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Taxes: 1 down, 1 to go

February 7th, 2016 at 07:06 pm

Today I dealt with 2 unpleasantries: toilet and taxes.

Taxes: I did my federal tax return today but since you have to wait a day to make sure the IRS accepted your return (it was bounced back to me twice last year due to tiny errors), I won't file the CT return until I'm sure the federal has been accepted.

But anyway, it wasn't too, too bad this year, mainly because I didn't sell any mutual funds (no Schedule D) nor do I any longer do freelance writing, so that saved me 2 additional schedules to do. Plus, no more healthcare subsidy. So I only had the tax return, 2 schedules and 4 worksheets.

I owe $364. Well, I paid it already.

Regarding the toilet, I've noticed for a while now, usually at night, that it's been running. Not constantly, but maybe every 10 minutes or so. I didn't have food dye around the house, so I brewed up a cup of hot black tea, let it cool, then dumped it in the tank and waited 15 minutes. I didn't see any tea-stained water in the bowl, but I could see how the water in the tank had fallen below the normal fill line. So while the water wasn't overflowing into the tube thing, I suspect it was leaking from the rubber flapper gasket, which I replaced years ago. I tried to turn the water off at the valve under the toilet so I could do that replacement, but it was really stuck.

Went to hardware store and he advised, don't do plumbing jobs on a Sunday. Good advice. I let the shut-off valve be, lest I should break it and instead was able to replace the rubber flapper without turning the water off.

HOWEVER, I'm not sure I fixed the problem as I could still hear a tiny trickle of water sound intermittently. I suspect the "Douglas valve" needs to be replaced. Which means I have to call a plumber because it will require shutting off the water this time for sure. Sigh.

Now it's time for a well-deserved walk in the sunshine!

5 Responses to “Taxes: 1 down, 1 to go”

  1. LivingAlmostLarge Says:
    1454876405

    excellent job on diagnosing a problem you could potentially do yourself. And don't call any plumbers on the weekends. I had a friend do it for a water heater that burst on a weekend when he had guests. let's say it was very expensive.

  2. mjrube94 Says:
    1454879107

    We had a similar problem with one of our toilets. Hubby went to the local hardware store today and replaced the faulty piece (just old and worn) and now it's good as new. MUCH cheaper than a plumber!

  3. PatientSaver Says:
    1454880582

    Unfortunately, the toilet is still running intermittently. I cant' do anything more complicated than change the flapper. I will have to call a plumber. Damn.

  4. Carol Says:
    1454883965

    Look on the bright side--if you fix the leak, you will save on your water bill. Ask me how I know--we had an evil surprise last year!

  5. snafu Says:
    1454891331

    Suggest you try WD40 which may permit you to turn off the water as a 1st step. It's a wonderful product for different issues.
    Ig suggest reviewing the problem at hand on You Tube before calling a professional. If I feel it's basic enough I'll try to do the repair. At least I can talk to the plumber without sounding silly.

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