Does anyone out there know anything about plumbing (toilets in particular)?
The simple but ingenious mechanics of the toilet have changed very little since the earliest “water closet” was invented by Thomas Crapper in the nineteenth century. The toilet, though not one of the more glamourous of home fixtures, is designed to do a very specific job-to carry away waste and prevent sewer gasses from entering the house. And unless something goes wrong with a toilet, it handles its role adroitly. Opening the back lid, it’s easy to be intimidated by all of those strange-looking parts. But a toilet actually operates quite simply. As shown in the drawing, a toilet has two main parts made from vitreous china: a tank and a bowl. Some toilets are cast as a single piece; others are made in two separate parts that are joined together. When a toilet is ready for use, both tank and bowl are partly filled with water. Passages between the bowl and the closet bend (the top of the waste pipe) form a trap that remains filled with water at all times, blocking the rise of sewer gasse
