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Replacing Toilets And Other Upkeep

Discussion in 'Home Improvement' started by Marie Mallery, Nov 30, 2022.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I have a friend who is a contractor and, at least about eight years ago which was the last time it came. up in conversation, he was crossing the border into Canada to buy toilets that actually flush for customers who wanted them. Apparently, then, at least, the Canadians realized that you don't save water by having to flush two or three times.
     
    #16
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  2. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    There was a black market in Canadian toilets for a while. I don't know if it is still going on. One of the problems with the Federal government sticking their noses into everything is that what is good for California or Arizona is totally stupid for Maine and Alaska.

    Not a toilet, but wife noticed water under the kitchen sink this afternoon. The faucet was dumping water into the cabinet under the sink. The faucet is less than 18 months old and was installed by pros, so I was baffled. To YouTube I went to see what the fix was and found how to replace the cartridge/ valve in the faucet. Among the comments on the video was one stating that the commenter found that the nut securing the cartridge was loose, so he tightened it and the problem stopped. Guess what? I found the same issue. The nut was not properly tightened at the assembly plant. I don't think the installers even went into the faucet, as they just installed it. Problems solved...apparently.
     
    #17
  3. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Hey, man. Can you get me some pot?

    I recall in the 80s when California was having a "water crisis." The .gov told people to double-up in the shower to save resources.

    -1 person takes 10 minutes to shower
    -2 people are in there for 45 minutes

    The .gov retracted the suggestion.
     
    #18
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  4. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    It's amazing. This is why so many of us do our own repairs. It might take us a couple of tries to get it right, but we still save money and we learn for next time...although I'm not sure I'd blame the installers for that one. I've followed the directions on the faucet box, but I've never verified that it's been assembled properly.
     
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  5. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    Marie explained in post # 2 where we got them. Ours weren't flushing as well as they should. It says URC 1.5 on them.
     
    #20
  6. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Gotcha. I did not understand that these were freebies. R.I.F., huh?

    I lived in my last old, small house for over 30 years and upgraded a whole bunch of stuff through friends who were contractors. It's amazing how people can "get tired of the color" of a 2 year old fridge, so they remodel the entire kitchen. Legacy (and free) stuff is always the best.
     
    #21
  7. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    True, some people throw out the good stuff, and at that price, you can't beat it. Our son-in-law is always throwing away good stuff. He was here one time and my chainsaw rope broke, on the pull chord. I fixed it and went back to work, he came up and said, I can't believe you fixed that, I just throw things away when they break. :rolleyes:
     
    #22
  8. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    You know, people like that are part of the Chattel Ecosystem. I wouldn't necessarily say that you & I are turkey vultures, because they stuff they throw out isn't mangled on the road, it just has a fever.

    I got my first lawn mower at a Zayre sidewalk sale for $20. (Zayre was an old K-Mart type place.) It was brand-new. There was the finest sheen of grass under the deck, and it had gas in the tank. I pulled the handle and it fired right up, but it kept surging. I got a dime out of my pocket, leaned out the fuel mixture, and it purred like a kitten. Sold!!!
     
    #23
  9. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    #24
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2022
  10. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    :D So true, sometimes I watch people who go to garage sales and buy stuff. Unbelievable some of the things they get for hardly anything. Like mowers, they tune up and are ready to cut grass.:)
     
    #25
  11. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I saw a thing the other day about the world's smartest toilet. The thing was over $20,000! Amazing anyone would pay that for a toilet.
     
    #26
  12. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    My son the mechanic makes quite a good income from people wanting to get rid of things. Sometimes it is as simple as changing a spark plug and he resells it for a good profit.
     
    #27
  13. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    It is, some of these toilets were over $1200.00 dollars, which surprised me.
     
    #28
  14. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    He's smart, it's always a buck to be made in that line of work.
     
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  15. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I just looked at toilets on the Lowes website and sorted them by Descending Cost:

    (6) toilets in the $4,200-$8,745 range.
    Another 20 that were in the $2,000-$2,9999 price range.

    Now, none of those high dollar porcelain goddesses were stocked items. The most expensive toilet they have in the store was about $400. But still...

    The $8,745 one has 5 reviews.
    Here is one of them:

    I made boom boom in this last night and the Venturia effect caused by the force of the flushing has sucked me in. I’m writing this from the toilet, which I am now trapped in. On the plus-side, the built-in bidet function has kept me hydrated and will hopefully keep me alive until my wife’s boyfriend gets home and lets me out. For this reason I grant 4 out of 5 stars!
     
    #30

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