March 5th, 2009
Crystal’s plumbing adventures
I recently tiled the master bathroom but had not yet reinstalled the toilet. So, yesterday Clinton and I bolted down an extender to raise the toilet flange from the floor so we could reinstall the toilet. Added in a new jumbo wax seal and bolted the toilet down.
Today while Clinton was at work, I added a new water supply connector, replaced the old toilet seat with a shiny new one, replaced the nasty plastic flusher handle with a fancy one in brushed nickel, and installed a new fill valve apparatus inside the tank. Turned the water supply back on, and presto! Toilet works like a charm, and now it looks really good too.
My last trick of the day was replacing both master bathroom sink faucets with sleek new modern faucets. Sweet.
Doing this work myself cost me a fraction of the $350 that Mr. Mean Plumber estimated yesterday. He also tried to tell me I needed a bunch of things that I did not end up needing at all!
Lessons learned:
- You may have to get an estimate from a plumber in order to inspire you to do the work yourself!
- If you do need an estimate, try to get a plumber who does FREE estimates. (This mean one charged me $45 just to come over and tell me what the job was going to cost.)
- WD-40, a hammer and a flathead screwdriver are what you need to unscrew a really stuck nut.
Good luck!