Why the simplest jobs take foreverOkay, it had been a long time that my toilet needed a new Fill Valve. Several months ago, I had somehow broken the arm that attaches to the float. A few years ago, I had crazy-glued said arm back on, but now, alas, it was past the glue phase.
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So, (who knew?) the toilet was able to fill without the float, (sort of the "oil that never burns out" story)... but it took an hour or two for it to drip drip drip water into the tank. If I opened the water more than that, it just kept running and wasting water.
I could use the toilet and flush it once... and then I could use it again in a few hours. Which is reasonable, living in a house, on my own. But I always had the worry that friends would pop by, and need the toilet right after I had flushed. In theory, I could open the water and let water into the tank more rapidly, but that manipulation implied effort, and I believe sewage and toilet issues should be "seen and not heard nor noticed".
And I pondered whether I should get a floatless valve or a valve with an arm and float. And pondered. And pondered. And asked the guy at the hardware store. But he didn't seem certain. So asked him to ask someone who Really knew. And he came back with a dubious answer. And pondered some more. And finally picked the old-fashioned float kind. Cause I wasn't sure if BF would know about the floatless kind. And I didn't want to add anymore doubt in the mix. You know the drill.
So finally, a few days ago, BF came by and used the toilet. He asked if it was still broken, and I explained the valve issue. I had asked him to help me in the past, but then, got used to having the toilet the way it was, and almost forgot it had an issue. So I never pursued the whole repair job.
And secretly knew it was pretty tacky that I wasn't attacking this issue. I mean, a toilet! How more major can you get??
So a few days ago, BF said he would come by after work and he would help me. I bought the parts (which was no mean feat... Lots of hemming and hawing whether I needed all the parts, and whether I should buy a kit or each piece separately... and if the kit had the pieces I needed.. and if it was standard... and if my toilet WAS in fact a standard toilet in the first place... and if I needed to buy extra gaskets... blah blah blah...)
So BF came, and with brawny arms
, released the ancient bolt at the bottom of the tank. And removed the valve. And placed the new one. And splashed water around a bit, but mainly used the pot I had given him to catch the run-off.
And of course I fretted whether he would accidently hit the pot against the porcelain bowl and it would crack. And I would be toilet-less. Which would be worse than my two hour toilet solution. And I tried not to cringe when he would swing the pot and empty it. And one time, banging it against the bathtub (in my teeny tiny bathroom), and I couldn't help but cringe and was afraid to look... in case I would see a huge crack on the bath tub, which would be even worse than the toilet. But there was none. And then as he tested the valve, it leaked....
So once again I panicked about the gasket issue. And I worried that he would tighten something too much and it would break (as he had broken my snow shovel and garden rake in two separate incidents of enthusiastic outdoor work). And I offered unsolicited Youtube advice. Because of course I had spent dubious amounts of time watching "how to repair a toilet" videos. And BF grumbled that I thought I could do anything from what I learned on the computer. And I told him that I could. And I reminded him of the light fixtures I had installed using Youtube. And he grumbled again, but was patient, and the thing stopped leaking.
And I realized the flap was not the right one for my toilet, and then decided to take back the kit, because I wasn't going to pay for a flap that I didn't need. And when I took it back, I found out the the kit was only a couple dollars difference with the flap. So I just returned with the initial kit (cashier did not roll her eyes, bless her). Then we realized that I should have bought a floatless valve, because the space was too snug for the new valve and float. But I wasn't going to return to the store again. So we did all sorts of things to make it work, BF twisting the metal arm in every single direction (with brawny arms). Trying over and over again with no luck. The float kept falling too quickly and hitting the flapper, so the flapper couldn't close. And there was talk that the valve was too short, and that perhaps my toilet was Not in fact a standard toilet, as I had hoped. And then I fretted that maybe the kit was meant for a modern low-flow toilet, and now I had bought the wrong kit, blah blah blah.
And then finally I went and got a paperclip, and yes, we were able to manipulate it (too hard to explain) and create a little "resting hook" for the arm, so it wouldn't hit the flapper. And I felt so proud that I had the idea, and the paperclip...
Quasi "I told you so" moments where it made sense to keep something.
And at the end... there were some extra pieces (besides the unnecessary flapper)... and I was perturbed and worried.... thinking BF had forgotten to put some important gasket or closer or something. And he sighed and showed me the pieces and told me I didn't need them all.
And I was dubious and worried. And furrowed my brow, but didn't say any more. And he patiently pointed to the parts that were already there, and showed me how we really Didn't need all the new parts.
And I took the old float, and the old tube and the unused parts... and didn't want to throw them out. Cause maybe we, someone, anyone would need them? Or we would find out that in fact they Were needed? And I kept them... for a day... another.. more... And wondered how I would store them. And wondered if I would find them again, if I really needed them. And then.. bright moment... I realized that if I really needed them again, I could surely buy them for less than $5 in total, and that they weren't worth the space they took up.
And today, I took all the "crap" (excuse the pun), and threw it all into the garbage. Except for the flapper (that I will offer to my dad for their toilets), all the other pieces are now in the trash.
Is it any wonder that repairs take me forever to do?
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P.S. The toilet is working just fine. Unnoticeably great.
