House mate rant....

[ikojo]

I have a male house mate. He is OBSESSED with all things bike. If this problem was a bike problem he'd be more concerned

The toilet in the bathroom of my apartment is not cycling off after it is flushed. It just runs and runs and runs. I suspect it has done this all weekend. I don't know because I've been in DC and just returned to St Louis tonight around 9PM. I had to use the bathroom and naturally flushed the toilet only to discover that it will not stop running. I tried to fix it to no avail. He comes to look at it and just fiddles around with something to no avail.

He then goes to sit in front of his computer and says he will look at it later.

I advise the lazy schmuck that we get charged for the water we use. He said, "so." Well, I don't make a whole lot of money and I don't care to pay a high water bill, thank you very much

I called the apartment maintenance but I know they will not be anywhere near here until sometime tomorrow. It is after 10PM now and even if I call the emergency number no one will come until tomorrow.

I suggested that until the problem is fixed we use the toilet downstairs near the washing machines. He said he would continue to use the one that is obviously not working and that I could use the one downstairs if I wished.

Is he being a bastard about this or what? Why the lack of concern for the amount of water we could be charged for if the toilet runs like this until someone from maintains comes, hopefully tomorrow?

Are there any plumbers or home maintenance folks in the Lounge?

What did the house mate do while I was in DC? He stayed in the apartment and rode his BIKE all weekend! There was a solidarity event in St Louis but he didn't do anything except RIDE HIS BIKE on a trainer! Did he do any dishes? NO...he RODE HIS BIKE ALL WEEKEND!

LAZY I tell ya!

[Maddy McCall]

1. Here's what you do until maintenance gets there.

Turn the water off to the toilet.

Look under the tank. You should see the water line with a little handle on it. Turn the water off.

Then tell him that he can use the bathroom in the other room until maintenance gets there.

If he persists in using the toilet that is running, you go in there and keep turning the water off. This will accomplish two things:

1) The water won't run incessantly and

2) pretty soon he'll get tired of having to turn the water on every time he uses the toilet.

On edit. It sounds like you need a new flap. You may be able to bend the rod on which the ball sits--the rod attaached to the handle. Bend it down toward the water a little. But if it needs a new flap, there's not much you can do.

If maintenance will be there tomorrow, turn off the water to the toilet and use the second toilet.

[ikojo]

3. Thanks, Maddy....he did turn off the water

after I said, "someone suggested turning off the water when it's not being used" He said, "I'm working on it" See he doesn't like it when anyone challenges him, especially a WOMAN.

I hate that I returned from DC to this crap.

I should add that the toilet I suggested using is downstairs in the laundry room.


Maybe I'm hypersensitive because I am TIRED!

[philosophie_en_rose]

2. Take the lid of the tank and pull the ball up.

The tank usually runs, because the ball isn't floating to the top all the way.

[ikojo]

5. Tried that..it has this little hole in the center of the tank

There is a small hose from which water is spraying...that is the thing that keeps running. The tank fills up but that small hose continues to send out water.

[philosophie_en_rose]

9. Well, you've already turned the water off.

I say wait until morning to fix it. If may be able to reattach it or buy a replacement part.

If you rent, you should call the Landlord.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. What Maddy said...

:hi::hug:

[ikojo]

6. Hi! GofG..were you at the Hawk and Dove

Friday evening?

:hi:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. I wish I could have been!

But my heart was there! :-)

[JVS]

7. why is toilet maintenence supposed to be his job and not yours?

If he said he doesn't know how to fix it, let him be

[ikojo]

8. I tried to fix it and then he came over to look at

it. I asked him what was he doing so that if he did anything I could learn.

Trust me I ask very little of this guy.....VERY LITTLE.

I do the dishes and cleaning. He rides his bike and sits in front of his computer.

[XemaSab]

10. Reach down into the tank

and mess with the chain.

Then pull the ball up.

Then push the rubber stopper down HARD.

See if the water stops.

If it doesn't, cut the water supply by turning the knob. :P

You can usually fix the toilet yourself. I know. I have replaced WAY TOO MANY toilet pieces myself, and I am a nonhandy girl. :P

[ikojo]

12. Thanks Xema...the water is turned off now..

This is not something I can do at this time as I just got back to St Louis after being in DC yesterday. I am tired and cranky. I'll reference this tomorrow after I've had a better night's sleep.

[XemaSab]

19. Word.

The water level in the tank is controlled by these three things, unless there is a leak.

[Maddy McCall]

11. This covers every possible thing that could be wrong.

My thirteen-year-old could fix it.

Read through it and try some of these remedies.

http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Running-Toilet

[ikojo]

14. Thanks Maddy...I'll have to read it following a good

night's sleep. The water is off now. I suggested he turn it back on if he needs to use it. I think he was amenable to that. I'll go downstairs. I've lived in a remodeling situation where the toilet was not accessible so I know how to make do with what you have.

[Little Wing]

13. Riding your bike all weekend is hardcore, why should he do any

dishes if he didn't eat anything?

[ikojo]

15. He was home all weekend and he did eat

things. I know because the sink is full. I did the dishes Wednesday night, knowing I was going to be gone all weekend.

[ghostsofgiants]

16. He still sounds better than my housemates.

[ikojo]

17. He is nice and all but not a real pitch in kind of

guy. I have tested his endurance by not doing the dishes and seeing how long he could go before he did them....every dish got dirty.

I have even made a deal that I'd do all the dishes except the pots and pans and he said, "sure." YEAH RIGHT. This is the same deal my brother and I had when we were kids and it worked perfectly.

[ghostsofgiants]

18. One of my housemates has broken two windows and a wall since September.

As for dishes, we actually have a pretty good system for that. We have a chart posted above the sink; Rows: date, columns: name. When we use a dish, we mark it down on the chart under our own name and the date. Once we clean it, we mark it off.