DIY home repairs 2026: a silently running toilet costs 24× a dripping tap

Most small household repairs take under half an hour with tools anyone can buy, and people avoid them because they have no idea what they are worth.

This article starts by costing out what leaving them alone actually costs — the answer for one of them is much higher than anyone assumes — and then covers the fixes.

⚠️ A running toilet costs 24× a dripping tap, and you cannot hear it

Photo: Karthik916 — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

This is the figure to know before anything else.

According to EPA WaterSense, a tap dripping once per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons a year, while a leaking toilet can waste around 200 gallons a day.

In money, at a residential water rate of about 10.50 baht per cubic metre:

⚠️ A silently running toilet costs 24 times more than a tap dripping audibly all night — and the reason people do not fix it is that they do not know it is leaking. You hear a dripping tap; you do not hear a running toilet. It simply trickles into the bowl twenty-four hours a day and shows up as a higher water bill with no identifiable cause.

The free test, 15 minutes:

1. Lift the lid off the cistern behind the toilet.
2. Add about ten drops of food colouring (or a dark dish soap).
3. Do not flush. Wait 15 minutes.
4. If the water in the bowl has changed colour, water is leaking continuously from cistern to bowl.

Causes and fixes, most common first:

• A worn flapper at the bottom of the cistern — the number one cause. The rubber hardens or scales up and no longer seals. Replaceable by hand for a very small sum.
• The float set too high — water fills past the overflow tube and runs into the bowl. Lower the float so the water sits 2–3 cm below the top of the overflow.
• A chain too short or too long — too short holds the flapper open; too long catches under it. Leave about one link of slack.

For a dripping tap, the cause is almost always a worn washer or O-ring, costing a few baht. The sequence: shut off the valve under the basin first → put a cloth in the basin so small parts cannot fall down the drain → remove the tap head, photographing each step for reassembly → replace the washer → reassemble. ⚠️ Do not overtighten, which deforms the washer and brings the drip back sooner.

Basic tools worth owning

This list covers almost every household repair and costs less than two or three call-out fees:

⚠️ The thing people forget: a box for the screws and parts you remove. A small screw rolling under a cupboard is the leading cause of a 20-minute job becoming an all-day one. And photograph everything before dismantling — the best tool available, and already in your hand.

Other repairs you can do in 15 minutes

A squeaking door or hinge — apply lubricant or a multi-purpose spray to the hinge pin and swing the door repeatedly to distribute it. ⚠️ If it is still stiff, the problem may not be the hinge but a door swollen by humidity, which is common in the Thai rainy season. In that case sand back the edge where it rubs (see fixing damp and mould).

Nail holes in a wall — fill with ready-mixed filler, smooth with a scraper or a stiff card, let it dry, sand lightly and touch in the paint. ⚠️ Touched-in paint rarely blends, because the original has faded with light and dust. Getting it seamless means repainting the whole wall — which is why you should always keep leftover paint from the last time.

Weak water flow from a tap — usually the aerator at the tip, blocked with scale. Unscrew it, soak it in vinegar for 30 minutes, brush it clean and refit. Five minutes, and it works more often than you would expect.

A blocked kitchen sink — try hot water and dish soap first. If that fails, remove the U-shaped P-trap under the sink and clean it. ⚠️ Put a bucket underneath first, because it holds standing water, and do not use chemical drain cleaner repeatedly — it attacks the pipe and is genuinely dangerous if you later dismantle a trap with chemical still in it.

Painting a room yourself: work out the paint first

Photo: Michael Cory — CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Painting gives the largest visible change per baht of any DIY job, and the most common mistake is buying the wrong quantity.

The formula: wall area = 2 × (width + length) × height, multiplied by the number of coats, divided by the coverage per litre on the tin.

Example, a 4 × 4 m room with a 2.6 m ceiling:

Walls = 2 × (4 + 4) × 2.6 = 41.6 sq m → two coats = 83.2 sq m

⚠️ You can deduct doors and windows, but do not cut it fine — allow about 10% extra, because walls previously painted a dark colour or with a rough render absorb more than the tin claims, and leftover paint for touch-ups is worth more than the money saved.

The order that produces a good result:

1. Prepare the wall first — clean, fill, sand. This takes the longest and determines the outcome most.
2. Mask and cover the floor — 30 minutes that saves two hours of wiping.
3. Prime if going from dark to light, or on new plaster — otherwise you will need three or four topcoats.
4. Cut in the edges with a brush first, then roller the large areas.
5. Second coat only once the first is fully dry, per the tin. ⚠️ In Thai humidity paint dries slower than stated — allow extra time and run a fan for ventilation.

⚠️ What not to attempt yourself

• Electrical work at the consumer unit or new wiring — the risks are shock and fire. Changing a bulb, an extension lead or a single switch with the breaker off is a different matter and is fine.
• Plumbing inside walls — get it wrong and water leaks inside the wall, possibly unnoticed for months, and the repair costs far more than the plumber would have.
• Anything at height — roof tiles, painting an upper exterior.
• Structural work — removing walls, drilling beams, anything load-bearing.
• Air conditioning needing refrigerant or a coil strip-down — specialist equipment, and the refrigerant is under pressure.

⚠️ A simple rule: if getting it wrong costs more than ten times the tradesman's fee, call the tradesman — and if you are unsure you can reassemble it, photograph every step before dismantling.

Common mistakes

Not shutting off the water before removing a tap — a fountain in the bathroom.

Not lining the basin before dismantling — a screw goes down the drain and the job ends there.

Overtightening — deformed washers, stripped threads, and leaking sooner than before.

Not photographing before dismantling — then being unable to reassemble it.

Buying too little paint and topping up later — different batches can differ slightly in shade and show as a line on the wall. Buy enough in one go.

Painting over a wall that was not cleaned — it peels within months.

Leaving a running toilet because "it still works" — 2,900 baht a year going down the drain.

Using chemical drain cleaner routinely — it attacks the pipe and is dangerous if you dismantle one later.

Summary

1. A running toilet costs ~2,902 baht a year against ~119 for a dripping tap — 24 times as much.
2. Test for it free in 15 minutes with food colouring, without flushing.
3. The usual cause is a worn flapper, replaceable by hand.
4. Ten basic tools cover almost every household repair and cost less than two or three call-outs.
5. Photograph before dismantling, every time — the best tool you own.
6. A 4×4 m room, two coats, needs roughly 7–10 litres — buy it all at once.
7. Consumer-unit electrics, in-wall plumbing, height and structure: call a professional.

Sources

• US EPA WaterSense — Fix a Leak Week
• US EPA WaterSense — Fix a Leak Week family fact sheet
• Metropolitan Waterworks Authority — water rates and service charges
• Provincial Waterworks Authority — water tariff table

Water waste figures come from EPA WaterSense (3,000 gallons a year for a tap dripping once per second, 200 gallons a day for a leaking toilet), converted to cubic metres and costed at a residential rate of about 10.50 baht per cubic metre, excluding the monthly service charge and tax. Actual rates vary by user category and area — check with your local water authority. Real leak volumes vary widely with severity.