The Overflow Pipe You Can See
The open pipe stands in the middle of the tank. You lean in, hands braced on the cool ceramic edge, and note the steady trickle of water dripping down its… Read more »
The bowl looks still and the tank is hissing. Tank Lip is for that one toilet: the water that keeps running, the handle and the chain, and whether you leave it until morning.
The Run is the water you can hear. The Handle is the chain and the flapper you can see with the lid off. Leave It is what you do tonight if it will not stop.
Each page finishes one toilet. A minute or a cup is an illustrative example unless you are watching the tank in front of you.
A Flapper You Can Lift With Two Fingers
The rubber is soft. You can pinch the edge. It pulls away from the flush valve seat with no cracking, no stiff crumbs sticking to the rim below it. You… Read more »
The Chain Hooked on the Wrong Hole
The chain is clipped to a hole you did not expect. You were kneeling on the cool, linoleum bathroom tile only 10 seconds ago, prying the heavy ceramic tank lid… Read more »
The Handle Falls Back Loose
You let go. The handle stays down. You jiggle it once, and it flops back without catching, the tank refilling slowly like it never got the signal to flush all… Read more »
Leave It Until Morning If the Valve Will Not Turn
You found the valve. It will not turn. You jostle it left and right with the palm of your hand, no give, the old plastic crinkling faintly like it might… Read more »
One Flush and Then You Listen
You flushed once. Your hand is off the handle. The tank groans a low, gurgling rattle that lingers longer than it did three weeks ago, when you first noticed it… Read more »
The Shutoff Valve Under the Tank
You are on the floor. The valve is on the pipe at the wall. Your kneecap presses into a crumpled bath mat left by your roommate last night, and the… Read more »
Water on the Floor Is a Different Leak
The floor is wet. The hiss in the tank is a second problem. You kneel, press a paper towel to the base of the toilet, and it soaks through in… Read more »
The Chain Is Too Short to Close
You lift the chain. The flap cannot reach the hole. You run a finger along the pitted plastic of the chain link, counting how many links are caught on the… Read more »
A Hiss You Hear From the Hall
You are in the hall. The bathroom door is shut and you still hear it. It’s a high, thin hiss, steady enough that it doesn’t sound like a draft under… Read more »
The Float That Never Shuts the Valve
The float is up. Water is still coming in. You rest your forearm lightly on the Tank Lip to steady yourself, squinting at the narrow gap between the float arm… Read more »
Dye in the Tank, Color in the Bowl
You put a drop of food color in the tank. You are waiting. The cool porcelain of the tank lip rests against your forearm where you leaned over to lift… Read more »