There's no way to be overly cheerful about what's happened in 2020 and it takes a bit of doing to find any news to perk up the Holiday Season and the coming New Year 2021.
The fact I'm still breathing, and if you are reading this, you are still breathing too, is about as good as it gets. It's been an odd year of challenges beyond what I ever thought I would see. All those history books were just stories about someone else. Now the history is written by me and you and other people who are still hanging on.
The new generation born in 2020 will never remember what it was like before COVID-19. They will have to endure the admonitions of their parents about "Back in the COVID-19 days...", the same way I had to endure the admonitions of "Back in the Depression..." and the older folks had to endure similiar comparisons.
It's been The Year of Resilience. The year I did things I never thought I would do and didn't do things I took for granted I would always do.
It's the year I fixed the broken toilet.
The toilet hasn't been all the great since we bought the house years ago and we've limped along having a handyperson fixing bits and pieces as needed. The handyperson isn't available anymore and I ignored the running water in the toilet as long as I could. I mean, if you jiggered the handle, the flapper would drop and the running would stop so just give it wiggle and move along. Worked well. Then the handle broke. So I rigged up some cord to the flapper and put a loop on it so you could yank the flapper up. That worked too... for a while.
I was forced to actually consider What To Do Percy?
I surfed the How To web sites for tips and information. I surfed the DIY stores for parts, kits, reviews, commentaries. It was a strange experience overall.
Pre-COVID-19, you could go to some stores where occassionally there might be someone who knew something about what you were trying to do and you could ask for guidance. They would hand you a box and tell you not to break The XYZ Thingie. You could go back after you broke The XYZ Thingie and s/he would get you started back on the right path. We have already forgotten that most of these knowledgeable people were replaced by self-checkouts and QR code scanners.
Now there was no one to ask. There was no one to help out.
I bought a Universal Kit, did the due-diligence reading installation directions, reviews and helpful commentary. Piece of cake.
It wasn't a piece of cake...
First, I didn't have the "Right Tool". I just had some basic household tools and I couldn't find the Right Tool in the Big Tool Box. The kit didn't say anything about the Right Tool.
I turned off the water and drained the remaining water from the tank into a bucket. The water decidedly did NOT go in the bucket as directed. The floor got most of it. It was a good excuse to mop the floor.
I thought I could change the required bits by unscrewing them from the tank. That would have been too easy. I had to unbolt the tank from the toilet base to get access to the parts. I had to up end the tank to reach the bolts and gaskets underneath.
Did I mention I am not strong enough to lift the empty tank?
Balancing the tank while removing the old parts and installing the new ones, took some juggling but at last it was done. New parts and new gasket. Ready to go.
I tipped it back onto the base and followed the directions on tightening the 3 anchor bolts that go thru the tank and thru holes in the base that hold the tank in place. Something didn't seem right. I persevered as indicated.
When things seemed OK, I did the short water line test. The gasket was fine. The bolts not. Tiny seeps of water on paper towels stuffed between the tank and the base showed some drips. I was temped to ingore it. I did, until I "tested the toilet" by sitting on the base. The tank tilted and the floor needed another mopping.
To be fair, I did call the Kit Maker 800 number for "HELP".
I found out that Universal Kits do not mean ALL. They mean SOME. They did not mean MINE.
The gasket between the tank and base is too tall and the tank wobbles on the spongy material. When it wobbles the bolts loosen and the floor gets a mopping.
What To Do Percy? Indeed!
After a good think and feed back from Allen, I decided to plug the 3 bolt holes directly with gaskets and washers on both sides to seal the holes. Luckily there was an "optional diagram" in the installation directions that showed how to do that.
I did another round of floor mopping, titling the tank off the base, juggling the tank so it wouldn't fall and closed the holes in the tank. I slipped the tank back upright and lined up the bolts in the base. Tightened the bolts enough so the tank didn't wobble anymore. I didn't have to worry about a leaking tank because the holes were sealed.
Water test, sit test, flush test, long water test all good. Handle works like a charm. The water doesn't run any more.
It took 6 days and more than 30 hours.
I AM RESILIENT!
I sort of miss the whooshing sound of the running water ....
Merry Christmas
Happy Holiday to All!
