I fought the john and the john...LOST! (I think.)

Day two of the battle against pot. Today, I got kind of mad at this whole leaking toilet situation. I got online and did some research about this plumbing, which I found is called "The Gray Menace." It turns out to be Poly-Butylene (PB), which was very popular in the era in which Sadie was built. Later, not so much. There were apparently a number of class action lawsuits about the stuff, primarily regarding its usage in home construction. Seems that prolonged exposure to heat and pressure had a tendency to rupture PB pipes. Thank goodness I always use a pressure regulator at the park faucet.

That being said, PB is what I have and I had to work with it. I removed the pot again and went to True Value with a piece of the pipe. My plan was to install a shut-off valve in the system, so we could at least use the rest of the plumbing, in the event the toilet needed to be removed.

I purchased a 1/2" X 3/8" compression shut-off valve, brought it home and installed it on the PB pipe stub. Jill turned on the pump. Hello; it leaked. I tightened the fitting another 1/4 turn and went about my business. Fifteen minutes later, I checked the fitting again...it was leaking. Tighten a quarter turn...wait 15...check...tighten a quarter turn...wait...well, we decided to go to Dallas and check on the house. When we returned, I checked again...it leaked.

OK. Now I was taking no prisoners. I turned off the water, removed the valve and...well, I had a problem. The brass compression ring that is part of the valve wouldn't come off the pipe. I got out my frameless hacksaw, and with a mighty 1/4 inch stroke, I sawed through the ring far enough that I could break it with the twist of a screwdriver.

Having removed the valve completely, I returned to True Value. Now, when you live in a small town and you go to a hardware store with 6 employees, they get to know you pretty fast. Amidst some good natured ribbing, I picked out my next array of parts for my aresenal. These comprised a PEX press-on Street elbow and a straight lavatory supply valve.

I went back to Sadie and installed said items. Then I turned on the water pressure and checked for leaks. No leak! Just to be safe, I left the system under pressure for about 45 minutes and never found a leak. At last, I felt comfortable reinstalling the toilet...until, that is, I remembered the broken sink sprayer that is attached to the toilet for the purpose of cleaning the bowl.

Alas, I was faced with a decision either to leave the broken sprayer, thus dooming myself to the possibility that I might have to remove and replace the toilet yet another time to replace it, or to endure the ribbing of the True Value guys. It was off to TV for me.

With some mild expletives and a couple more skinned knuckles, I finally conquered the john! Of course, the proof of the pudding will be in checking the bathroom carpet tomorrow morning. Will it be wet, or will it be dry?

Tune in next time to see if success is really success or if it is only defeat in success' clothing.