Leaks & Repairs
It's not always easy to tell if your toilet is leaking. To check for a slow leak, add some food coloring or dye tablets to the water in the tank and wait thirty minutes. If the color seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak.
To repair the leak, follow these steps.
Step 1:
Remove the tank lid and check the float arm. Reach in and lift it up. If the water stops running, you've found the problem. Adjust the screws or bolts to the inlet float valve until the water stops flowing.
Step 2:
If the toilet continues to leak, turn off the water supply valve to the tank, and flush the toilet to drain out the water. Examine the inlet float valve by removing the two screws or bolts and lifting the top of the valve housing out. Check the diaphragm. If it is even slightly damaged or worn, replace it.
Step 3:
If the toilet periodically refills without flushing, examine the ball stopper or flapper valve. It should fit flush in its seat. If not, look at the lever and guide rods that operate the ball stopper. If they are crooked, gently straighten them. For toilets having a chain pull attached to the flapper valve, make sure the chain is slack when the valve is seated to insure a snug fit. If the ball or flapper valve itself is worn out, replace it. Check for corrosion or deposits on the seat and the ball stopper or flapper valve. Use steel wool to remove this buildup.
Step 4:
Inspect the small refill tube that connects the fill valve to the refill-overflow tube to be sure the smaller tube ends slightly above the standing water level of the completely filled tank. If necessary, gently pull the small tube upward until its end is correctly placed.
Step 5:
If the toilet is still leaking, you may have a problem fill valve. In this case a steady trickle of water will run constantly, flowing into the overflow tube in the toilet tank. If the water level in the tank is right up to the very top of the overflow tube, then you probably have a fill valve problem. First try to adjust the float level so the water stops flowing before reaching the overflow level.
Step 6:
If this doesn't stop the leak, replace the fill valve. Shut off the water supply to the toilet and flush to empty the tank. Sponge the final few cups of water from the bottom of the tank. Disconnect the supply line,and remove the nut on the bottom of the tank to remove the old fill valve assembly. Install a new fill valve assembly and reattach the supply line. Finally, attach the fill tube hose to the overflow tube. Turn the water back on, and adjust the float so that the water shuts off about one inch below the top of the overflow tube.
Note: If your toilet has a Fluidmaster valve instead of a float arm, check the Fluidmaster web site (http://www.fluidmaster.com/ for more information.
If you cannot determine the source of the leak, please call the District Office. We will send someone out to help you. The majority of leaks are found either in the toilet tank or sprinkler system.
If you have a leak, you are still responsible for the water use as a result of the leak. The District is responsible for supplying water to your meter. After the meter, the property owner is responsible for all water use devices and water loss. Meadowbrook Water is billed by Denver Water through master meters and must pay for all water that passes through these meters. Please call the District Office if you need to make payment arrangements.
![May contain: indoors, bathroom, room, and toilet](https://streamline.imgix.net/9ab09492-ed83-40d0-9d55-965d21dbbc35/d76bff6f-a297-4b55-b8ca-1a019a2a8d87/toilet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&w=2000&h=2000&fit=max&or=0&s=ed192b643c0a48faf8aabee74debbc32)