Oh Crap, part two
This isn't a disaster like the previous "crap" just part of living in a house (we rent, but in return for paying "nothing" rent, anything that isn't a major repair is our responsibility).
I noticed the water bill was going up. Not a good sign. Then I thought I heard the toilet running. Feh. Not a pain, just an annoyance. Went to Home Depot and got a $2 flapper. Five min fix. Big deal.
Then I heard the toilet running. Ugh. Maybe the flapper wasn't sitting right and I needed a gasket. So I got a $5 flapper with gasket and replaced the flapper again. Ten min fix. Still not an issue.
Toilet still running. What else can be replaced? Ah, the gasket below the flush valve. It was crumbling when I was sopping the water out of the tank. Cool, a $2 gasket.
Not cool. One of the HARDEST parts to replace. I got home and found out I had to take off the TANK. I looked at the bolts and saw more gaskets that had probably gone bad so decided to get more gaskets. Since it was only a few cents more to get the bolts with the gaskets I needed, I bought the whole bolt and gasket kit.
This is where it comes to be so not fun. Turn off the water (very important). Drain the tank (this is getting to be a habit). Undo the bolts holding the tank to the bowl. Good thing I got new bolts as these got really chewed up, probably haven't been removed since the unit was installed. Undo the water supply to the tank. Lift off the tank and LO there's ANOTHER GASKET that can go bad. Swear like a stevedore. Look inside the gasket and see the plastic nut that has to be undone to get to the gasket I'm replacing. Somehow manage to wrench it off. Rinse the black gunk off my hand. Balancing the tank on its side on the back of the bowl, replace the gasket. Put back the under tank gasket and bolt and tighten, making sure the bolt holes in the under gasket are lined up with the holes in the tank. Call BF in to open the plastic bag with new bolts and bolt gaskets (I heard him muttering all the way in because he was busy trying to finish a major project. He stopped muttering when he saw the disassembled toilet). Start to put in the new bolts and see that the overflow valve is in the wrong position inside the tank (at 7 o'clock when it should be at 10 o'clock). Swear some more and take out the bolt. Be amazed at how tight the plastic nut was replaced because damned if I can get it off again. Somehow manage to get it off, twist the valve back into place and re-tighten the nut.
The rest went as it should - feed through the bolts, put the tank back onto the bowl, tighten the bolts and wing nuts, re-attach the water supply and watch it fill. Flush and not have to clean up massive amounts of water (thank goodness).
I don't know how many times I've washed my hands, but gasket gunk just does NOT come off. But at least we now have a toilet that's not leaking a fortune in water every day [knock wood].
I noticed the water bill was going up. Not a good sign. Then I thought I heard the toilet running. Feh. Not a pain, just an annoyance. Went to Home Depot and got a $2 flapper. Five min fix. Big deal.
Then I heard the toilet running. Ugh. Maybe the flapper wasn't sitting right and I needed a gasket. So I got a $5 flapper with gasket and replaced the flapper again. Ten min fix. Still not an issue.
Toilet still running. What else can be replaced? Ah, the gasket below the flush valve. It was crumbling when I was sopping the water out of the tank. Cool, a $2 gasket.
Not cool. One of the HARDEST parts to replace. I got home and found out I had to take off the TANK. I looked at the bolts and saw more gaskets that had probably gone bad so decided to get more gaskets. Since it was only a few cents more to get the bolts with the gaskets I needed, I bought the whole bolt and gasket kit.
This is where it comes to be so not fun. Turn off the water (very important). Drain the tank (this is getting to be a habit). Undo the bolts holding the tank to the bowl. Good thing I got new bolts as these got really chewed up, probably haven't been removed since the unit was installed. Undo the water supply to the tank. Lift off the tank and LO there's ANOTHER GASKET that can go bad. Swear like a stevedore. Look inside the gasket and see the plastic nut that has to be undone to get to the gasket I'm replacing. Somehow manage to wrench it off. Rinse the black gunk off my hand. Balancing the tank on its side on the back of the bowl, replace the gasket. Put back the under tank gasket and bolt and tighten, making sure the bolt holes in the under gasket are lined up with the holes in the tank. Call BF in to open the plastic bag with new bolts and bolt gaskets (I heard him muttering all the way in because he was busy trying to finish a major project. He stopped muttering when he saw the disassembled toilet). Start to put in the new bolts and see that the overflow valve is in the wrong position inside the tank (at 7 o'clock when it should be at 10 o'clock). Swear some more and take out the bolt. Be amazed at how tight the plastic nut was replaced because damned if I can get it off again. Somehow manage to get it off, twist the valve back into place and re-tighten the nut.
The rest went as it should - feed through the bolts, put the tank back onto the bowl, tighten the bolts and wing nuts, re-attach the water supply and watch it fill. Flush and not have to clean up massive amounts of water (thank goodness).
I don't know how many times I've washed my hands, but gasket gunk just does NOT come off. But at least we now have a toilet that's not leaking a fortune in water every day [knock wood].