Tangled With A Toilet

I guess we all reach a point in life where it's smarter to pay someone to do a small chore than it is to attempt it ourselves.

After my three day ordeal with the water heater, the next thing on the list was to replace a leaking supply valve on the toilet, not a technically difficult thing to do. They are really simple to replace if you can get two hands on them. Remember though that the valve was located and installed by the same builder that put the water heater in a closet with a door too small to get it out and needless to say, it was impossible to just neal down and remove it.

This valve cost $2.89 and is about the size of an egg, not a major piece of hardware.

I tried every position possible to get both wrenches on the thing, my shoulders would not fit between the vanity and the bowl. I reached around the bowl, hugging it, with my face pressed against the tank and could put them on it but I couldn't turn it. I finally had to lie down on my side, wedging myself between the tank and the vanity with my arms over my head to get to it.

Well as it turned out, getting the valve off wasn't the biggest problem.

I had managed to get curled around the bowl enough to get the leverage I needed to remove it but discovered that not having my shoes on was a huge mistake. The tile floor was so slippery, my socks would not give me any grip and with my arms over my head, I had no way of getting out of this predicament.

After several minutes of evaluating my options, it was pretty clear that I was going to need some help. The best decision I made all day was to take care of this little project while I was not alone in the house. I finally yelled to Julie that I needed a hand, knowing full well what her first reaction was going to be as she entered the bathroom.

After she had time to collect herself and dry the tears in her eyes from all the laughter, she helped pull me out of the narrow little space that I had become so familiar with.

The toilet flushes now and it's not leaking so far, but I have an entirely different bond with it today.