valve.
4. Test for leaks
You can test for leaks quite easily by adding just a few drops of food colouring into the cistern water. Don't flush, but instead, just wait to see if any signs of colour seep into the bowl.
5. Check the float assembly & fill valve
Otherwise known as the ballcock assembly, what you're looking for here is visible damage, misalignment, and malfunctioning parts. Also, check the float moves freely and isn't obstructed by anything.
6. Check & test the flapper valve
At the very bottom of the cistern, on the other hand, is the flapper valve - which controls the flow of water into the bowl. If that's leaking, you'll see signs of wear and tear or misalignment, which will affect the watertight seal it needs to create.
To test if it's working properly, flush the toilet and see what happens. What should happen is that the flapper lifts up completely and then settles back down after the flush is complete.
7. Check the flush valve seal
Also at the bottom of the cistern is the flush valve seal, which if damaged or deteriorated may leak water into the bowl.
8. Check the cistern connections
Between the cistern itself and the toilet bowl, you'll see there are various plumbing connections. Are any loose, damaged or cracked? Can you see water leaking from any of them?
How to fix a leaking toilet cistern the easy way
Have you identified the cause of your leaking toilet cistern and implemented the required fix? If not, don't worry for a second longer - because the masters of every toilet cistern leaking valuable, damaging and annoying water right here at In Deep Plumbing are only ever just around the corner. Our immaculately-presented and fully-licensed Gold Coast toilet repair & replacement plumbers don't charge a call-out fee, we're always on time and guarantee the quality of our workmanship, and we're available 24/7 so you're never stuck without a toilet.
Don't let that leaking toilet cistern get you down - instead, give the Gold Coast's favourite plumber right here at In Deep Plumbing a call day or night. We can make the right repairs, replace a toilet cistern or the whole unit.
