Given all the kid’s extracurriculars, having even just one of the weekends free for just rest has been rare. Today should’ve been one of those days. Tomorrow, the kid’s got a karate tournament to go to.
So just one day to relax. But no. Man-of-the-house duties beckoned.
We have a new help who seems to have quite the fists of ham. Our home’s a bout a decade old, and considering how nothing’s built to last these days, things could use a bit of a gentler touch. Not long after she started, I noticed the kitchen faucet dripping. I’m not sure how hard she tugs at the valve but the darned thing just started dripping badly, probably at a rate of around three gallons a day and this was affirmed by our most recent water bill.
What pissed me off more is that the darned faucet was one of those splurge purchases we made choosing fixtures for the house. For the price, it should’ve been one of those that last a lifetime. Little did I know that “German” brands are now made in China. It sure felt hefty but the connectors are all crap. Also, there should’ve been an option to just replace the cartridge to stop the leak but the allen head bolt that gave access to the cartridge had all been corroded and stripped.
So there’s no way around it. It needed replacing.
I ordered a replacement faucet online a few days ago, and luckily it arrived yesterday. As much as I wanted to just lounge around during a cool Saturday morning, there’s no better day than today to get things done.
I also considered just hiring a plumber to do it for me, but there’s been a dearth of good professionals these days. I’ve been burnt and traumatized by hack handymen plying their trade in our area.
I had one “licensed plumber” who advertised having “complete tools for any job” show up one time to fix a leak with just an adjustable wrench and long-nose pliers even if I mentioned that the leak was in the middle of a PPR pipe connection. For those who are complete home repair dolts, that problem needed new pipes and fittings and tube welding tools to fix.
So, even if I don’t really trust my own dexterity, I took a stab at dismantling the old faucet and installing the new. The kid did lurk around while I was hard at work at it. I considered making it a teaching moment but since I wasn’t confident that I’d be able to do it, I decided to just let her enjoy her Saturday morning pancakes in peace.
I still have nightmares from getting shouted at by my own father when he roped me into his own home repair projects. I believe why I’ve been very good at project management is because I’ve developed an aversion to getting reamed for not being able to “follow simple directions.” You know, those that reeked of ambiguity like “Itutok mo diyan” or “Hawakan mo dito.”
Amazingly, I was able to go through everything quite swimmingly. The old faucet did give me some issues as I was getting the hoses out but it was nothing a bit of brute force and a hacksaw wasn’t able to fix. The new faucet did feel inferior in quality compared to the old one but as long as it’s usable and stops the leak, I’m okay it being a mid-term solution. Until our ham-fisted help probably mucks things up again.
Anyway, so here I am feeling a bit tired but also plentifully smug that our kitchen sink isn’t leaking anymore.
That said, it’s kind of sad how emasculating 21st century life has been that being able to fix something with one’s own hands and tools of steel is enough to bump up one’s sense of manliness.
Now I’m off to clean up. The kid’s hair still needs to be fixed in a bun in time for her ballet.