Post by jcplumb on Aug 19, 2017 19:01:51 GMT
Was woken up yesterday morning by a phone call from a customer who I did a job for a couple of years ago, I had cut her a new diaphragm for her toilet syphon.
Anyway I had no idea what day it was as I'd just woken up so I said I'd be there tomorrow afternoon and would bell her half an hour before arrival. The job was that she needed a new handle for her toilet as the old one had snapped.
20 minutes later I realise it's Friday and I just booked a job in for Saturday like a numpty, but it's only a handle swap so I'll nip over and get some beer money for 5 minutes work, I've got a few spare cistern handles in my kit easy peasy.
Famous last words eh?
The existing handle has a hexagonal spindle, not square like most so need to replace the handle and the connecting plastic rod bit. No probs, goes and gets the three I have in my bits, all of them too thick to get through the hole in the cistern.
So I traipse off to Toolstation as I know they do a short one that is also narrow enough for this cistern for a couple of quid. about a 20 minute round trip from where I am.
Gets back, pops new handle on, flushed a couple of times while planning on whether I go for John Smiths or some bottles of IPA.
Noticed a drip come down from around where the right hand close couple bolt is so like an idiot I asked the customer and they told me that every so often there's a little puddle of water down there but not all the time.
I put 2 and 2 together and decide the wingnuts need a little tighten so I says I'll try and tighten this while I'm here but if it doesn't work I'll have to come back on Tuesday to renew the close couple kit.
A tiny bit of pressure on the wingnut and crunch, the whole bolt minus the head drops out with a full cistern of water not far behind it, they're the through cistern bolts that rust to buggery in the cistern after a few months.
Jams the hole with my finger but that makes it just come out from the gap between pan and cistern more..
Nothing I can do apart from close the feed ISO (bloody lucky there was one there) and try and do some damage control until the cistern's empty with a little plastic tub and the one towel I brought with me that I always have in my every-job-bag just incase. My kecks are wet through, I'm bleeding from catching my wrist on a sharp bit of a stupid metal elephant ornament that was on the floor near the ISO and then I realise I could have plugged the hole from above with my thumb and would of had time to shout for a bucket or something to catch the water. Oops...
The water slows to a drip so wring the towel out and pop it under and go looking through my stuff for some through cistern bolts, got 3 close couple kits with only one donut between them but no through cistern bolts.
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, back to Toolstation I go.
Comes back, undoes the overflow, then the water feed and tries to turn the remaining intact cistern bolt. It's not happening, top's just spinning with the bottom and no way to grip it above so decide to drill the head off the screw.
Guess who just brought his every day bag and didn't bring any drill bits? Yep, me!
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off back home I go.
Gets back with ye olde sacred drill bit of awesomeness and drilled the head off the bolt. Bingo bongo I won't be longo
Cistern lifts off easily, cleaned the holes up, popped the new bolts on, swaps the donut for my last donut, re-attached overflow, tightened the wingnuts up, goes to reconnect the very rigid water pipe to the plastic shank and it's 3-4mm short with no wriggle room at all, it comes up through the floor but there's no movement in it, the pipe must be hard againt the underside of the floorboard.
With it being plastic I'm not risking rigid pipework and cross threading it so no worries, I cut it back and go for a flexi tap connector.
Guess who used his last one on Thursday and didn't re-stock? Yay me!
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Toolstation I go.
The funny bastard behind the counter says ''see you in half an hour Joe''
Gets back and pops the flexi on.
Opens the ISO, toilet fills, 5 flushes later and I'm out the door with a lot more beer money than I planned for.
Who else had an awesome Saturday afternoon like me?
Anyway I had no idea what day it was as I'd just woken up so I said I'd be there tomorrow afternoon and would bell her half an hour before arrival. The job was that she needed a new handle for her toilet as the old one had snapped.
20 minutes later I realise it's Friday and I just booked a job in for Saturday like a numpty, but it's only a handle swap so I'll nip over and get some beer money for 5 minutes work, I've got a few spare cistern handles in my kit easy peasy.
Famous last words eh?
The existing handle has a hexagonal spindle, not square like most so need to replace the handle and the connecting plastic rod bit. No probs, goes and gets the three I have in my bits, all of them too thick to get through the hole in the cistern.
So I traipse off to Toolstation as I know they do a short one that is also narrow enough for this cistern for a couple of quid. about a 20 minute round trip from where I am.
Gets back, pops new handle on, flushed a couple of times while planning on whether I go for John Smiths or some bottles of IPA.
Noticed a drip come down from around where the right hand close couple bolt is so like an idiot I asked the customer and they told me that every so often there's a little puddle of water down there but not all the time.
I put 2 and 2 together and decide the wingnuts need a little tighten so I says I'll try and tighten this while I'm here but if it doesn't work I'll have to come back on Tuesday to renew the close couple kit.
A tiny bit of pressure on the wingnut and crunch, the whole bolt minus the head drops out with a full cistern of water not far behind it, they're the through cistern bolts that rust to buggery in the cistern after a few months.
Jams the hole with my finger but that makes it just come out from the gap between pan and cistern more..
Nothing I can do apart from close the feed ISO (bloody lucky there was one there) and try and do some damage control until the cistern's empty with a little plastic tub and the one towel I brought with me that I always have in my every-job-bag just incase. My kecks are wet through, I'm bleeding from catching my wrist on a sharp bit of a stupid metal elephant ornament that was on the floor near the ISO and then I realise I could have plugged the hole from above with my thumb and would of had time to shout for a bucket or something to catch the water. Oops...
The water slows to a drip so wring the towel out and pop it under and go looking through my stuff for some through cistern bolts, got 3 close couple kits with only one donut between them but no through cistern bolts.
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, back to Toolstation I go.
Comes back, undoes the overflow, then the water feed and tries to turn the remaining intact cistern bolt. It's not happening, top's just spinning with the bottom and no way to grip it above so decide to drill the head off the screw.
Guess who just brought his every day bag and didn't bring any drill bits? Yep, me!
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off back home I go.
Gets back with ye olde sacred drill bit of awesomeness and drilled the head off the bolt. Bingo bongo I won't be longo
Cistern lifts off easily, cleaned the holes up, popped the new bolts on, swaps the donut for my last donut, re-attached overflow, tightened the wingnuts up, goes to reconnect the very rigid water pipe to the plastic shank and it's 3-4mm short with no wriggle room at all, it comes up through the floor but there's no movement in it, the pipe must be hard againt the underside of the floorboard.
With it being plastic I'm not risking rigid pipework and cross threading it so no worries, I cut it back and go for a flexi tap connector.
Guess who used his last one on Thursday and didn't re-stock? Yay me!
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Toolstation I go.
The funny bastard behind the counter says ''see you in half an hour Joe''
Gets back and pops the flexi on.
Opens the ISO, toilet fills, 5 flushes later and I'm out the door with a lot more beer money than I planned for.
Who else had an awesome Saturday afternoon like me?
!
