Pickles by Brian Crane for October 19, 2019

time to call in a professional plumber, Opal, even if Earl doesn’t want to pay him after all that work Earl put into it

I can relate to Earl quite well.

Fixing a leaky faucet is a cinch! All you have to do is replace the washer. I’ve done it several times. But don’t forget to turn off the water under the sink first or you’ll have a geyser. It’s one way of washing the ceiling, but not the best way to do it.

Better luck next time Earl !

If they were magical people, they could forget the leaky faucet and head for The Leaky Cauldron.

yeah, if it had been worse, it would have been grounds for a week-long story arc…

Call the “guy” Opal! You should have known….oy

Like Dirty Harry said, a man’s got to know his limitations

Yes.

“Time to buy a new kitchen !!!” said the kitchen designer I am.

We call that “setting a low bar.”

Geez, Earl, you couldn’t come up with a solution using pvc pipe and/or duct tape? My father could fix ANYTHING with those two tools. . .sorta. . .

Earl is plumb loco ;)

When I lived in San Jose, I loved the chuckle I’d get every time I saw a local plumbing business truck emblazoned with their motto: “We repair what your husband fixed!”

Let’s face it, not making things worse is a win for a lot of us DIYers.

Just don’t forget to empty the pan under the sink from time to time…

I repaired a leaky shower faucet last week. The shower valve cartridge needed to be replaced. The snug fit and rubber gaskets make extraction a nearly impossible brute-force chore, yet you have to keep the forces on the pipes balanced to prevent ripping them through the tub surround. My hands were all kinds of tore up when it was finally free. I’m always shocked when I can do anything involving plumbing and not have to call in a professional, but I’m sure a professional would have had a $300 do-dad to pry it out no problem.

Never start a pluming job on a Sunday afternoon.

I’ve fixed “fixed” leaky faucets on many occasions. You would NOT believe what some people try! Everything from bubblegum to plastic wrap to duck tape. None of them worked. Things that do (sometimes) work for a little while: vaseline on the washer (or even better: “plumbers” grease), turning the washer over, and even, once, a very carefully trimmed piece of inner tube.

PS: La chatte qui rit claims that it’s easy. Often true, but not so much if you have one of the fancy cylinder or sphere valves, or if the seat has been scored by grit in the water system. For those, you need specialized parts or tools.

Ya gotta take your wins where you can.