You may be flushing your money down the toilet without even knowing it.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water per day. In the average household, a leaky toilet wastes more water than taking long showers or running the water while washing dishes.

Apparently, October is National Toilet Tank Repair Month, and Joseph Bradshaw, of the local Mr. Rooter franchise, says it’s an ideal time to make any necessary repairs.

Mr. Rooter has five tips to keep your toilet from being a drain on your finances:

1. Put several drops of dark food coloring in the tank. If dye appears in the bowl, replace the valve seal ball or flapper at the bottom of the tank, or adjust or replace the fill valve.

2. To prevent a running toilet, replace flappers and fill valves every couple of years.

3. If water continues to flow after flushing, adjust the chain or the float ball in the tank.

4. Don’t put chlorine-based products in the toilet tank because they corrode the metals and destroy the rubber seals.

5. Install an ultra low-flow toilet that requires only 1.6 gallons per flush.