By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-23 21:20:47 | Updated at 2024-09-30 15:31:32
6 days ago
A property expert warned that homeowners who hear a common sound coming from their bathrooms could be flushing money down the toilet.
Real estate agent Laurence Gibbons offered the PSA in a TikTok video, featuring a toilet with running water as if it had recently been flushed.
'If that sound keeps going, you're going to get a massive, massive water bill,' he said in the clip.
The home expert did not clarify what was causing the issue, but there could be a few explanations.
Property expert Laurence Gibbons insisted homeowners not ignore a running toilet sound as it could hike up the price of their water bill
One common cause of a 'running toilet' is a faulty flapper if the piece is worn out, misaligned, or doesn't create a seal that prevents water leaks, according to DrizzleX.
Other causes include a clogged drain, low water pressure, or a faulty fill valve that doesn't properly shut off water flow properly.
Jim Reinhart, a former product leader and director at toilet-maker American Standard, told Architectural Digest in 2022 that it could even be caused by a 'crack in the toilet tank.'
Common toilet issues that could cause a running water noise include a faulty flapper, a clogged drain, or low water pressure
'You won't need any special tools to figure out why your toilet is running, just your eyes, ears, and a set of hands,' he said.
When it comes to a faulty flapper, the toilet expert advised homeowners to remove it and bring it to a hardware store so that they can purchase another one with the same shape and dimensions.
'It is important to not mix and match the toilet parts as most toilets are configured to work optimally with parts from the same brand,' Reinhard said.
The homeowner must then fit the new flapper back onto the toilet, and turn the water on to see if the issue is fixed.
If that doesn't solve the problem, owners cancheck the overflow tube height, lower the tank's water level, inspect the flush valve chain, replace the flush valve, or replace the fill valve.
Anyone with little to no plumbing knowledge can try these tips or request help from a plumber
A handful of viewers who watched Gibbons' video insisted the toilet's flapper was the culprit, but that it would still be simple to fix if it were another issue
A handful of viewers who watched Gibbons' video insisted the toilet's flapper was the culprit, but that it would still be simple to fix if it were another issue.
'Such an easy fix too! If it’s the floater, it can be fixed with a screw driver by adjusting the height of it,' one commenter wrote.
Others described Gibbons' toilet issue as 'dramatic,' with one viewer writing that all he needed to do was 'jiggle the handle.'
'Relief it's already something I know,' a commenter joked.
Still others admitted that they learned Gibbons' lesson the hard way, with one person admitting that the resulting $500 bill was something they 'couldn't afford.'
