Misadventure in toilet repair

or how to fix a toilet the hard way.

Plumbing DIY always seems to be harder and take longer then planned.  My toilet would refill every 5 minutes all day and night. There was a leak from the tank into the bowl but I did not know where. 

I replaced the valve assembly inside the tank which took me 3 hours.  The bolts holding the tank to the bowl were rusted.  I had to cut them with a hack saw.  Install a new assembly and turn the water back on.  Still the toilet refill every 5 minutes.

I finally found the solution.  The water refill inside the tank has a small hose going into the value assembly.  This is to refill the bowl while the tank fills.  The water was siphoning into the bowl from the tank. The solution was even simplier - cut a hole in the bottom of the hose to let in some air.  This breaks the siphon.

Sometimes the problem and solution is else where.  Best to keep looking. 

What to do if your gas pedal sticks

We have all read recently about cars that accelerate suddenly. Below are the steps you can take to avoid tragic results if this happens to you.

1) Don't panic.

This is harder then it seems since a car is not supposed to accelerate out of control. At that moment it doesn't matter why it is happening. What matters is to bring your car to a safe stop.

Make sure your foot is firmly on the brake.

2) Put the car in neutral

Do not turn off the engine. You need it to power the steering and the brakes. If your gear shifter is on the center console then give it a quick tap forward to put into neutral. (NOTE: do not squeeze the button on the shifter. If you do then you might put it into reverse by mistake.) If you just tap it forward it will slip into neutral.

If the shifter is on the dashboard or steering column you can again just slide it into neutral by tapping it up.

You can practice this move in an empty parking lot before you ever get into a situation like this.

3) Steer and Brake to a safe stop

Find somewhere safe to stop while avoiding collisions.

With the vehicle in neutral the engine will go to full revs. It will make a very loud noise like a race car. Ignore this. It is more important to stop safely then to save the engine.

4) Shut the engine off

once the vehicle is stopped. Do this before putting the car into Park.

Once in park then take a moment to calm yourself and ensure everyone is ok. Reassess the situation. If you hit another vehicle then call 9-1-1. Otherwise call for a tow truck.

Repairing stuff for Habitat restore

I am doing volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity Durham I fix the stuff that gets donated to them so it can be resold. Below are some of the things I worked on

Princess Lamp

This was a nice lamp for girls. I had 4 princess characters that would spin and play music when the lamp was turned on or off. However the sides of the characters would hit each other when spinning. My hunch was that the gears were not aligned. I opened it up, reset the gears, and the closed it. My hunch was right. The characters spin with no problems. They are able to sell it. I got lucky on this one.

Carpet Steam Cleaner

This was in working condition. I plugged it in and tested it and it worked. The floor tool was missing. No repairs needed

Gas Powered Weed Trimmer

This is missing the trimmer part. I tried to start the motor but it wouldn't go. I am not ready to give up yet. I will try again next week

Vacuum Cleaner

This is almost new. The motor works. The only thing broken is a small plastic part that holds the handle to the main unit. I phoned the company that manufactures it and asked for a new part. They need the part number to do this. If I can find this then they will send me the part for free. Stay tuned.

Not all is trash

Not everything is trash. Yesterday I found a bicycle lying on the ground. A quick look showed that some repairs were needed. Today I looked closer and discovered that the rear axle was broken as well as the derailer, and hand brake. The bike was beyond repair. The rest was still good.

I hate to throw things out so I put an ad on Kijiji and listed it for free. The ad stated that the bike was suitable for parts. The tires, frame, seat, and handle bars were still good. Within one hour I had a call from someone who wanted it. He came and picked it up.

Over the years I have given many things away that I had found. The list includes - baby stroller, old dresser, basketball net with backboard. There is more but I can't remember. Another good site is craigslist I have learned to be patient with these sites. Sometimes it takes a month or more for some to respond. If you don't want to wait then try the local thrift store.

Academy Awards - what a bore

I am not sure if I am the only person on the planet who has little interested in the Academy awards. Give an award to one movie or person to say that it is better then everyone else is pointless. Movie making is an art and as such it is personal whether someone likes it or not. It is not a contest. Maybe I will rent a movie instead of watching some rich people applauding each other and saying how wonderful it is.

Toronto Maple Leafs - do they sucketh?

So how bad does a sports team have to be in order to qualify as "they suck"? Coming in dead last would be a an automatic "sucketh". For this year it is shared between Tampa Bay and Los Angles. The Leafs have managed to avoid this dishonor for as long as they have been able to avoid the playoffs. However in their case they have missed the playoffs 3 years in a row. Does this qualify as "they suck"?

I don't find a losing team to be enjoyable to watch. The worst part is there is no reason to believe they will be any better next year.

I recommend you do what I do - watch the Blue Jays. Go Jays!!!!

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