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Plumbing 101: Toilets

© Wendy Waid

There are just some times when you get that urge to be a do-it-yourselfer rather than call the apartment maintenance man. Of course, if your facing an emergency don't stop to fix it yourself! A flooded apartment will be your liability unless you have insurance. But here are a few simple repairs you can do yourself and boost your ego a little. Not to mention they will come in handy one day when you buy a house...

The Parts:

Before we get started, you are going to need to know the parts of the toilet and a basic idea of how it works. TO learn all the parts of your toilet, visit http://www.toiletology.com/anatomy.shtml .

For an excellent full-color guide to how your toilet works, visit http://www.toiletology.com/howitwrk.shtml .

Even more fascinating than the parts is how they all work together to make the toilet flush. You can see all that by visiting http://www.toiletology.com/bowl.shtml .

The next most important thing is the water supply valve that, in some cases, you may need to turn off. If there isn't one behind the toilet, ask your maintenance man to show you where it is. Older valves might be harder to turn, so keep a can of WD40 lubricant handy just in case.

Taking Care of Your Toilet:

Cleaning a toilet is easy -- squirt some cleaner around the inner rim of the bowl and allow the liquid to run a bit before scrubbing with a toilet brush. Then flush the bowl clean. You may choose to use drop-in pellets to keep the bowl even cleaner. Use the gentler pellets that do not contain bleach or you could find yourself replacing your rubber parts if you plan on staying for awhile. Two unusual cleaning methods are worth trying -- drop two alkaseltzer tablets in the bowl until they dissolve then flush, or, pour some coke into the bowl and flush after a hour. A well-known method is to pour 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach into the bowl and clean with brush. Do not mix this with any other cleaners.

Most toilet bowls are made of porcelain and are capable of cracking. Try not to use your toilet as a step stool or lean back against the tank. Do not hit the bowl with hammers or wrenches. And if your toilet brush is worn out, replace it. Never pour hot water into the bowl (oddly enough, this will cause it to crack). And never mix cleaning products!

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