Took 4 trips to fix a leaky shower valve, the last one was a 30 cent washer

Last month my bathroom faucet started dripping at night, so I tightened it, then it sprayed everywhere. I went to the hardware store twice for what I thought was a cartridge, but the sizes were off both times. The third trip I brought the old part in and the guy said I needed a different kit, which still leaked. Finally on the fourth visit a plumber in line told me to just swap the rubber washer inside, cost 30 cents and took 10 minutes. Has anyone else had a repair that spiraled into multiple trips for something dumb and simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade_butler25d ago

Man, people act like fixing a faucet is brain surgery. You tightened it and it sprayed, so yeah, you made it worse, but that's on you for cranking a valve like it owed you money. Four trips though? You brought the old part in on trip three, that's the smart move, but you still needed a stranger to tell you to look at the washer inside? C'mon, that's basic stuff you could've checked on the first trip if you'd actually taken the knob apart instead of just guessing. I get it, hardware stores are a maze, but half the battle is just pulling the thing apart and looking at what's worn out. Sounds like you overthought it hard and the plumber just said what any YouTube video would've said in five minutes.

dakotal1625d ago

Man, @jade_butler you're not wrong, but I used to think the whole faucet thing was way more complicated than it is. Like I figured every little piece was some special part you had to match exactly, so I never even bothered taking the whole thing apart, just kept buying what looked close enough. That washer thing though, that clicked for me. Same deal with my car's brake light last year, I replaced the whole assembly before my buddy pointed out it was just a corroded bulb socket and a wire brush fixed it. So yeah, I was the guy overthinking it and skipping the obvious step, but now I know better. Next time I'm pulling every piece off before I drive anywhere.