Spent 2 hours trying to fix a leaky faucet that took 10 minutes

Last weekend I decided to fix a dripping kitchen faucet. I watched a 5 minute video online and figured it would be a quick job. But I ended up spending 2 whole hours fighting with the old corroded nuts under the sink. Turns out the previous owner had cross-threaded the supply line, so nothing would loosen right. I finally got it done but it was way more frustrating than I expected. Has anyone else dealt with a simple repair that turned into a huge time sink?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor7793d ago

Honestly, is it really that deep? I've fixed tons of faucets and sometimes things are stubborn but saying it was two hours sounds like you didn't have the right tools. A little penetrating oil and a basin wrench would have saved you most of that hassle. The cross-thread thing is just bad luck but I bet you could have done it in 30 minutes if you didn't stop to watch videos halfway through.

-1

rowan_thomas843d ago

You know what, Victor, you're probably right. I'm the guy who shows up to a job with a hammer and a prayer. I did have a basin wrench but it was one of those cheap ones that slips the second you put any real torque on it. And sure, I watched two videos and both of them skipped the step where the nut is basically fused to the pipe with 20 years of hard water. So yeah, 30 minutes for you, but for me it was two hours of me talking to myself and questioning my life choices. At least I know now not to buy the bargain bin tools anymore.

anderson.piper3d ago

Victor, I get where you're coming from but I have to push back a little on that "30 minutes" idea. The thing is, not everyone who works on a faucet has done it "tons" of times like you have. I've fixed maybe four faucets in my life and each one was a completely different kind of headache. It's not just about having the right tools, it's about knowing which tool to use in what order and how much force to apply without breaking something else. That knowledge comes from experience, and you can't just YouTube your way into it in five minutes. So yeah, a pro with a good basin wrench and penetrating oil might knock it out fast, but for a normal guy like Rowan who's learning as he goes, two hours sounds pretty reasonable to me. Sometimes things are just that deep.