Is Your Toilet Leaking? How to Tell and What to Do About It
A leaking toilet is one of the most common plumbing problems in Australian homes — and also one of the most commonly overlooked. Unlike a burst pipe or blocked drain, a leaking toilet often goes unnoticed for months, silently wasting water and quietly increasing your bills.
The Two Types of Toilet Leaks
Leaking from the cistern into the bowl — this is the most common type. Water slowly trickles from the cistern into the bowl continuously. You might notice the toilet seems to refill on its own, or you might hear a faint hissing or running water sound.
Leaking at the base — water pooling at the base of your toilet after flushing usually means the wax seal or pan collar connecting the toilet to the floor waste has failed. This type of leak can cause damage to your subfloor if left long enough.
How to Check for a Silent Toilet Leak
For cistern-to-bowl leaks, try this simple test:
Put a few drops of food colouring into your cistern.
Wait 15 minutes without flushing.
Check the bowl — if the colour has appeared in the bowl, you have a leak.
You can also put a piece of dry toilet paper against the back of the bowl. If it gets wet, water is seeping through.
How Much Water Is a Leaking Toilet Wasting?
A slow cistern leak can waste 200–400 litres of water per day. A more significant leak can waste over 1,000 litres per day. Over a quarter, that's enough to make a very noticeable dent in your water bill — and it's all going straight down the drain.
What Causes a Toilet to Leak?
Worn inlet valve — the inlet valve controls how the cistern fills. When the seal wears out, water keeps trickling in (and out) even when the cistern is full.
Failed flap valve or flush valve — the rubber flap at the bottom of the cistern seals the water in until you flush. Over time the rubber deteriorates, warps or gets coated in mineral deposits and stops sealing properly.
Damaged pan collar or wax seal — the connection between the toilet and the floor waste can fail over time, especially in older homes or if the toilet has moved slightly.
Cracked cistern or pan — less common, but a hairline crack can cause a slow leak that's hard to spot until there's visible water damage.
Why You Shouldn't Leave It
Beyond the water bill, a leaking toilet base can cause serious damage to your bathroom floor, subfloor and the ceiling of any room below. What starts as a small drip can lead to mould, rotting timber and expensive structural repairs.
The Fix
Most toilet leaks are straightforward repairs — a new valve, flap or seal is usually all that's needed. At WickyLeaks Plumbing, we carry the most common parts on the van so we can fix most toilet leaks in a single visit.
Heard your toilet running? Don't ignore it. Call Tom on 0416 705 086 or request a booking online.