Raging Toilets
These past few weeks have not been good for our house. First, the toilet in our guest bathroom has started intermittently running. You probably know the type - it goes off for about 6-7 seconds every 15 minutes or so. Not a big deal, but somewhat annoying if you're trying to concentrate or fall asleep.
Then a lightning storm a few weeks back knocked out a sensor on our garage door, and it no longer closes automatically, so we've had it on manual until we can get it fixed.
Finally, the jenga piece - the toilet in the master bathroom started running non-stop last night. Initially it was just a very slight trickle, but this morning after using it, it became a full-on flush fest. I cracked the top to effect repairs, and promptly got sprayed by water from the valve, shooting out the top of the refill "pipe" because the tank was completely empty and the rubber floater (connected to the top of the refill pipe) was bent well below its normal position due to the lack of water. 10 minutes of screwing around in reclaimed water got me nowhere, so I jammed a screwdriver in it to prop up the floater and called a handyman. With any luck, he'll hit the trifecta.
He's due to show up tomorrow morning at 10:30, which has lately been the "crack of dawn" to me. Beth doesn't think I can get up in time, but I'll show her! *waves fist in the air like an old man*
Comments
The Jenga piece. OK there, Tim. ;-)
Posted by: lyssa | August 3, 2004 05:25 AM
Toilets that refill every 15 minutes or so almost always have a leaky flapper valve. Should be an easy repair.
Actually, all of a toilets guts make for easy repairs. The water in the tank is fresh water, all the nasty stuff gets flushed. Well, it's not totally fresh cuz it sits around a while, but in an emergency it's a good source of potable water.
Posted by: Humbaba | August 3, 2004 10:59 AM
Speaking of easy repairs, just yesterday, our automatic garage door started messing up. It's a roller-door type, and it would think that it was fully open when it was in fact about four feet open (i.e. not enough to drive a car through).
I'm a software engineer, so I speculated about how the state machine in the electronics was working. My dad is an electrical engineer, so after some debate, he cracked the cover open. Turns out there's no software at all; the up-down motion is controlled by a cam tripping a switch in the wrong places. All mechanical, it was an easy fix.
So, maybe you could have a shot at it yourself. The worst you'll discover it is that really is all software (and the electronics have been fried...)
Posted by: Calroth | August 3, 2004 04:54 PM
You've probably had this long since taken care of, but if it ever happens again, remember that you've probably got a water valve on the wall under the toilet tank and you can shut it off to kill the toilet until it's fixed. :)
Posted by: Brian | August 25, 2004 09:25 PM