??? FLAPPER VALVES??? Who Knew?

Today was my day for the PLUMBER to come and straighten out as many plumbing problems as possible. Since moving into our 40 year old house -I have become good friends with the plumbers! I originally tried making repairs myself. However, after a few near disasters I gave in and called on THE PLUMBERS! After attending a workshop on apprenticeships for plumbing (among others), I know that plumbing can be a very dangerous job. They are exposed to many germs, etc. that scare me just to hear the names.

Today was about FLAPPER VALVES. They become misshapen and need to be replaced. On various service calls, I had been told to put a bottle of Lime-A-Way in the tank once a month (into the tube where the water enters the tank) to help prevent calcium/lime buildup that can keep the flapper valve from settling in the hole tightly. I also understand that I need to put a box of RID-X into the sewage system once a month through the toilet. This should keep us from having to have the septic tank emptied as often.

Who knew that a seemingly simple thing like a toilet could need so much care? Certainly, not me! We have already replaced two of our 1960 something toilets - hopefully newer models are not quite as susceptible to problems.

Back to my theme from yesterday - Yes, I should take a minute and be thankful that we have toilets to take care of and repair! I know that there are many people in many different countries and in our own who would love to have such a modern convenience. I do remember when a few families in our town (when I was very young) still had outhouses.