Toilet Valve Leaking: Tips for Fixing It

There are two types of valves in your toilet’s tank, the shut-off valve, and the fill valve. Either of them will wear out after years of use and lead to a leaking toilet. The water can accelerate the growth of mold and mildew which are health hazards. The water could also damage your floor and the wall in the lower floors. Below is the procedure for fixing the two valves when leaking.

Fill Valve

You will notice a small puddle of water on the floor and can get bigger if left unattended. A faulty fill valve causes this leak. The fill valve found in the toilet tank is at the bottom of the tank, and compression fitting connects it to the tank bottom. A seal made of rubber keeps the water from draining out into the bowl. A fill valve will leak at the fitting connection to the tank.

Shut off the water supply and flush the toilet to drain the water tank of the toilet. Hold the toilet’s flapper to allow as much water as possible to leave the tank to allow for repairs.

Hold onto the base of the water fill valve on the inside of the tank and use an adjustable wrench to tighten the fill valve nut. Be careful to avoid cracking and stripping the plastic nut. A quarter-turn past the hand screw will be enough.

There should still be water at the bottom of the toilet tank, and it will indicate if the leak is still there. If the leak is no longer existent, open the water supply and let the tank fill up.

Shut Off Valve

The location of this valve is on the main water supply line to the toilet. With continued shutting and the opening of the valve, it is bound to come loose and cause a leak. The internal rubber experiences stress, which causes it to fail to expand and contract effectively causing the leak in the valve.

The easiest and the fastest way to fix a leaking shut-off valve is by tightening the packing valve. With a pipe wrench, turn the packing nut in quarter turns until the leak is gone, this will put pressure on the rubber washer found inside the valve. If the nut cannot tighten anymore, you are bound to replace the shut-off valve.

Both of the above valves can cause damage to your bathroom floor and adjacent walls too. Be sure to act fast to repair any leaks also to save you on your water bills.