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I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

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Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#191

Post by Fnoord »

berberous wrote: post #85
flyinglizard wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get to visit clubs/shows every few months and I always use a pair of musician earplugs, (Etymotic, standard - not custom fitted). It gives a nice and even attenuation, which after few minutes you don't even notice (other than perhaps slightly elevating very low frequencies relative to the rest). Your mind is very quick to normalize the volume level anyway, no matter if you're with or without protection. Why suffer…

Which ones? I have these ( https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Fidelity-Earplugs-ETY-Plugs-... ) and to be frank, I dislike wearing them -- it just sounds worse. That said, clubs/shows play music way too loud, and I occasionally hear the beginning of tinnitus, so I 100% agree that people should get a pair.

I use the Alpine [1], and I use them to protect my ears from the screaming of my toddler. They cost 13 EUR, custom-made cost around 150 EUR. Custom-made can be worth it if you use them a lot, and if your ears are non-standard might be downright mandatory.

But I've been using them too late because recently I have tinnitus in the evening before I go to sleep (I do wear the plug at night as well). Am in mid 30s.

[1] https://www.alpine.nl

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#192

Post by astura »

rootusrootus wrote: post #119
LaGrange wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought so too when these started to get common, but for one reason or another I _never_ had to fix one of these in like 15 years I've lived with them, compared to the almost regular maintenance the old stuff required.

I think the 'regular' style toilet tanks only require more frequent maintenance because they're inexpensive and people use crappy home store parts in them. You can buy five regular old toilets for the price of that wall-mount Toto. My policy is to use high quality parts in the tank and I've found it pays dividends -- it's been years since I've had to do any maintenance on any of our toilets aside from cleaning.

I'm almost 40 and so far there has been only once in my life I had to do maintenance on a toilet, and I've always had "regular" ones. It was to replace a gasket.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#193

Post by jlg23 »

plorkyeran wrote: post #183
PeterStuer wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it absurd that we have to wear earplugs just because the DJ isn't good enough to create moods and so just uses volume.

One of the fun parts about the club experience is feeling the sound with your entire body, and you don't get that without the sound being far louder than is safe for your ears without protection.

No, not at all. You only get to feel the low frequencies anyway, which is why infrasonic speakers are nowadays a standard for electronic music venues. You then sync those with audible output and people think they "feel" the music.

What they feel are inaudible sound waves at a frequency that makes some tissue/bones(?) resonate. But this is as much "feeling" the music as is being punched in the face in sync with the base rhythm ;)

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#194

Post by abalone »

Johnny555 wrote: post #147
abalone wrote: post #138

Apart from all the good discussion on hearing loss... now I’m thinking about “safer” toilets. Why are lids made from ceramic anyway? I get why the bowl is, but the lid? Beyond the loudness / hearing loss issue, it’s just so darn heavy!

Probably the same reason the rest of the toilet is -- it's strong, durable, scratch resistant, doesn't degrade with age (toilets can last for decades, my parent's toilet is original with the house, so is 40+ years old), and is easy to clean. It's heavy enough to not need any fastening mechanism to keep it on. And it perfectly matches the rest of the toilet, so you don't end up with a yellowed plastic lid on your brig…

> Probably the same reason the rest of the toilet is

Not all of the toilet is ceramic/porcelain. Seats are typically made of durable plastic and are designed to be replaced every decade or so. A plastic lid would probably last much longer.

> ...and is easy to clean

A lightweight lid would be easier to clean.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#195

Post by TipVFL »

Tangentially related, I just suffered hearing loss from a completely unexpected source. After discontinuing anti-depressants I developed fairly intense tinnitus in both ears, and after 3 months it hasn't gotten any better. It's bad enough that I can't sleep at night without music playing fairly loud (loud for night, probably a pretty normal volume for music listening).

I researched and discovered that it's a known, somewhat common side effect, and it may be permanent. I count myself as a bit lucky, since it sometimes causes permanent deafness.

I'm pretty sure if my doctor had mentioned the possibility of going deaf, I would have chosen a different treatment.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#196

Post by abalone »

kuschku wrote: post #148
abalone wrote: post #138

Apart from all the good discussion on hearing loss... now I’m thinking about “safer” toilets. Why are lids made from ceramic anyway? I get why the bowl is, but the lid? Beyond the loudness / hearing loss issue, it’s just so darn heavy!

> Why are lids made from ceramic anyway? I get why the bowl is, but the lid? Beyond the loudness / hearing loss issue, it’s just so darn heavy! I've never seen a toilet that had a ceramic lid in Germany. Is this just a US thing?

Ok, as an American I have to say I marvel at the toilet technology in other countries. For example you guys often have two buttons on your toilets -- a #1 and a #2 button. It just makes sense.

What are the lids made out of then?

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#197

Post by howard941 »

TipVFL wrote: post #195

Tangentially related, I just suffered hearing loss from a completely unexpected source. After discontinuing anti-depressants I developed fairly intense tinnitus in both ears, and after 3 months it hasn't gotten any better. It's bad enough that I can't sleep at night without music playing fairly loud (loud for night, probably a pretty normal volume for music listening). I researched and discovered that it's a known, s…

Which medication?

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#198

Post by abalone »

scarlac wrote: post #146
abalone wrote: post #138

Apart from all the good discussion on hearing loss... now I’m thinking about “safer” toilets. Why are lids made from ceramic anyway? I get why the bowl is, but the lid? Beyond the loudness / hearing loss issue, it’s just so darn heavy!

> Why are lids made from ceramic anyway? Could be because of production reasons. Easier to get it produced in the same place than to coordinate shipping to another place and assembly.

But they're heavier and more expensive to ship. I doubt it's that hard to make matching lids to spec. The industry makes matching toilet seats separately, after all.

It must have something to do with the material. A thread on Reddit suggests a couple possibilities:[1]

- porcelain in more anti-bacterial than plastic (is that true??)

- a heavy lid offers more sonic insulation of the rather loud hydraulic mechanism (this seems plausible)

Man, I did not plan on getting obsessed with toilet lids today.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/29o5nz/e...

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#199

Post by THE_PUN_STOPS »

ehsankia wrote: post #180
jjw1414 wrote: post #172

I wouldn't make this up even I could. I am LITERALLY fixing the toilet mechanism with the tank lid off and checked HN while waiting for a hot glue gun to heat up. I'm thinking Pulp Fiction divine intervention.

I guess we take it as a given since no one here is talking about it, but why does the toilet lid need to be so overly heavy? Is there any specific functionality that requires it to be out of that material and so big?

Maybe it's extra material to quiet the otherwise annoying sound of the refill after every flush? (since the tank functions a bit like a loudspeaker pointed up) If so, a bit ironic in the context of this post.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#200

Post by komali2 »

ficklepickle wrote: post #187
timonovici wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, I just took a shotgun cartridge (the one used for hunting, but the old kind, made completely out of brass), flipped in with the primer up, and hit it with a hammer. Good thing my father stored those ones without the lead. The bang and flash made dizzy, and as I heard my father coming from backyard, I took cartridge to hide it - it was freaking hot, burned my hand as well.

I took all the powder out, wrapped it in tinfoil, and put it in the fireplace. I was impatient, and sprayed it with cooking oil spray. The instant I closed the door again, boom. Makes me cringe to think I was only 7 or 8 years old. Shortly after that, a retired cop saw us throwing rifle bullets down cement stairs with rocks taped to the primers, trying to set them off. He very calmly and sternly told us how dangerous…

The other obvious question I think is why all of y'all had access to live ammunition at eight years old.
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