Fixing A Running Toilet

A Squat Toilet, a Wash Basin, and a Blackboard

ELOVO, Macedonia | A stench arises from the squat toilet in a privy near an elementary school in this mountain village, about 40 kilometers south of Skopje.

The toilet stands about 15 meters from the school, and students share it with worshippers at a nearby mosque.

The 50 students here wash their hands in a basin with water they bring from home, because the school’s only faucet, installed by the teachers, is shut down temporarily. They drink water from plastic bottles, also brought from home.

There is no playground. When something breaks, the teachers fix it if they can.

Principal Ali Nafiz said he has appealed repeatedly to the Education Ministry for help, to no avail.

Until now. The running water has been shut off because of construction of a new school next door, one of 21 that the Education Ministry plans to replace the country’s most dilapidated rural schools.

Teachers and students in Elovo have been assured that the new building will offer a decent toilet and a supply of fresh drinking water.

That will be a welcome change for Ramadan Eminovski, the school’s janitor, as well. He says in its 15 years, the outhouse toilet has never been emptied.

“It’s time to clean it,” Eminovski said with a chuckle. Once a student here himself, he said the only change he has seen since his schoolboy days is new wainscoting on the walls.

The three-room Elovo school is almost 60 years old. Many of the other schools on the chopping block were also built more than 50 years ago and as in Elovo many lack water and basic hygiene facilities.

Afrie Eminovska, the janitor’s niece, is a pupil at the Elovo school. She is lucky to live nearby. “When I’m thirsty, I go home,” she said.

When it rains, teachers race to place buckets and plastic bottles to catch the leaks, but rain has warped some of the floorboards. “The water runs down by the electric cable box and we’re afraid something’s going to happen,” teacher Zoran Kostadinov said.

Only one part of the school sits on a masonry foundation, the rest on deteriorating wood. Chair legs get stuck in the oilcloth thrown over rotting wooden planks. Parts of the roof dangle overhead; the weathered wooden windows have sealed themselves shut; the walls and doors are shot through with damp and holes. Even hanging a picture is impossible.

4 Easy Steps to Fix a Running Toilet | uhwarriors2007.com

What causes a running toilet? When water continuously keeps on running after a flush, then there is a problem with the ball or flapper inside the toilet. If the ball or the flapper is worn out, water continues to run since the water will not be as high enough to make the valve stop in supplying water.

To fix this problem, there are four simple steps. Step one is to check the chain on the tank stopper. If the chain is twisted then straighten it out.

Step two is to check on the float mechanism. If the ball is filled with water then you need to replace it with a new one. Next step is to check if the valve or stopper is corroded. Check if there is anything that causes the seals to be loose. Last step is to check the flush valve of it needs to be replaced.

There are already a lot of changes in the world of toilet and one of these is the creation of the new Toto Washlet E200 . Toto Waslet E200 has a sleeker design and a dual action when it comes to cleansing. Other features include a warm dryer with three settings, a heated seat and a remote control.

How to do just about everything

Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair, With 350 Projects and 2000 Photos

Plumbing essentials

Everyday Home Improvements: Basic Plumbing Know-how

The complete guide to home plumbing