Pecos
Well-known Member
- Location
- Washington State
Some of you will identify with me, some will sympathize, and some will just laugh.
Today I repaired a leaky faucet on a bathroom sink faucet. Two weeks ago I located the parts that I would need and I watched a U-tube video that made that task look very simple. Now when a U-tube tells that a task is going to take about 20 minutes, you should never, ever believe them. I took me 2 1/2 hours today, and the bulk of that time was spent trying to get a tiny gasket and its associated spring into a hole that clearly did not want either one of them. And here I have this guy on U-tube telling me that if it is difficult to get them in correctly, "just keep poking." I wanted to strangle him.
Over the 26 years we have lived here I have completed with many repair jobs and was usually successful. But I did suffer a number of humbling defeats. I have tangled with:
Top Loading washing machines which were fairly easy except for getting cut by sharp metal corners once I was inside.
Front loading washing machine which was a total defeat. The door locked with a full load of water and was so heavy that I could not budge it.
Refrigerator, simple task and I won, but only after buying a special tool that I had never seen before.
Dish washer, successful once, but I flamed out when I could not find a leak the second time it wanted attention.
Stove, simple task once I found the parts.
Kitchen sink plumbing. I won, but I spent hours under the sink and got a whale of a kink in the neck.. When I was finally wedged in there among the pipes, power cords, and hoses doing my thing, our puppy found me and squeezed in beside me. I could not defend myself against such a vigorous love up job and was pretty thoroughly licked up before I could get untangled.
Shower faucet plumbing. I had to call in a pro. Why do they have to braze those pipes together?
Ceiling fans. I won, but got kinks in the neck both times. They are not as easy as they look.
Bathroom sink faucet. I won, but it was not an easy task.
Water heater. I won, but it was not an easy victory and I got water everywhere which did not make my wife happy.
Sprinkler system, I generally win, but I have zero luck finding any buried control wires running around on the property.
Water leaks under the house. I have fixed them but hate crawling down there on my belly among the spiders and the snakes.
Air Conditioning duct leaks under the house. I hate going down there, but this was a big money saver for me. The pros wanted $2200, I crawled down there and did it myself for about $300. Of course, I was down there for three hours breathing that crappy air and staying vigilant against the critters.
Gas mowers, I failed. Battery powered mowers, not much better.
Window air conditioners, it is best to just throw them away.
Cars, there is no way that I am tangling with turbo charged, fuel injected engines.
Vespa High end scooter. I won, but it took five weeks and I had to order additional parts four times. I did save a bunch of money doing this overhaul myself. The manual was pathetic and the various U-tube videos always made things look way simpler that they actually turned out to be. Vespa uses regular screws, Phillips screws, brindle screws, and hex screws which only proves that Italians have a twisted sense of humor.
Still, I have saved thousands of dollars and my ego is still intact though a bit battered.
Pecos
Today I repaired a leaky faucet on a bathroom sink faucet. Two weeks ago I located the parts that I would need and I watched a U-tube video that made that task look very simple. Now when a U-tube tells that a task is going to take about 20 minutes, you should never, ever believe them. I took me 2 1/2 hours today, and the bulk of that time was spent trying to get a tiny gasket and its associated spring into a hole that clearly did not want either one of them. And here I have this guy on U-tube telling me that if it is difficult to get them in correctly, "just keep poking." I wanted to strangle him.
Over the 26 years we have lived here I have completed with many repair jobs and was usually successful. But I did suffer a number of humbling defeats. I have tangled with:
Top Loading washing machines which were fairly easy except for getting cut by sharp metal corners once I was inside.
Front loading washing machine which was a total defeat. The door locked with a full load of water and was so heavy that I could not budge it.
Refrigerator, simple task and I won, but only after buying a special tool that I had never seen before.
Dish washer, successful once, but I flamed out when I could not find a leak the second time it wanted attention.
Stove, simple task once I found the parts.
Kitchen sink plumbing. I won, but I spent hours under the sink and got a whale of a kink in the neck.. When I was finally wedged in there among the pipes, power cords, and hoses doing my thing, our puppy found me and squeezed in beside me. I could not defend myself against such a vigorous love up job and was pretty thoroughly licked up before I could get untangled.
Shower faucet plumbing. I had to call in a pro. Why do they have to braze those pipes together?
Ceiling fans. I won, but got kinks in the neck both times. They are not as easy as they look.
Bathroom sink faucet. I won, but it was not an easy task.
Water heater. I won, but it was not an easy victory and I got water everywhere which did not make my wife happy.
Sprinkler system, I generally win, but I have zero luck finding any buried control wires running around on the property.
Water leaks under the house. I have fixed them but hate crawling down there on my belly among the spiders and the snakes.
Air Conditioning duct leaks under the house. I hate going down there, but this was a big money saver for me. The pros wanted $2200, I crawled down there and did it myself for about $300. Of course, I was down there for three hours breathing that crappy air and staying vigilant against the critters.
Gas mowers, I failed. Battery powered mowers, not much better.
Window air conditioners, it is best to just throw them away.
Cars, there is no way that I am tangling with turbo charged, fuel injected engines.
Vespa High end scooter. I won, but it took five weeks and I had to order additional parts four times. I did save a bunch of money doing this overhaul myself. The manual was pathetic and the various U-tube videos always made things look way simpler that they actually turned out to be. Vespa uses regular screws, Phillips screws, brindle screws, and hex screws which only proves that Italians have a twisted sense of humor.
Still, I have saved thousands of dollars and my ego is still intact though a bit battered.
Pecos
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