A toilet can leak from the tank into the bowl for weeks without a sound, and the dye test is the simple way to catch it. A few drops of food coloring reveal a leak that costs money every month.
The test
Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait without flushing. If the color appears in the bowl, water is leaking from the tank through the flapper or the flush valve.
The flapper
A worn or warped flapper is the usual cause, and replacing it is a quick, inexpensive fix.
The flush valve
If the flapper is fine, the flush valve seat or the overflow tube may be the leak path, and the test tells you to look deeper.
The cost
A silent leak can waste thousands of gallons a year, which is why utilities encourage the test. hard water is common across the region, and older neighborhoods still have galvanized supply lines In Durham, a single running toilet can double a quiet home's water use.
The cost
A silent tank leak can waste thousands of gallons a year, and the dye test catches it in minutes. It is the cheapest leak check there is.
The call
Catch the silent leak and stop the waste. Call 888-217-3585 and Durham Plumber Connect will match you with a Durham pro.
Plumbing in Durham: what to know
In Durham, hard water is common across the region, and older neighborhoods still have galvanized supply lines. Pros in our network know the local quirks and bring the right parts on the first visit.
Across Durham County — from Chapel Hill, Morrisville and Carrboro to ZIP codes like 27701, 27708, 27707 — homeowners deal with the same kinds of issues. The tips above apply locally, and when a job goes beyond a quick fix, a vetted local pro is only a call away.
Need a hand in Durham?
If a plumbing issue is beyond a quick fix, don't wait for it to get worse. Call 888-217-3585 and Durham Plumber Connect will match you with a vetted local pro — usually within minutes. Learn more about plumbing help in Durham.