Diy

[Standing Wolf]

One bit of advice that I think every parent should take to heart and impart to his or her offspring is - learn how things work and how to fix them. Do it with everything you own, as much as is practical. It will save you a ton of money in the long run.

I've replaced and repaired a lot of bathroom fixtures in my time, and I didn't think that a commode could do something to surprise or confound me. But the other day, I happened to flush the toilet in the basement bathroom - just making sure everything is in readiness for my youngest, who is coming home tomorrow from a job in Flagstaff - and water began rushing out of the bottom of the tank. I looked and felt around as much as I could, trying to figure out exactly where the water was getting out, and finally ended up calling a plumber.

It was an old gasket that separates the tank from the bowl. It took the plumber all of a minute to see the problem, less than ten minutes to fix it, and I had to pay $180.50.

I suspect that if I'd taken the time, I probably could have found a YouTube video that showed exactly how I could have done it myself, but I took the easy, expensive route, and obviously I regret that now.

[Common]

Simple, shut the water off at the valve, flush the toilet to empty the tank, in this case it may have all leaked out.

Remove the water source to the tank, <tubing> undo two bolts life the tank take the old gasket and put the new one and reverse the process.

In all my years and all the homes ive rehabed Ive never seen a toilet that had the gasket between the tank and bowl go bad. They are rubber they dont erode and it just sits there. I think its more likely someone sat down to hard and pushed the tank back and unseated it, or leaned on the tank.

[Captain Obvious]

Yeah, those wax rings are like 5 bucks and it's really an hour long project unless the bolts/bracket is rusted but it's two bolts, unhook and turn off the water, shop vac the bowl water out.

I've always been like that, I hate paying someone for something I'm capable of doing. Maybe it's a guy thing or a me thing but I feel useless having someone do stuff like that for me.

I change my own oil, fix the $#@! that needs fixed. I crawled under the house a couple times this past Summer to fix a leak under there. I'm renting a place since I'm still trying to sell a home back east and I'm not quite sure where I'll be settling in permanently here and yeah, I could have had the guy I'm renting from fix and me and him wound up fixing it again later when my fix broke lol but I just hate asking someone to do something I can do. And my landlord/neighbor is a really good guy, I get a lot of elk meat from him lol

The biggest thing is being afraid of the unknown. Start tearing $#@! apart and who knows what's in there or what can go wrong. Youtube videos help a lot too, I refer to them constantly. They're not perfect but knowing a little more than you currently know isn't a bad thing. But it's that fear that holds a lot of people back. "$#@!... I don't know anything about plumbing, call a pro". meh... $#@!ing tear it apart, what's the worst that can happen?

I guess that's how I look at it. I told my son after he bent the axle on his ATV and we were fixing it "$#@! breaks and if we do this wrong we'll do it again until we get it right".

[Common]

Ive done everything myself for many years, my wife is starting to jab me with do our cabinets in the kitchen look dated or shabby, being married along time, I know thats the first salvo and full blown attack is coming soon. I will be replacing kitchen cabinets, but this time is different, Im paying someone, I just dont have the mindset or desire to do it again.

[Standing Wolf]

Simple, shut the water off at the valve, flush the toilet to empty the tank, in this case it may have all leaked out.

Remove the water source to the tank, <tubing> undo two bolts life the tank take the old gasket and put the new one and reverse the process.

In all my years and all the homes ive rehabed Ive never seen a toilet that had the gasket between the tank and bowl go bad. They are rubber they dont erode and it just sits there. I think its more likely someone sat down to hard and pushed the tank back and unseated it, or leaned on the tank.

No, you should have seen the gasket. It had turned brownish, and was cracked and broken and falling apart. The house was built in '89, so the thing was undoubtedly thirty years old.

[Captain Obvious]

Ive done everything myself for many years, my wife is starting to jab me with do our cabinets in the kitchen look dated or shabby, being married along time, I know thats the first salvo and full blown attack is coming soon. I will be replacing kitchen cabinets, but this time is different, Im paying someone, I just dont have the mindset or desire to do it again.

Yeah, I remember buying my first house when I was 23, old mill hunky row house. Me and my father in law and grandfather in law gutted the kitchen and put all new everything in, I mean everything. I think I got my mindset from my father in law, he wasn't afraid to do anything. Grandfather in law showed me how to find gas leaks in lead pipe with a lighter lol

I remember coming home from work to find him in our dining room knocking a wall down with a sledgehammer. I just said "hey" lol, we wound up putting in a bannister on the stairway where there was just a wall.

[MisterVeritis]

I earned enough money so I can have a pro fix things. I have never regretted it.

[Captain Obvious]

I earned enough money so I can have a pro fix things. I have never regretted it.

That's kind of arrogant and you really missed the point of the thread.

Thanks anyway.

[Crepitus]

I'll take a stab at anything. In the last 6 months I've done the toilet ring, replaced the living room floor, helped my father rebuild his lawnmower, and recostructed a disassembled project truck I bought for next to nothing because the guy got in over his head.

[hanger4]

One bit of advice that I think every parent should take to heart and impart to his or her offspring is - learn how things work and how to fix them. Do it with everything you own, as much as is practical. It will save you a ton of money in the long run.I've replaced and repaired a lot of bathroom fixtures in my time, and I didn't think that a commode could do something to surprise or confound me. But the other day, I happened to flush the toilet in the basement bathroom - just making sure everything is in readiness for my youngest, who is coming home tomorrow from a job in Flagstaff - and water began rushing out of the bottom of the tank. I looked and felt around as much as I could, trying to figure out exactly where the water was getting out, and finally ended up calling a plumber. It was an old gasket that separates the tank from the bowl. It took the plumber all of a minute to see the problem, less than ten minutes to fix it, and I had to pay $180.50.I suspect that if I'd taken the time, I probably could have found a YouTube video that showed exactly how I could have done it myself, but I took the easy, expensive route, and obviously I regret that now.

The top-o-the line gaskets only cost about 5 bucks. Sorry bout the plumber, should have come here first.