My first plumbing related incident

The start is a mystery, but it worsened quickly. Last night I heard a dripping sound coming from the toilet... it is near the window, and it was raining last night so I didn't think too much about it. But then this morning it had increased...it was a dripping and a spraying sound. turns out all was not well behind and under my toilet. I had a minor flood and there was a fine spray coming out of somewhere.

The problem was, I had to get to work. oh. so, I tried to turn off the water. This reveals some good and bad news:

Good news - I know EXACTLY where the turn off valve is for the toilet.

Bad news - it doesn't turn. even with the help of some pliers. or the other set of pliers. or a monkey wrench.

Bad news #2 - I don't know where the turn off valve is for the entire house.

Good news #2 - I do know where the water meter is, I know that this is where the water comes into the house.

Bad news #3 - the black knob right close to that water meter, it must do something useful. But one of those things is not opening and closing the water to the entire house (I don't know this at the time)

I closed black knob and hoped for the best as I had to go to work. I left Rick voicemail messages, that I like to think were two light hearted pleas for help only if he wanted to help, if not I would handle. This was before I went into the garage.

uh. lots of water. pouring down in two thin streams from cracks in the ceiling and onto my car. not auspicious at all was the one pouring down over the exposed lightbulb onto the car.

Well, I have windshield wipers and a drain in my garage floor, so I do what any girl late for her first meeting of the day does... I start up the car and go to work.

It turns out that you can't just pretend that the house will be fine when you come back. I realize this a couple hours later when I return home. and I have to pee. but I turned off the water to the house.

good news #4 - that black knob didn't turn off the water to the house, so I could pee.

bad news #4 - the water was still pouring out of this mysterious place from the bottom of the tank.

I decide to take matters into my own hands.

1) I must find the shut off valve. I trace pipes, I wander about in the basement looking high and low. ooo, there is a red valve above that black one. I turn it. and no water comes from the laundry sink. whoo hoo!

2) Must find source of leak. - I am a big girl with a big book called Reader's Digest Do-It-Yourself manual. and hot damn if it doesn't have a picture of my toilet's inner workings. Doesn't look like I can do much damage, so I get in there (after changing my clothes of course) and start unscrewing things. quickly I find the culprit:

This 3.5 inch doodad connects the water supply to the tank. the part up by the tank just decided last night that he would no longer prevent water from leaving. I can find no visible cause, so I can only assume that it was old age.

This leads me to one of my favorite places: Menards.

Also, this leads me to a somewhat disturbing realization - when talking to the man in plumbing supply at Menards, my voice is much younger and more high pitched than it would be at say a company meeting. hmph.

my replacement part costs: $3.84

I install once I get home in less time that it took me to turn the water back on. (old part on left, new part on the right - it is a bit longer, I had to coil it around)

not a single leak since then.

I am queen of the world!