The 1/4-turn valve for the cold water on one of the basins in our new bathroom started leaking.
I put a square bucket under it to catch the drips. It needed to be emptied every 12 hours.
Yesterday, I prepared to fix it. I had the parts. I was ready to rock-and-roll.
I dropped the power to the well and bled off the water pressure.
I disconnected the braided hose to the faucet handle and then put a wrench on the hex feature where the valve was threaded on to the 1/2" nipple.
No-go. It would not budge with the amount of force I was willing to apply. Time to call the plumber.
I reconnected the braided hose and turned the well back on. I reinspected the valve...and now it was emitting a stream of water at 330 degrees from horizontal. No more drip....drip....drip....
I threw open all the taps in the bathroom and then hastened speedy-quick back to the breaker-box in the basement and dumped the power to the well.
After some consultation with a friend, I did some looking and determined that I can turn off the water at the water softener so we still have two taps of unsoftened, well-water that I can use to get water for flushing toilets. It means I will be humping water in buckets but that is OK.
The good news is that we have lots of potable water in the pantry and I LIKE the taste of our unsoftened water.
***
I could have kept fighting with the valve but there is a time to call in the professionals. I don't enjoy doing plumbing, especially OLD plumbing. I never know what collateral damages I will inflict while "fixing" something.
Shark bite fittings are Gods gift to diy plumbers!
ReplyDeleteA good temp fix on a plumbing leak is silicone tape. Not teflon, but silicone tape. It will even repair a radiator hose on a vehicle, which is high pressure.
ReplyDeleteYou made an effort, so no shame in that. We've all "been there" on a repair that didn't work out.
Another possible for a leaking pipe or joint that I learned as a damage control technique aboard ship; cut a bicycle inner tube open so you have a flat piece of rubber. I usually cut the tube up both sides so I have two flat pieces of rubber. Have a roll of electrical tape handy. Wrap one of the pieces of rubber over the leaking area, starting a few inches to the side of the leak. Wrap it as tight as possible, starting on one side of the leak, wrapping it to the other side of the leak, and then wrapping it back again. Hold the rubber tight and start wrapping electrical tape over the rubber, preferably covering the rubber completely. Chances are, when you turn the water back on, there won't even be a drip from the leak. I did this on a pipe joint on my pool filter. That "temporary" repair lasted over TEN YEARS, succumbing not to the water, but to the sun. It worked so well, I just rewrapped the leaking joint and went on with life.
DeleteDiscretion is the better part of valor. I also would have called plumber at that point.
ReplyDeleteI have a 45yo 80gal water heater. Some plumbing needed to be done behind that thing. I'm not a plumber but even I knew that if I so much as touched that heater, the bottom would fall out and I'd have 80gal water spread where water is not to go. So we cut into a wall and plumbed around it. WH still works fine; so does the work around plumbing.
ReplyDeleteWhew!
Last time I had one (it was to the toilet) that needed changing I went to Youtube. Cut it to get to the bare (copper) pipe, polished it with emery cloth and used Shark Bite fittings.
ReplyDeleteRemember that quarter turn valves are directional.
ReplyDeleteIi think a wise choice. Simple repairs can become complerkated and in my case, anything plumbing or electrical that is mal-functioning is worth the expense of a professional doing the repair. Flooding or burning your domicile down and explaining to your insurance company YOU did the work will likely not go your way.
ReplyDeleteI hate plumbing... If there's a Purgatory, and I don't think there is, God will make me atone for my sins as a plumber. But God does have mercy. I was replacing the kitchen faucet and tried turning off the shutoffs under the sink. The hot shutoff closed just fine. The cold one didn't. It felt like the valve had come out of its thread. I tried pushing on the valve slightly as I closed it. At that point, the whole damned valve stem shot out of the valve body, and I had a steady stream of water shooting clear across the kitchen!!! After shutting off the house main, I remembered picking up a brand new undersink shutoff valve at a yard sale for twenty-five cents. Damned if it wasn't exactly the same as the one that had failed! I was able to replace the valve and resume the faucet replacement within ten minutes! God KNEW what was coming!!! Since then, I've eschewed using the undersink shutoffs in favor of just shutting off the house main.
ReplyDeleteYeah. Sadly there's a reason plumbers make bank.
ReplyDeleteA home-owner can always buy another extension cord when a receptacle goes Tango-Uniform. There are no elegant work-arounds when the turds don't disappear after you push the handle. And unlike medical issues, it is impossible to take the plumbing to a clinic for the convenience of the doctor.
DeletePlumbers still make house-calls.
The more in-line valves you have the better off you are. While things are shut down put some in.---ken
ReplyDeleteI've started installing sectioning isolation valves to room or areas. No more running to well, I just isolate that area, dump pressure and do what I need. I firmly believe the convenience is worth th cost.
ReplyDeleteSmart man. There IS a time to just pay the man, and this is one of those.
ReplyDelete