Yes, I DO have avuncular toilets

So, last time I had the plumber in, I had him look at the toilet in the basement, which was leaking a bit, and normally I'd just put in a new flapper but I didn't recognize the mechanism inside the toilet, so...what the heck, once the plumber's there....

Well, apparently the toilet is SO old that it the work involved in replacing the near-historical artifact (for American, anyway) that was the flushing do-hickey...it would be cheaper to replace the toilet. So, I thought, well, we'll just turn the water off there, so it doesn't leak anymore and I'll get around to that.

And then the downstairs toilet began to refuse to flush. And then it refused in a spectacular, ugly kind of way, that involved screaming, cursing and a bottle of bleach. And since the lid was cracked, it too was old, and really, to do a good job snaking it, you have to take the toilet off the ring...I thought, screw it, I'll have the plumber replace both of them. And while he's at it, replace the one upstairs -- also old, also stained, and a true water hog.

Which is just about the time the Captain got laid off. Of course. ( Read more... )