Leaky Pipe Flange, Toilet Time-Out

A few days ago I wrote about discovering a bulge in the ceiling paint that indicated a leak inside the walls. It was right below the toilet in one of our upstairs bathrooms, so we figured the leak was on the drain pipe. On Thursday afternoon a plumber came out to take a look.



The plumber cut away a section of the ceiling in our pantry. The hole is about 18"x24". Sure enough, the leak was coming from the toilet drain pipe. The plumber triple-checked it by asking us to flush the toilet while he observed the pipe. New water leaked out of it.

I was kind of happy the problem was just the toilet. This drain is easy to reach compared to the sink drain or shower drain in the bathroom. It'll be an easier/cheaper repair with less wall/ceiling/floor to rip out and replace.

More specifically than just "leaky pipe" the problem here is that the flange on the drain pipe isn't level. That means that the toilet's drain doesn't seal firmly on it. The plumber will put a new flange on the pipe and then re-seat the toilet on it. Of course, that all takes parts and labor that will have to be scheduled— and will have to be planned for after we return from our 9-day trip to Canada.

Meanwhile our dining room is a bit of a wreck....



We had to clear out the pantry, including disassembling the shelving, for the plumbing work. The contents of the pantry are now all over the dining room, covering the table.

And the toilet atop the bad pipe flange?



That toilet's on time-out.

Landed in Canada... Where Apparently I Can "Just Say 'No'" to ATM Robbery

Canada travelog #2
Mississauga, ON · Sat, 23 Aug 2025. 8am.

We landed at YYZ airport (yes, that's really the IATA code for Toronto's airport) this morning at 6:43am local time. Our flight from San Francisco was just over 4.5 hours from takeoff to landing. And on this red-eye I managed to sleep pretty much the whole time. I was already nodding off before we were wheels-up at SFO and, except for being awoken by announcements on approach and falling back asleep, I basically didn't wake up until we were taxiing at YYZ. Those first class seats we sprung for sure helped.

Once off the aircraft and and in the terminal, it was the standard old airport shuttle, international style, I became familiar with years ago. Hike up ramps and escalators to a long, empty corridor. Trek seemingly a mile in that corridor, because the flight always lands at the far end from passport control. Wait in line for passport control— except with modernization in digital entry there's barely a line anymore. But the lack of wait there just means there's more wait now at baggage claim. Remember, those bags have to travel a mile from the aircraft, too! 🤣 Then collect your bags, pass the basically rubber-stamp customs check, and exit into the arrivals hall.

Once in the arrivals hall I decided to take a moment to try my luck with an ATM. I say "try my luck" because I'm still salty about getting raked by a cooked exchange rate at an airport ATM in Italy. Wise to that experience, I spotted where this Canadian ATM tried to do the same thing, asking me to confirm a bogus exchange rate. I said NO, expecting to cancel the transaction. But then a funny thing happened. I got cash.



"WTF! I said NO to cancel and they charged me anyway?" I fumed. I resolved to check my bank balance later to see how badly they raked me. Recall when this happened in Italy, there was a whopping 15% vig in addition to the €4.50 flat fee service charge. Here there was also a C$4.50 flat fee, but at least my credit union refunds such charges.

When we had some quiet time a bit later in the morning (after picking up our rental car, driving to the hotel where my brother-in-law is staying, and waiting for him to shower, dress, and meet us in the lobby to go out for breakfast together) I found another surprise. I looked up my bank balance details and saw that the transaction had gone through at the fair exchange rate.

WTF? In polite Canada you can just say "NO" to highway robbery by a bank ATM and... not get robbed?!