Thursday, January 22, 2015 - 11:18am Replacing a flush valve (flapper) is perhaps the most common repair procedure performed on an old toilet, according to your local Olympia plumber. is a very historic town with lots of old Victorian homes, says Mr. Rooter. Over time and due to the effects of chlorine and minerals in the water, the flexible flapper that seals the drain in the center of the tank becomes rigid. When this happens, water will start seeping out of the tank and you will hear it occasionally refilling on its own, (sometimes referred to as aFortunately, replacing a flapper is an easy task, says Mr. Rooter. Make sure to purchase a high-quality flapper that boasts of staying flexible in hard water. Then, as with all toilet repairs, turn the water off, and flush the toilet to be rid of the water in the tank. Mr. Rooter’s Tip of the Week Tip #1 First things first, remove the old flapper by detaching it from(Note where it is connected to the lever or tape the location.)

The new one should connect to the same spot. Tip #2 Pull off the tabs that connect the flapper from their posts on the bottom of the overflow tube. Tip #3 If the replacement comes with a circular center, cut it out withDogs For Sale Kilwinning a sharp scissors, leaving only the tabs.How To Change Bulb Alfa 156 Tip #4 Attach the tabs of the new flapper to the posts on the bottom ofSpurs Mind The Gap T Shirt Tip #5 Insert the hook about halfway up the chain. Tip #6 Connect the opposite end of the hook to the handle arm. handle down to see if the handle raises the flapper fully at the same time the handle would hit the tank lid, or just before. Tip #7 Adjust the position of the hook on the chain until it does.

Tip #8 As the handle is released, the flapper must close fully but still leave some slack in the chain. Plastic chains will connect directly to the handle but the logic of opening and closing remains the same. PLUMBING TRADE SECRETS: When you think you have the chain adjusted properly, turn the water on and let the toilet refill. Adjust the chain so the flapper opens fully and seats firmly in the drain hole when closing. BONUS TIP: Have some paper towels handy; sometimes the black coloring on the flapper will rub off and can be messy.Please check out the "about" pages linked up top, and please help me reach my goal of an undetermined number of feed readers by an undetermined date by subscribing! Quick And Cheap Toilet Repair Probably two months ago now, I noticed water accumulating on the floor around the toilet. I had no idea where it could be coming from, but my only guess was that someone was missing. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t me.

That was until one day, for whatever reason, I happened to flush the toilet with the tank lid off (thinking that the cause was the tank overfilling), and lo and behold, the fill valve is spraying like a Las Vegas casino fountain. Being that the fill valve is in the corner of the tank (naturally), not only did the water just hit the bottom of the lid and come back down, but it hit the edges of the lid, and out, down the side of the tank, to the floor. The obvious solution was to replace the fill valve. A new Fluidmaster would only cost me about ten bucks, but it was the actual replacing of the assembly that I didn’t want to deal with. Not because it’s a toilet – face it folks, that’s perfectly good drinking water in the tank (unless you have a habit of pissing in the tank for some reason) – but because of the limited amount of room to work inside a toilet tank, and the general pain in the ass nature of it all. So I’ve been brainstorming since then, trying to think of what I could put over the valve that would be heavy enough to not get sprayed off while successfully diverting the water downwards.

I had been thinking in terms of a plastic cone of sorts to sit on top of it. Then tonight, when flushing the toilet and having a slew of water come running out, I finally decided to do something about it. I ran downstairs for a Ziploc bag, figuring that that ought to be good enough, but when I opened the cupboard to get one, I had an even better idea.I realized that whatever I used, it didn’t have to be heavy – if the water managed to push it upwards, it would just hit the bottom of the tank lid and stay in place. On top of that, I didn’t have to worry about it not fitting, as foil is easily shaped around other parts. And that one foot of foil was probably cheaper than the Ziploc bag. Did one test flush, it didn’t get in the way of anything, and the problem was solved. Saved myself ten bucks and a half hour of work. So, what cheap-ass fixes have you managed to come up with around the house? Did you enjoy this article? Please subscribe to Debt Sucks for superior enjoyability!

Previous post: How Video Games Teach Money Management Next post: Time Budgeting? The vast majority of toilets in the U.S. are old-fashioned gravity-propelled receptacles which haven’t been appreciably improved upon since the Victorian era. They are of a design so simple that the technology-averse Amish have no objection to using them. Most Americans are satisfied with what their basic toilet has to offer, and this indifference to improvement has mired the residential commode industry in a bog of antiquated technology. But consider that just over a century ago there were people who were content to squat over their chamberpots, who didn’t see what all the fuss was about over the fancy new porcelain fixtures. Today’s high-tech toilets cheerily dispose of undesirables while making the whole experience as comfortable, convenient, and sanitary as possible. The technology-enlightened men and women of Japan have enjoyed these electronic super-toilets for years, and now the makers of such devices are attempting to penetrate the U.S. market.

But what do they have to offer? It seems that regardless of the technology in question, the first thing that Americans want to know about is horsepower, which is particularly crucial given the 1.6-gallons-per-flush limit imposed by U.S. regulators several years ago. After an initially dismal start, toilet-makers began to utilize computer models and sophisticated math to get the most out of those 1.6 gallons, and consequently many modern toilets can outperform their earlier incarnations. The most bang for the flush is delivered by American Standard’s Champion toilet, which can swallow twenty-four golf balls with a single 1.6 gallon flush. But unfortunately it lacks in other niceties… It’s just a souped-up classic. For people who don’t eat quite so many golf balls in one sitting, there are a few alternatives which harness power beyond simple gravity. The FlushMate and PF/2 systems use water line pressure to push waste down the drain, and the Vacuity system uses siphon action to create vacuum pressure to pull the contents out of the bowl.

If you like to have a workhorse in your bathroom, any of these options should work, with no need to plug the toilet into an electrical outlet. But flushing power isn’t the only factor to consider. Just like automobiles, you’ll have some people who are looking for raw power, while others seek comfort and convenience. Anyone in the latter category might consider the Neorest 600, perhaps the most sophisticated toilet on the planet. It even has a wireless remote. Consider the following interaction between a typical toilet user and the Neorest: It also has a number of passive features, such a non-stick ion barrier glazing called SanaGloss, and refill system which acts instantly without the classic, lingering tank-refill noise. Of course all of that high-tech restroom convenience comes with a price… A Neorest 600 will put you back about $5,000. Some electronic super-toilet makers also offer alternate features, such as integrated speakers which emit fake flushing sounds to mask embarrassing bodily noises, or various sensors which can monitor blood pressure, body temperature, and blood sugar levels, and alert the user when these vital signs are outside of the normal range.