I have been tackling home repair projects. They piled up to the point I had to dig out from under. After prioritizing them, I talked with others wiser about plumbing and electricity and other repair domains. Then I dove in.
The first project was fixing the continuously-running toilet. I consulted others, checked online for guidance, and found a food color test that determines whether the flapper should be replaced. Food color in the tank migrated into the bowl—the flapper needed replacement. I bought a new flapper with a pipe seal gasket. After carefully following the directions, the toilet ran worse than before.
I didn’t lose heart, but analyzed the situation and the parts instead. The angle of the new flapper just didn’t seem right. So, I retrieved the old flapper, which was in very good condition. I reinstalled the old flapper and left the new sealing gasket in place. Voilà! No more continuous running, and food color didn’t migrate into the bowl. Toilet repaired!
Next, I tackled the broken flag light in the front yard. It took me four days and two trips to the store—one for a new fixture and then one for new landscape wiring. After installing the fixture and then new wiring, the light worked the second night. I decided to bury and hide the wiring the third day. After doing that, the light didn’t work again. The fourth day, I fiddled with the fixture connector and wiring in the dark. Suddenly, I realized I pinched fixture wires in the connection. After carefully moving them out of the way, and re-pinching the connection, the light worked. Done. Whew!
I am on a roll, and gaining heart with each repair success. Please tell me how you gain heart.
Susan
