I hate plumbing. The top three items on my "List of Things That I Hate" would have to be plumbing, chemistry, and thermodynamics. Which is why I'm feeling particularly accomplished tonight after having fixed a slow-running and dripping kitchen sink all in one go.
The drip problem first became apparent at least a month ago. I thought I'd ignore it at first, but of course it continued unabated for some time, slowly getting more persistent as the days went by. Eventually I resigned myself to the fact that Something would have to be done. I had long ago been shown how to fix a dripping two-handle faucet, but the one-handle variety (which needed the attention) was a mystery to me.
Some brief research revealed that the faucet, though two-and-a-half years old, was warranted to never drip. A quick call to the manufacturer was all it took to get a free replacement part in the mail. Before the nice customer service representative could get off the phone I asked, "Does this part come with instructions?" He responded that it would, indeed, and if I simply followed the included instructions all of my drip problems would be solved in a jiffy. My words, not his.
So I anxiously awaited the replacement part's arrival. When it came I was less than thrilled by the replacement directions:
Is this it? Am I in pre-school? Where are the words? Where are the detailed instructions?
Despite some misgivings I decided to press on with the replacement myself. After one false start for lack of a properly sized allen wrench (You're selling a set with 1/8 and 3/32, but no 7/64? ... Really?) I finally got underway tonight, and guess what! It was slow going, and there were moments of uncertainty along the way, but in the end it all came together and can definitely be called a success. My pessimistic vision of the kitchen sink becoming an unchecked geyser did not come to pass, and indeed everything is in better working order now than when the project began.
Booyah!
