Those of you that read my post about Dream House (HGTV Are You Listening) http://www.i-dont-think-so.com/?p=491 will remember that I have toilet issues.
Specifically:
1) I’d love to have working toilets.
1a) The one in the second bathroom flushes when I take the lid off the tank and pull something (don’t ask me what). The piece of plastic that connected the handle to the valve broke last October, just about the time I ran out of money.
So this week I finally got around to going to George Morlan Plumbing Warehouse and buying a new toilet handle (not to mention a gasket and a toilet seat for the other bathroom).
Today since I have rampaging insomnia I decided to fix the toilet mentioned above. It’s fixed but it sure wasn’t fun or easy!!
First, I kept turning the adjustable pliers the wrong way when trying to remove the remains of the old handle and arm. So it took longer than expected to get that removed and thrown away.
Then I opened up the package containing the new handle and arm, threaded the arm through the hole, and tightened the screw.
I realized at that point that there was no chain to attach the flapper to the arm. I’d thrown the old chain away last October when the original arm broke. Some loud swearing ensued to the point that both cats ran away and hid.
The only thing in the house that would work was 2 short chains from my fathers WWII dog tags (I had already removed the dog tags, I wouldn’t put those in the toilet tank).
I attached one chain to the loop on the flapper and then spent 1/2 an hour trying to attach the 2nd chain to the arm.
This is a chain that is made up of small balls with metal between them and a connector that the metal between the balls hooks into. This type of chain is called a stainless steel bead chain, for those that are interested.
I had no luck at all attaching the 2nd chain to the arm, the ball simply wouldn’t go into the connector no matter how I tried. I even tried widening the slot in the connector using a small flathead screwdriver but that didn’t work either.
So I am wandering through the house trying to find something, anything at all, that will attach the arm to the 1st chain so I can flush the damn toilet without taking the lid off.
I check the usual spots in the office area where my father hid things, no luck there. But as I’m wandering back through the house towards the bathroom I notice a cat brush lying on the floor that has a small stainless steel bead chain through the handle. I unhook the chain, carry it back to the bathroom and VOILA it works.
I have now flushed the toilet twice without having to take the lid off and pull the flapper. And I found out that there is a brand new valve in the cupboard under the sink for when the current valve gives out (from the looks of it, the current valve is original to the place which makes it 26 years old!!)
Maybe tomorrow I will tackle the gasket and the toilet seat for the other toilet. But for now I am ecstatic to have a toilet that actually flushes when I push the handle, even if it did take way too long to get it fixed.