Silent leaks are sneaky, but there are simple tests. First, listen carefully when the bathroom is quiet. If the toilet tank occasionally refills itself even when no one has used it, that’s a big hint – water is slowly escaping and the float is topping it up.
Another easy method is the food colour test. Put a few drops of food colouring or a coloured toilet tablet into the tank (not the bowl) and wait 15–30 minutes without flushing. If coloured water appears in the bowl, there’s a leak from the tank to the bowl, often due to a worn flapper or seal.
You can also feel around the base of the toilet for constant dampness or stains, which may signal a different type of leak. And of course, an unexplained rise in your water bill with no other changes in usage is a classic sign that something, somewhere, is leaking – toilets are common culprits.
Fixing a small leak early saves water and prevents long-term damage around floors and walls.