Dave the plumber

I know this guy who is a plumber here in Calgary. I met him years ago through one of the community centres that we do regular work for. We all swear he's near stone-deaf because he's always asking us to "turn it up!" at community events. He and his wife are pretty amazing dancers too, and whenever I think of Dave I think of the numerous times over the years that I played for him, Dean Martin's 'That's Amore'.

Yesterday I played plumber. Emarie emailed to say that the toilet in the suite wasn't refilling after a flush. It was the oddest thing, too.

I checked the water shutoff, closing it and reopening it.

The toilet flushed just fine, and I thought the problem was resolved.

Nuh uhh...

Upon the next flush, the problem recurred.

Emarie checked the web for advice. It suggested that we use a coat hanger to clean out the line that runs into the float/regulator. We did that. Again, the tank filled just fine. This time I was smart (or so I thought) and flushed the toilet a few times to be sure.

"We make a good team,", she said. "I look up what to do and you do it!"

Later in the afternoon, Emarie informed me that alas, the problem was not fixed. In the meantime, I'd been chatting with a friend whose boyfriend is/was a plumber. He told me over the phone that for the $15.00 it would be best to replace the float/regulator when this problem occurs. So, off to Home Depot. The really fancy-schmancy regulator, which you can adjust to use more or less water, was only $22.00. It made sense to spend the extra $7.00.

I discovered that this plumbing thing is really very 'plug-and-play'. Unscrew the old one, insert the new one, add water and wait.

The other thing I learned about yesterday's adventure in plumbing is that I can fix stuff... correctly... without it costing more in the end!

Now, THAT'S AMORE!

The only difference between this Dave and the other Dave is that he can dance and I can hear. Oh, and I'm taller.