In a previous post I wrote about some leaking faucets and the quotes received from a plumbing company to resolve the problems. The specific problem was that in one bathroom both the sink and shower faucets were leaking. The plumbing company quotes listed costs of a $69 service call charge and $274 each to replace the faucets for a total of $617. An option was to rebuild the faucets for $225 each. The technician explained that rebuilding meant to replace the cartridge (whatever that is) plus the washer and spring. But there was no guarantee. That cost would be $519. No way am I going to pay $519 to fix leaking faucets. I'd sooner close the bathroom off and build a new one than to submit to highway robbery.
So I Googled "leaking bathroom faucets" and found lots of articles and videos on repairing faucets. It looked simple enough so I turned off the water under the sink and took apart the faucet that was leaking. It is a two-handle faucet and the leaking water was warm so I guessed it was the hot water handle. It took maybe 5 minutes to do it.
The 'cartridge' is second from the right; the washer and spring far right. With Maribel's help we cleaned up and inspected the parts. The cartridge looked good but the washer was deeply grooved. Another Google for "faucet parts" showed that Home Depot had what I needed. A package of two washers with springs cost $4.97. The cartridge is $14.85. I decided that I'd try a new washer and spring first and if I still had a leak come back for a cartridge. I put in the new washer and spring, assembled the rest of the faucet, turned on the water and opened the faucet. No leak. I kept turning it off and on while looking at my grinning face in the mirror.
Feeling exuberant with success I turned to the shower leak next. A bathroom shower does not have its own water shut-off, so I searched for the main shut-off. Previous to this house I have always lived in houses with basements, where the water main was usually somewhere close to the furnace or water heater. I searched the entire interior of this house including the attic. There was no water shut-off to be found. Another Google asking "how do I find my water shut-off?" suggested that I look in the crawl space. We have 3 different crawl spaces, which in 3 years I had never even peeked into let alone entered, and suffice it to say I hope never to have to enter again. There was no water shut-off to be found. By this time 2 hours had elapsed. My next step was to pop open a beer, sit in a chair in the backyard and contemplate the bitterness of defeat.
Fortunately for me Maribel had taken it upon herself to text our next door neighbor, asking where the water shut off was in his house. He arrived 10 minutes later and explained that, "...houses here don't have water shut-offs in or on the houses. The water main is installed on the property line and is owned and maintained by the city." And that a special two-handed long stem wrench is necessary to operate the valve. My neighbor had the wrench and loaned it to me. I turned off the water, returned to the bathroom shower and repeated the same process I had done with the sink. After turning on the water I turned on the shower faucet and felt immense relief when there was no leak. Victory.....was mine!
So instead of paying $519 to the plumbing company, I had done it myself for $4.97. The difference is to me mind boggling. I understand that the company has overhead costs, but personally I couldn't look a customer in the eye after presenting him with a bill for $519 for a job that should take an experienced plumber at most 30 minutes and cost $5 for parts.
The obvious question here is why, at age 80 did I not know how to repair a leaking faucet? The answer is that I don't ever remember having a leaking faucet, so my only interest in faucets was turning them on and off. I can repair things like guns and fishing reels. I just don't do well with leakers.
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