Sometimes it takes a flood to learn how to swim…
Pictured above is a Fluidmaster fill-valve. It helps regulate and refill the water in your toilet. How do I know this? I learned all about it this weekend when we had some minor plumbing issues. Our toilet was taking much longer than normal to fill up after each use, so I decided to investigate.
It turns out the passageway in the fill valve was blocked, preventing water from going inside it. Since I am far from a handyman (and because we still live in an apartment), I decided to page our maintenance people (since the office is closed on the weekend). Guess what? They never called us back.
So I am now stuck with three options:
Whine about how it’s not my responsibility to fix the problem since we live in an apartment and then yell at the maintenance folk on Monday
.Use an old milk jug and refill the top of the tank manually after each flush (a viable but time-consuming option that doesn’t solve the issue in the long run)
Use the internet and find out how I can fix the issue myself.
So, after careful consideration, I decided number three was the best option. So I did my research and last night I went to work on fixing the toilet. It took some sleeve rolling, wrench wiggling, water splashing and good ole elbow grease, but I was able to disconnect the water house, remove the fill valve manually, and clean it out.
Now, the issue isn’t totally fixed and I will still need the people in charge of repairs to come have a look-see on Monday, but for now it is working. I realized something after tightening the last nut on the base of the toilet last night…I am my Dad…
I used to think “Why in the world would someone spend so much time and energy fixing something when they could just call a plumber; my Dad is crazy”. It dawned on me last night; there was a time when my father didn’t have a choice; if he didn’t fix it…it wasn’t getting fixed.
I am sure there are things he could have sat and whined about, but in the end…What does that solve? The issue is still there and no magic fairy is going to come and fix it. You have to make a decision to just roll up your sleeves and get it done and do the best you can.
Sure, you may make a mistake (like I did when I learned you might want to make sure the water source is all the way off…just sayin’) but that’s how you learn.
So, whether it’s a broken toilet…or a broken relationship, it’s not going to fix itself. Grab a wrench…get some counseling…grab a Bible and get it fixed…because just like Dad used to say “One day you’re gonna find yourself on your own and you will need to know how to do this.”
Thanks Dad.
