If a tap drips or a toilet keeps running, close the small isolation valve on the pipe directly underneath it. That stops the leak without turning off water to the whole house. Turn it with a flat head screwdriver. The water is on when the slot follows the pipe, and off after a quarter turn so the slot sits across it. If the leak carries on, turn the water off at the stop tap instead.
A leaking toilet is not always obvious. Listen for trickling from the cistern when nobody has flushed, or watch for ripples on the water in the pan. To check, put a few drops of food colouring in the cistern and leave it for a while. If colour appears in the pan, it is leaking, usually through a failed seal on the flush valve or fill valve.
A dripping tap usually has a rubber washer that has cracked, gone brittle or clogged with limescale. On a single lever tap, a worn or clogged cartridge is often the cause.
Acting early saves water, because a leaking toilet can waste between two hundred and four hundred litres a day. Call a plumber if a tap is badly damaged or you are unsure what is causing the drip. I fix taps and toilets across Preston, and at Fylde Bathrooms & GM Plumbing I will track down which washer, cartridge or valve has gone. Get in touch through my plumbing page.
