Fix

Are you, like me, a DIY-er? Do you try to fix things yourself before calling a professional? Being a DIY-er can lead to some very interesting, albeit funny, stories. Let me start by saying, this isn’t my first rodeo baby. I’ve changed light fixtures and doorbells, patched holes, changed out doors, etc. While those projects may contain headaches, I’ve never had anything go as wrong as this last project did.

My downstairs bathroom sink has a leak and I haven’t been able to figure out what it is. It’s not leaking in the walls or under the sink. It’s a constant drip….drip…..drip out of the faucet. I don’t want to pay a handyman or plumber hundreds of dollars to fix something so silly. So, I went to Home Depot the other day (I LOVE Home Depot). I brought in the washer that sits inside the aerator. They tell me it looks almost near perfect and shouldn’t be causing the leak. So, they say, take off the handles and check the parts inside.

That’s it. No OTHER instructions.

So, my boyfriend and I are at home. He digs out his allen wrench and pulls off the top of the handle. Goes back to the garage and pulls out his regular wrench to loosen the mechanism controlling the water inside the handle (who knew handles were so complicated?!). Then, he turns the bolt, slowly loosening it, goes to pull out the mechanism doodad…. and WOOSH!

Water is literally flying everywhere – just spouting out of the hole where the handle used to be like it was Old Faithful. I’m running outside to find the off switch for the water so we can stem the flow before the house floods and our poor dog is hiding under the couch (she’s terrified of water). Water was on the floor, in the cabinet, on the mirrors, ceiling, wallpaper, bathroom door…. An hour and five soaked towels later, we finally cleaned up the mess and still cannot figure out what is causing the leaking faucet.

So take it from me DIY-ers – ALWAYS turn off the water before messing with your faucets.