Simple fixes around your home can be very costly if you don’t have the expertise to know the proper techniques. Hiring a repair person is likely the best course of action, but one tech on TikTok shows homeowners how to fix some of these tricky spots.
The scoop
Danny (@mechanicallyincleyend) has gained a large following of more than two million people by sharing content aimed at making home repairs less daunting. In one video, he shows how to fix a leaky toilet caused by a worn-out part.
While Danny takes viewers through the step-by-step procedure, repairing appliances in your home is always a bit of a risk. Be very careful if you are going to be taking apart your toilet. They may seem hefty, but the porcelain throne is quite breakable.
If you are brave enough to give it a shot, the instructions are fairly simple. The leak in this video is coming from the bottom of the water tank, and the creator shows an illustration on the inside of the lid that shows the part that is causing the issue and an item number to help you purchase the correct one.
Once you have acquired the proper new gasket, start by turning off the water. There should be a valve connected to the wall near your toilet. Then, flush as much water as you can out of the tank and remove the water hose.
Next, there are two large screws on each side of the toilet keeping the tank attached to the lower half, which need to be removed. Carefully remove the top half of your commode, empty any remaining water, and place it out of your way.
Finally, you should be able to see the damaged gasket — all you need to do is swap it out for a new part.
Now that the new piece is installed, carefully replace all of the parts of your toilet you removed and reconnect the water. Danny notes that while reattaching the screws, you don’t want to overtighten as it can crack the porcelain.
How it’s helping
The main benefit of tips like this is that they allow you to have more ownership around your home. You can feel empowered to make improvements and repairs without shelling out big bucks. In the clip, Danny claims that for this type of repair, he charges around $200, but the part only costs a couple of dollars.
Plus, you can fix your toilet on your own time and not have to schedule a plumber or take a day off work to wait around for them to arrive.
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Additionally, by making a small fix like this, you avoid buying a new toilet. Any time you repair, fix, mend, or upcycle an item, you are reducing stress on the planet. Both in the form of fewer new resources being extracted and fewer items ending up in our already overcrowded landfills.
What everyone’s saying
Commenters were thrilled to learn this repair tip.
“You saved everyone that watched this so much money,” wrote one person.
Another appreciative commenter wrote, “I didn’t know the tank was separate from the bowl or that there was a gasket. Thanks for the information!”
Several people were disappointed that their toilets didn’t have the diagram inside them like the one in the video. “I wish my toilets had a parts list on the lid. That would have made fixing it last year a bit easier.”
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