Leaky toilet can be a real drain, but it's easy to fix.

Byline: DO IT TODAY By Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

You've seen the checklists: 10 things or 20 things, or when they really want to overwhelm you, the 50 things you should do to improve your little corner of the planet.

No need for us to duplicate those efforts. Instead, we've chosen to explain how to tackle one of the make-a-better-world tasks: fixing a leaky toilet.

Leaks occur when the clean water in the tank continuously seeps into the toilet bowl, a problem that can waste as much as 200 gallons of water each day, according to the American Water Works Association, a consortium of water utilities, treatment plant operators, scientists and regulators.That's 73,000 gallons of water a year unnecessarily running down the drain.

The association estimates that two in 10 of the nation's toilets leak.

Most people know their toilets are leaking because they hear the continuous sound of water tinkling in the bathroom. But some leaky toilets don't make a sound.To tell if your toilet is leaking, tap a few drops of food coloring into the tank and wait 15 minutes. If the water in the bowl has any color in it, there's a leak.

The fix is usually pretty simple, said Jennifer Hermens, who sells plumbing supplies at the Jerry's Home Improvement Center on Highway 99. Almost anyone can fix a leaky toilet, she said.

"On a 1-to-10 scale of difficulty, it's a 1," Hermens said.

The most common problem is a warped flapper, the rubber stopper that keeps water from flowing into the bowl from the tank. If the flapper warps, it won't sit properly on the discharge tube, allowing water to drip, or gush, through.

Flappers wear out more quickly when people use blue chlorine tablets in their toilet tanks. The chemicals in the tablets damage the flapper, Hermens said.

She recommends using a cleaning product that goes in the bowl rather than in the tank where the water is already clean.

Replacing the flapper is straightforward. Just turn off the water supply valve to the toilet, flush the tank and let the water drain out. Remove the flapper, which is attached to an overflow tube, and replace it with a new one, Hermens said. Rubber loops easily fit over ears on the sides of the overflow tube or a single loop fits snugly on the tube itself.

The second most common problem occurs when the filler float is adjusted too high, sending water into the top end of the overflow tube. It just needs to be adjusted downward, she said.

The third most common culprit is the washer at the top of the filler valve. If it gets old, it may fail to seat properly, allowing water to escape into the tank.It's slightly more challenging to get to the washer, but replacing it is easy, Hermens said.

All of these are inexpensive fixes. Even replacing the entire tank valve apparatus only costs about $20, Hermens said.

If your toilet leaks, but you're not sure which of the many replacement parts you need, Hermens suggests snapping a photo of the tank's innards to take with you when you go shopping for parts.

For more information on toilet parts and fixes, visit the EWEB Web siteat www.eweb.org/Home/water/repair/flapper.htm or visit How Stuff Worksat www.howstuffworks.com/toilet1.htm.