Plumbing and Other Home Issues

After having water dripping from our master bathroom toilet for over two weeks every time it was flushed, two weekends ago I finally tackled its "repair". Saturday afternoon became an ordeal.

The tank had to be removed and with a fixture about 30 years old, the bolts securing the tank to the bowl were frozen, rusted, and immune to torque. So, taking my trusty hacksaw blade (not saw, as the frame wouldn't fit between tank and bowl) I sawed away at the bolts for what seemed hours. In the process, portions of the porcelain cracked! Then it was out to the front yard to wash out the tank (hi y'all, welcome to West Virginia), and then off to Ace to acquire the new fittings required. With new valves, gaskets, bolts and flushing arm, the tank was finally secured to bowl, and, of course, on the first flush, water again cascaded onto the floor!

Frustrated, I gave up for the day, only to awake the next morning having dreamt that I could fix it with another gasket sandwiched between the bolts and the tank. A cursory inspection of the guest room toilet showed a similar arrangement, so I was off on the second repair attempt. Tank off, bolts re-worked, tank re-installed - same result with the better part of the weekend spent on this.

So, the answer was a new toilet. How about one like the Toto downstairs? Seemed like a good idea even if we are able to proceed with a master bath remodel/expansion this year as the toilet could be re-installed. We called up our plumber (notice the sequence) and gave him the model number of the new toilet we wanted. Mid-week he arrives with the new model only to find that we have a 10" rough-in and the new toilet, and most new ones, require a 12" rough-in! Luckily, we didn't have to pay for it and he was able to find a cheaper one that fit. The only issue is that this toilet is a complete throw away with a new bathroom. Oh, the joys of home ownership!!

In preparation for a remodel, we've talked to a general contractor who is currently designing how our bathroom and closet could use the deck above our morning room. Carolyn and I gave them a list, room by room, of what we'd like to do, and I tremble at what the estimate might be. The list was somewhat depressing, because I don't think there were many rooms that we didn't foresee needing some work whether it was new flooring or a complete addition. But we really like our new kitchen and downstairs bath, and, of course, our lake adjacent location.