How To Change A Toilet

Rick Shacklett: Flush with money: Savings not in the toilet for all

Money is like whipped cream: Used impulsively, it can squirt off in odd directions.

That's happening rather a lot these days, because this recession didn't/hasn't hit everybody with the same size canoe paddle. The haves and have-nots have morphed into have-it-alls and have-squats -- and some have-it-alls want even more.

You can debate among yourselves about whether anything can or should be done to change that. What seems undebatable is that a lot of dollars in these hard times are scampering after rich boys' toys and joys.

Some recent news items:

-- General Motors said it would be investing $131 million in the Bowling Green, Ky., plant that makes Chevrolet Corvettes. That's not a lot, in relative terms -- the company says it has spent $3.4 billion on production capacity overall since mid-2009 -- but it's not exactly couch-cushion money. And the number of workers at Bowling Green will jump by more than 50 percent. That says GM expects more demand for high-zoot rocket sleds. (The least expensive Vette stickers for a few nickels under $50 G's. What color would you like?)

-- A distillers group in Kentucky (hmm, Kentucky, again) says hooch makers there have spent at least $150 million of late in one of the bourbon sector's biggest expansions since Prohibition. The thirst for premium products, it appears, is up.

Well, cheers to that, and the birth of more Corvettes. Nothing wrong with smokin' hot cars and extra-good grog, as long as they're not enjoyed simultaneously.

However:

-- We are in the throes of a caviar shortage. (What? You didn't know?) We have hassled the beluga sturgeon into near-extinction, and its eggs are going right along with it. Where, oh, where will we get more barge slime for our overpriced crackers?

Right here in Iowa. The shovelnose sturgeon, a homely creature that has spent ages minding its own business in the Cedar River and other fingers of the Mississippi, is now being hounded for its roe, which appears to run about $50 per 2-ounce glop. That's a whale of a long way from squirty cheese on a Ritz.

-- Collectibles collectors have lost their collective bearings. Somebody at an auction plunked down $1.8 million for the leather jacket that Michael Jackson wore in the "Thriller" video. A 19th-century tintype of Billy the Kid, thought to be the only authenticated image of the seedy little creep in existence, sold for $2.3 million, also at auction. And at a third sale, the white dress that swirled about Marilyn Monroe's legs in "The Seven Year Itch" brought a breathy $5.6 million.

How to Replace a Wax Ring on a Toilet

There are two instances when the wax ring on a toilet will have to be replaced.  The first is if you are installing a new toilet, and the second is if you have a leak at the bottom of the existing toilet. 

The first thing you must do in either event is shut off the water supply.  Flush the toilet to get rid of the remaining water in the tank.  Remove the water supply line that leads to the tank and loosen the compression nut.

At the base of the toilet, there will be bolts going into the floor.  Remove the covers and loosen the nuts.  Once this is done, lift the toilet straight up; you may need two people to do this.  Once the toilet has been removed, you will see the wax ring on the floor.  Using a putty knife, scrape off the old ring and remove the old hardware for the bolts.

Place the new wax ring in the same spot, making sure to keep its original shape.  Install new bolts and gently lower the toilet onto the bolts and the new wax ring.  Apply even pressure to the toilet on the ring to make a firm seal.  Tighten the bolts and make sure the toilet does not wiggle.

Once the toilet is back in place, reattach the water supply hose to the valve and turn the water on.  Let the toilet fill up and then flush it several times while looking for leaks.

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