A toilet water supply line usually will not get noticed too often. When you notice a drip or puddle on the floor near your toilet you start to give it attention.
Leaks are the main reason you would have an interest in you toilet water supply line. See the article on 'Leaking Toilet Water Supply Lines' for instructions on how to deal with leaks. If you need to replace the supply line you want to see the articles 'Types of Toilet Water Supply Lines' and 'Connections for Toilet Supply Lines'.
Not sure if this is your problem? See the article 'Troubleshooting Toilet Problems' for a listing of all the toilet topics.
When the supply line is old you may get it leaking when you work on the toilet. The leak may not be the supply line, it might be the shut off valve.
Can you repair a toilet water shut off valve yourself? It is not a difficult job and the parts are not expensive. A few common tools is all that you need. Leaks waste water and can damage things in your home. Don't wait, solve this problem now.
Older toilets may have brass tubing that serves as the water supply. These are a little tougher to work with. They are also notorious for starting to leak when disturbed. The good news is that you can replace them with a flexible line.
Toilet Water Supply Lines - The Issues
What Can You Save? - This is not a big job for a plumber. However, he has to drive out to your house and actually install the part. The part is usually less than ten dollars. A plumber will likely charge between $65 and $100 for replacing it.
How Hard Could It Be? - Repairing or replacing a toilet water supply line is not a difficult task. These repairs will have a Difficulty Level of: Simple. These repairs require a Skill Level of: Job Jar Specialist. For and explanation of the terms in this section, see 'How to Use This Site'.
Check the Simple Things! - Make sure your problem is not condensation on the toilet tank. Depending on the temperature and humidity, you can get drips from the tank. Making sure the fittings are tight would be the next easy thing. Always use two wrenches when trying to tighten plumbing fittings. Don't over tighten.
What Can Go Wrong? - Old plumbing fittings can be delicate. Sometimes a well meaning attempt to tighten something, results in a bad leak. Even worse you may ruin something. Make sure the water is off and the valve is working before you attempt to tighten the fittings. After tightening, gingerly turn the water back on.
Troubleshooting Toilet Water Supply Lines
The article 'Types of Toilet Water Supply Lines' talks about the different types of lines that are available and the issues with fixing them. The article also has some instruction on how to install the different types.
The article 'Toilet Water Supply Line Connections' discusses the items that the supply line connects to. It could be these items that are causing the problem. There are fittings that are close to the water supply line that may make it difficult to determine where the leak is coming from.
Summary
How did you make out with your toilet water supply line? It should not have been that big of a job. Did you decide to be a purist and stay with the brass style line? As long as you were careful and did not kink it, you were probably fine.
Most homeowners opt for the easier way out and use flexible lines. Factory installed fittings. No cutting or measuring, is that great or what? Less than ten minutes to change it. This really was not a hard home repair at all.