Fixing a Leak

Once again, in the continual effort to win the approval of my Mentor and the Amazing PR Man, I took the initiative and fixed our kitchen sink. While I know this sounds like a routine repair, it takes on a whole new meaning when it's yours truly taking on the task, mainly because of all my fear and anxiety over doing it. Having little to no knowledge about plumbing, and seeing water as one of my biggest house concerns next to fire and electricity, it was something I was reluctant to fix. Also, it wasn't that big of a deal (what's one leaky faucet?), and we had lived with it for at least 2 years, maybe 3.

The project in question involved a Delta faucet that KB installed several years ago. He actually did a great job because the previous faucet had to separate knobs and this one had the single handle, which is super convenient. KB also replaced the rigid piping underneath with flexible tubing, which makes it easier to replace the unit if it came down to that. I was definitely not ready for that.

Fixing a leak, on the other hand, was a more reachable goal. The faucet developed a leak after a couple of years and at one point you had to leave it slightly skewed to the left to stop it. It got to the point to where I was so used to leaving it that way that I applied it to every sink I encountered, which naturally didn't work out. Either way, I learned that this is a common problem at the plumbing supply shop and got the parts to fix it.

Then, in typical form, I sat on them for a few weeks. Part of the problem was I was so busy with work and other things that I didn't have the time, or at least I thought I didn't have the time because I figured it would take all day. When the kids were away I told them I would get it done before they returned, and of course I waited until the day before to actually do the repair. It took me less than 20 minutes, and I discovered the problem was one of the seals (which I replaced) that fed the hot water supply. I ended up buying more parts than I needed, but that translated into a few dollars. Total cost of the repair? Less than $10 and few minutes of my time. Best of all, I did the darn thing myself, and hopefully earned the approval of the important role models in my life. I love when that happens.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Osair Manassan for the pic.