Sunday, December 1, 2019

Fixing the toilet

Right now, I'd be walking the dog.  But I'm looking out the window at high-velocity horizontal ice pellets, and they are hitting the window like machine-gun fire.


And nobody is walking their dog in the UK, either.  Time to stay by the fire and read wonderful articles about the warmie 'End of Humanity'.  Or, you can fix your toilets....

If you are like me, you went all nuts when the city had their low-flush toilet push.  Some people hate these things, but I find you just have to hold the handle longer for a big load.  :)  After 10 years or so, all the internal plastic parts are starting to go.

I've had both things going now.  First, is a leak to the toilet bowl.  You might think 'change the flapper', but I did this and it's useless.  These things are designed to all fail at once, which is good engineering.  If you paid twice as much, it wouldn't last twice as long.

So, for a two-piece toilet, replace the whole flapper assembly.  Buy the Fluidmaster kit on ammie, with all the screws and gaskets.  Discover that it only has two screws, and your toilet has three.  Yeah!  Remember to trim the overflow hose, or FLOOD CITY!

But you want the gaskets, since the old ones have disintegrated.  All the black plastic has dissolved.  If you are changing anything on the toilet, change the feeder hose as well.  Only about $5 at ammie, as an add-on item.  Those gaskets also dissolve.

My second problem was a noisy shut-off valve on another toilet.  Both things can be treated independently.  Another fluidmaster valve replacement, and another replaced hose.  The Number One thing with this is that you are going to get debris into the valve, and it won't close right.  I was saved by the overflow, which does it's job.

Turn off the water, lift off the protection cap.  Then put your glasses on and look at the complicated mess underneath.  You will find a little trick of slightly lifting two plastic catches, and then twist off the top.  There you will find your little piece of broken-off junk from the old hose.  Pick that out and put it back together.  Happy, happy.

Now, go back to staring at the ice pellets.



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