149. The Toilet Tank (2)

Henry went out to the front of the building and turned off the main water valve. one was home in the building except Stanley, Henry didn’t have to warn the neighbors about shutoff. Back in the bathroom, Henry flushed the . Then he used a couple of rags to and clean the bottom of the toilet tank. unscrewed the plastic Fluidmaster 400A Fill Valve and it. He replaced it with a new fill . “When the water keeps running, it’s usually your valve. It could also be the flapper, but flapper looks okay. Plus, it’s a weird-looking flapper. ’d probably have to special order it.”
Henry tightened plastic nut below the tank, securing the fill . “You mustn't over-tighten this, because it’ll break,” he . “In the old days, we used rubber gaskets metal nuts and washers. Nowadays, everything is cheap .” He went back outside, turned on the main , and returned. He flushed the toilet, waited for bowl to refill and for the new fill to shut off the water. It shut off at the Water Line mark.
“We got lucky,” said. “I don’t have to fiddle around adjusting fill valve. That’s good, because I’m a little for another job right now.” Henry flushed the again, and watched the bowl and the tank . "That does it," he told Stanley. Stanley thanked and paid him.
Three hours later, Stanley noticed puddle of water, hardly bigger than a quarter, the bathroom floor. He called Henry, who said plastic nut just needed a little tightening. But he was working all that day on another , he wouldn’t be able to come over until . He told Stanley to put a big plastic under the tank and not to worry. “It’s a tiny leak. Your bathroom won’t get flooded.”