How often should you check your toilet supply lines, shutoffs, and flappers?

Skipping it eventually leads to water damage or an expensive repair.

Staying on schedule matters beyond the repair bill: a consistent maintenance record is one of the factors in a home's Roots Home Health Score, and well-kept homes typically sell faster and closer to asking price.

How to do it

A toilet has three quiet failure points: the supply line, the shutoff valve, and the flapper inside the tank. The first two can flood a bathroom; the flapper just wastes water, sometimes hundreds of gallons a day.

1. Feel the supply line and the shutoff valve behind the toilet for moisture or corrosion.
2. Turn the shutoff closed and open to confirm it still works, then leave it fully open.
3. Add a few drops of food coloring to the tank; if color appears in the bowl without flushing, the flapper leaks.
4. Replace a worn flapper or a corroded supply line as needed.

Alternatives & optional extras

• Swap a rubber or plastic supply line for braided stainless; it's a two-minute upgrade that prevents burst-line floods.
• A toilet that randomly refills itself ('phantom flushing') is a leaking flapper wasting water.

Time: 15 minutes · Typical cost: $5–$15 for a flapper or supply line

If you skip it

A failed supply line or shutoff can flood the bathroom, while a leaking flapper silently wastes hundreds of gallons a day.

Other bathrooms (caulk & fixtures) maintenance

• Inspect and refresh bathroom caulk and grout — once a year

Related systems to keep on schedule

• Sump pump — start with: test sump pump operation, every 3 months
• Water softener — start with: check and refill water softener salt, once a month
• Water filtration system — start with: replace water filtration cartridges, every 6 months
• Septic system — start with: pump septic tank, every 3 years