THE INNER WORKINGS - PART 2

Repairing a 'standard' toilet is not that complicated. I am assuming you have already read my previous article on the subject titled, "The Inner Workings." If not, please do so now. I'll wait for you before we begin.

In this article I will describe what the toilet is doing and then tell you how to fix it. Before starting, you will need a few tools in order to complete these tasks. You won't need anything which will break the bank, especially compared to the cost of a plumber.

The first tool you want to buy is a ten inch adjustable open end wrench. The kid in the hardware department will know it as a Crescent Wrench. No need to confuse him any more then he already is. Crescent is a brand name which has become the trade name. The same is true of Formica. Everybody talks about a Formica countertop when in fact they mean a plastic laminate (p-lam) countertop. There are several companies producing p-lam. Formica is the trade name. Do not purchase cheapie tools. They seem to fail you when you need them the most.

I'm not sure how involved you want to get in the toilet repair business. As we progress along, you will need several other tools but for now the Crescent Wrench will get the beginning home repair person by. I would advise buying a tool box in order to keep all your tools, as you buy them, handy. How involved you wish to get would determine the size of the box. When we progress in our repairs, I will let you know if a different tool is required.

If, for some reason, you wish to skip ahead and purchase several tools at the same time, I would advise:
1. 10 inch Crescent wrench
2. screw driver set to include two sizes of straight blade and two sizes of Phillips.
If you don't know what a Phillips screwdriver looks like, just ask for one and
check it out when the clerk hands it to you. The blade head looks like an X as
compared to a straight - blade.
3. spanner wrench (looks similar to Crescent wrench but larger. Is used for large
basket nuts, slip nuts, and a few other things.
4. 16 oz. finish hammer (Vaughn makes a nice hammer)
5. pliers (again, don't go cheapie)
6. channel locks (a type of pliers)

If your toilet keeps cycling, which means the water turns on and off every so often, the first thing to change is the flapper. Many companies have come up with flappers which are supposed to do amazing things. Vacuum the house almost. Skip right on over them and head straight to the soft black rubber cheapie model. You don't need any of these others.

You don't need to turn the water off to change a flapper. The water will stay running while you do the work but it won't take long. If you desire to have the water off, just about every toilet has a water shut off valve located on the wall on the left hand side of the toilet. You will see a water line coming out of the bottom of the tank (again left hand side). The little valve is chrome and shouldn't be hard to find.

At this time, I would like to interject something. ALL sink and toilet water valves should be turned off and on once a month. Nobody does it, but it should be done. If you have an emergency and a water feed (that's the line between the valve and the toilet or sink faucet) breaks, a well working valve will shut the water off immediately. A valve which hasn't been used in some time will have rust deposits in it and will not close all the way. Turning it off and on several times regularly will prevent rust build up.

When you handle an old flapper, nasty black stuff gets all over your hands, the toilet, the floor, your face and hair, and anywhere else it can. It's trained that way. Don't hesitate to wear some tight fitting gloves. The sort medical people use are perfect. Handle the old flapper carefully.

A hard fast rule to follow is to look real close at how things are mounted before you remove them. The flapper (usually) mounts one of two ways. Either it hangs on two little horns at the base of the filler tube, or it slides over the filler tube and pushed down as far as it can go. The filler tube is the rigid plastic or brass tube coming up the center of the tank.

Look closely at the new flapper. If your old one hangs on the horns, snip off the part on the new one which would slip over the tube. It's a round ring shaped thing which doesn't look like it belongs there for the horn variety. Be careful as you snip. Another wards, don't cut off the wrong part.

As we discussed, the flapper is activated by the toilet lever by means of a small chain. After you install the flapper, re-attach the chain to the lever. This part can be a little tricky. The chain is longer then needed so you have to adjust the length. Check out the old one before removing. If you leave too much chain, the flapper won't open. If you make it to short, the flapper won't seat correctly. The links of the chain fit over the little hook thing which slips through one of the holes on the toilet lever.

If your toilet water never stops running, either the flapper is not adjusted correctly or the Toilet Fill Valve is shot. The Toilet Fill Valve is the tower looking thing at the left hand side (inside) of the tank. At the top of the valve assembly there is a diaphragm which becomes clogged by debris in your water. There is no way to clean it except change the entire part.

You will need a new Toilet Fill Valve assembly, a new toilet water feed, and your 10 inch Crescent wrench. Before you purchase the water feed, you need to verify which size you have. The easiest way is to take the old one with you to the store.

Turn off the water at the valve behind the toilet. Flush the toilet. Open the flapper and scoop the remaining tank water down the drain hole. If you have a wet / dry shop vacuum, use it to evacuate the remaining water. If not, you can use rags on the base of the tank to absorb the remaining water.

Use your Crescent wrench to loosen the end of the water feed hooked up to the valve. There will be water still in the feed so put a rag on the floor beneath the valve. Next, open your wrench all the way and loosen the other end. You might have to lay on the floor to do this. Once you've done this a few times, you can just straddle the toilet and do everything standing up.

Once you have the feed off, look underneath where you just removed the feed. You will see another nut holding the Toilet Fill Valve in place. Remove that nut also. Remember, loosen a nut by turning the wrench counter clockwise. Loose - Left and Tight - Right. Also keep in mind you are doing these things upside down.

Before you remove the assembly, disconnect the little black tube which goes from the fill tube to the Fill Valve. It's easy to spot at no larger then a pencil. Take the water feed to the store with you because you need to know the length and the size end which attaches to the valve. Make sure the new unit is exactly the same size as the old. It should be either 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch, depending on what you have.

Install each of the parts the same way you removed them. If you purchase a flexible water feed, be sure not to over tighten the nut. Snug them with your wrench and then give them a little nudge. Make sure the nut holding the assembly in place is tight. The black washer goes on the bottom of the assembly inside the tank. This seals the unit when you tighten the nut beneath the tank.

Before you tighten the nut, look at the Fill Valve assembly from the top. Attach the new little black tube on to the assembly. (You'll see where) If the top of the unit were a clock, the tube should be exiting the assembly at two o'clock. Tighten the nut underneath the tank with the assembly at the two o'clock position.

There should be a part in the kit which clips on to the filler tube. It's an 'L' shaped piece. Clip it on to the filler tube. This piece directs water INTO the filler tube. The little black tube from the Fill Valve slips onto this part. The black tube will be longer then you need. Cut off the excess. I always leave a little slack but be sure not to have any kinks. Kinky is not good in this application.

Slowly turn the water back on. If you have any leaks, simply tighten whatever is leaking. If it's the water feed, only tighten until the leak stops and then just a pinch more. If you have no leaks, then the job is completed. I trust this article has helped you. I have tried to simplify everything so the beginner will understand what I am saying.

With the money you have saved, you will be able to purchase Loren Douglas' detective story entitled, "Verifiable Evidence." Check it out at:
http://www.booklocker.com/books/2812.html

Thank you for spending a few minutes with me. I will be continuing this series of articles. If you are interested in them, I would enjoy hearing from you at ddinpaidra@yahoo.com