I just installed a Kohler Gleam toilet, and I've noticed that the bowl slowly loses water over time. After flushing, it refills normally, but then I hear an intermittent trickle. I've checked for leaks, ran water through the installation bracket for about five minutes, and found no leaks from the wax ring. I did mark the water level in the bowl and confirmed it's definitely losing water. I'm concerned it might be the wax ring, but there's no water around the toilet. I've read that the flapper could be the culprit. How can I check that?
3 Answers
Sounds like a bad flapper, especially if there's no water pooling on the floor. A good test is to put some dye in the tank and wait a bit. If the bowl changes color, the flapper is leaking. You can use food dye from the baking section; it should work fine without harming anything.
Didn’t see any dye leakage, but the noise seems more like it’s from the flange area. Is it possible for the toilet to leak into the drain without showing outside leakage?
You might want to check if the fill level in the tank is set too high. If it’s overflowing into the bowl, that could cause the trickling sound. Make sure the water level is below the overflow tube. If that’s not the issue, the flapper could be faulty and not sealing properly, but that’s less common with new toilets.
Absolutely! Check the overflow to see if it's at that level. If it is, you might need to replace the flapper if it’s leaking.
I adjusted the screw to lower the water level in the tank, but I still hear the trickling sound coming from the bottom area.
It sounds like the flapper valve might not be sealing properly. This can happen even on new installations. Try cleaning the bottom of the flapper and the circular area it rests on. If the tank is losing water, it's very likely the flapper isn’t sealing right and water is leaking into the bowl.
I noticed water coming from under the red cap while it’s filling. I’ll try adding some food dye.