What to do about constantly dripping toilet?

I have a Caroma toilet in good condition that is constantly dripping water into the bowl. Our last water bill was higher than usual so we need to do something about it.

I can’t see any obvious problem and don’t know what model the toilet is. It’s a Caroma, about 15 years old, and is 840mm tall, 650mm long from the wall and 360mm wide.

Could someone identify it for me and suggest what parts I need to get? I’m happy to get a plumber once, but don’t want them to have to come twice to just look at it and then go away for parts.

Community manager's note: Check out How to fix a leaking toilet for expert advice.

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MitchellMc

Hi @AndreaNg,

The most common reason for water leaking into the bowl is that your seating washer needs to be replaced. The flush button mechanism actions the seating washer. A little test you can do to find out if it is the seating washer is to turn that tap off. If the water is still running into the bowl after 5 minutes, it is the seating washer. If the leaking stops almost immediately when you turn the tap off, it's the washer in the inlet valve.

Unless one of our members has this exact make of toilet, the best way to identify what washer is needed is to take the mechanism apart removing the washer. You'll then be able to take the washer into a store to have a team member match it up for you.

If you can pull the washer out, I can possibly identify which of our washers would replace it for you.

Please let me know if you need further assistance or have questions.

Mitchell

redracer01

Hello @AndreaNg

Just to add to @MitchellMc 's information. That inlet valve is a modified Caroma 405038 Top Entry Inlet Valve with parts added to make it work as a side entry inlet valve. This is an excellent toilet from Caroma called the Opal 2000 and judging by the type of inlet valve you have this is from the first generation of the Caroma Opal sets. ( now I'm really showing my age! ) First came out around 1993! Now I'm not saying they don't have spares but I strongly suspect this will be a special ordered spare part to repair. That is if it is the faulty part. Please follow Mitchell's instructions to test. The other option is to order Caroma's universal side entry inlet valve or a Gerberit side entry inlet valve that Caroma has also used in some of its more expensive units. That is if the inlet valve is beyond repair. I hope the information helps.

Cheers,

Red

This is the top entry version, yours is the side entry versionAlternative part to get if the inlet valve is beyond repair.

AndreaNg

Thank you. I turned the tap off inside the toilet and water continued to drip. Can you please point out what the seating washer is in my photo above and how I might remove it to take it into a store to match?

TedBear

Caroma is a common toilet brand, so if you intend using a plumber, it would be amazing if they didn't carry such washers with them. Of you want to do it yourself, you can buy seating washers very cheaply from Bunnings (under $10). The seating washer is at the bottom of the tank, so you will need to unclip (4 clips lever back with a small screwdriver, one at a time by gently pulling up on each corner of the plastic unit, while pressing in the nearest clip) to pull up and remove the whole plastic unit you can see. You will, need to first unscrew that flexible metal pipe (after turning the tap off, of course). It's a bit fiddly. The washer will pop off a holder at the bottom and the new one pushes back on. But a plumber can do it easily & should be able to tell you in advance exactly what it will cost.

MitchellMc

Hi @AndreaNg,

It's great to see you've already received a helpful reply from @TedBear.

Please let us know if you have any difficulties releasing the mechanism. As @TedBear mentioned, it can be a bit fiddly. The seating washer is at the bottom-most point. Start by flushing the water out so you can see the clips holding the flush valve in place.

Mitchell

redracer01

Hello @AndreaNg

Below is a visual representation of the locking clips that must be released before puling the flushing mechanism out. As mentioned by @TedBear please make sure to turn your water off before releasing and removing the inlet hose attached to the inlet filling valve. Please take "extreme" care as the plastic may be brittle as it is fairly old. WARNING : Any accidental damage to the holding cradle will mean that you will have to get a new dual flush mechanism. Here is a link to a video from Caroma. Please note that although the person doing it removed it easily it is because the unit is still new. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hX4hBO3hmU Good luck and stay safe.

Cheers,

Red

andrea cistern1.jpg

AndreaNg

Thanks so much for your help. Feeling proud of myself that I didn’t need to call a plumber. I got the seating washer from Bunnings yesterday, turned off the water, emptied the tank and clipped off the mechanism. I saw the at the old rubber washer was really deteriorated and once I got the new one on and everything back in place, no more dripping. Thanks again.

MitchellMc

Amazing work, @AndreaNg. You should be really proud of yourself! I remember the first time I fixed my own leaky toilet. It was such a liberating feeling knowing I could do it myself. One of the most fulfilling things about D.I.Y. is the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction we get from completing a project.

Many thanks for updating us on your success. I trust @redracer01 and @TedBear will be just as excited as I am to hear the news. Please let us know whenever you need assistance; we're here to help.

Mitchell

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