Ask The Plumber

I Think Water Pressure Is Making My Toilet Leak, What Can I Do?

If your toilet is running continuously, you may find that the problem is that the water pressure is too high, causing the toilet to leak past the toilet fill valve. If this is the case, you will need to have a pressure regulator installed to monitor the water levels.

Some indications that this may be the problem include hearing the toilet run (either continuously or on and off), the need to jiggle the toilet handle to stop the flow of water or it just leaks.

To determine whether or not your water pressure is too high, you can look for water continually flowing down the sides of the toilet bowl, a long time after you have flushed the toilet. This is a good indicator that the pressure is too high, or that the flush valve needs repair.

You may also find that the toilet flushes by itself. This is in response to the leaking and the toilet filling with water. If you think there is a ghost in your home that likes to flush the toilet, you most likely need to replace the flush valve. A local plumber will be able to determine the source of the leak and the best solution to the problem.