Oh that sinking feeling that comes from a quick look under the kitchen sink that reveals that that noise is water squirting out of the plumbing. This can't be good.
Cleaning up after dinner on Saturday night, enough spoons, bowls and plates have now been used through the week to warrant a run of the dishwasher. I reach for the box of detergent under the sink and find a small jet of water squirting down onto all of the cleaning supplies that are stored there. I would normally expect leaks to be coming from fittings, joints and other weak points in the PVC pipes, but not this time. Water is pouring not from a loose connection, but through solid metal, from the base plate of the garbage disposal fastened under the right sink basin. Like Moses striking the solid rock for the Israelites in the wilderness, I too just had to put my finger on the jet of water, it is warm, and it keeps coming. This can't be good.
I pull out the cleaning supplies that are being dowsed, and sling them on the kitchen floor behind me. I have that sinking feeling; for I know that once I tackle a plumbing problem in the house, it is always more complicated than I first feared. Always. First assessment, I need a new garbage disposal. Second assessment, the bucket under the leak should do the job until I get a running start at this problem tomorrow. I go over to Lowe's and find a 'Badger 5 Under Sink Aerator' (what I have been calling a 'garbage disposal' all of my life). I bring the Badger 5, half horse power little bad boy home and place him on the counter top and tell him, "tomorrow you will have a new home".
Sunday comes upon me early, as I have dreaded what can and will go wrong for this simple replacement of the garbage disposal. First step, shut off the stop valves to the sink and dishwasher. I reach under the sodden and moldering cabinetry, and twist those 25-year old handles to prophylactically seal off the plumbing. The pot metal, builders grade handles behave as if they were made of peanut brittle. The grasping handles go to smithereens. I knew it! These things always happen to me. I confirm that sinking feeling. Now I believe I have to replace the stop valves, before I can replace the disposal.
A couple of times back to the plumbing aisle to discuss my woes with Roy. The second time back, I have photos on my phone that I call up and show to Roy and ask for his advice on all of these further plumbing configurations and complications. Roy says, "I'm going to make this easy on you." I smile weakly, knowing that 'easy' is just another word for "nothing left to loose" (Thanks to my inner Miss Joplin). Roy tells me to saw off the copper fittings and put these compression 1/4 turn stop valves directly on the pipes once Ihave filed off the burrs.
WHAT! CUT OFF THE ORIGINAL FITTINGS?!! Can I handle this? I know once I do this, I have crossed the point of no return. But OK, this will be 'easy', what have I got to loose? After multiple runs out to the garage to rummage through the pile of miscellaneous tools I have hanging on peg boards, or hidden away inside tool cabinet drawers, I have now gathered my arsenal for the project, but I have that sinking feeling, this could go very wrong. After giving final call for shower and toilet use to my wife, I shut off the water main to the house. A pistol-grip hacksaw slowly does the trick, the original stop valve falls free. Then the other valve is sawed off. I file off the burrs. Here goes nothing: I push those newly acquired, Roy recommended, compression fitted stop valves onto the raw copper tubing. I sure hope this works - but I still have that sinking feeling.
Next, I read and follow all of the instructions for the Badger 5 installation, in English, Spanish and French. Did I miss anything?
As we say in English, "No".
As we say in Spanish, "No".
As oui say in French, "No".
The bad boy Badger 5 is rewired using the old cables (new cables not provided, I don't know why), the disposal is mounted to the underside of the sink and then plugged into the power outlet. A flip of the switch, and the disposal purrs like a kitten (but it is really has the teeth and heart of a badger, at least according to the label). Next I twist the stop valves a 1/4 turn to the ON position. I am tense.
No runs. No drips. No errors. It works!
In a mood for celebration, I peel out of my damp under-the-sink working clothes, all of them, and perform the traditional plumbers naked victory dance right there on the kitchen linoleum.
My wife hears some commotion and asks, "How's it going in there?"
I say come and see! She does come and take a look, but I think she may have regretted it.
But she is glad the water is back on and for the time being, everything works.
Cleaning up after dinner on Saturday night, enough spoons, bowls and plates have now been used through the week to warrant a run of the dishwasher. I reach for the box of detergent under the sink and find a small jet of water squirting down onto all of the cleaning supplies that are stored there. I would normally expect leaks to be coming from fittings, joints and other weak points in the PVC pipes, but not this time. Water is pouring not from a loose connection, but through solid metal, from the base plate of the garbage disposal fastened under the right sink basin. Like Moses striking the solid rock for the Israelites in the wilderness, I too just had to put my finger on the jet of water, it is warm, and it keeps coming. This can't be good.
I pull out the cleaning supplies that are being dowsed, and sling them on the kitchen floor behind me. I have that sinking feeling; for I know that once I tackle a plumbing problem in the house, it is always more complicated than I first feared. Always. First assessment, I need a new garbage disposal. Second assessment, the bucket under the leak should do the job until I get a running start at this problem tomorrow. I go over to Lowe's and find a 'Badger 5 Under Sink Aerator' (what I have been calling a 'garbage disposal' all of my life). I bring the Badger 5, half horse power little bad boy home and place him on the counter top and tell him, "tomorrow you will have a new home".
Sunday comes upon me early, as I have dreaded what can and will go wrong for this simple replacement of the garbage disposal. First step, shut off the stop valves to the sink and dishwasher. I reach under the sodden and moldering cabinetry, and twist those 25-year old handles to prophylactically seal off the plumbing. The pot metal, builders grade handles behave as if they were made of peanut brittle. The grasping handles go to smithereens. I knew it! These things always happen to me. I confirm that sinking feeling. Now I believe I have to replace the stop valves, before I can replace the disposal.
A couple of times back to the plumbing aisle to discuss my woes with Roy. The second time back, I have photos on my phone that I call up and show to Roy and ask for his advice on all of these further plumbing configurations and complications. Roy says, "I'm going to make this easy on you." I smile weakly, knowing that 'easy' is just another word for "nothing left to loose" (Thanks to my inner Miss Joplin). Roy tells me to saw off the copper fittings and put these compression 1/4 turn stop valves directly on the pipes once Ihave filed off the burrs.
WHAT! CUT OFF THE ORIGINAL FITTINGS?!! Can I handle this? I know once I do this, I have crossed the point of no return. But OK, this will be 'easy', what have I got to loose? After multiple runs out to the garage to rummage through the pile of miscellaneous tools I have hanging on peg boards, or hidden away inside tool cabinet drawers, I have now gathered my arsenal for the project, but I have that sinking feeling, this could go very wrong. After giving final call for shower and toilet use to my wife, I shut off the water main to the house. A pistol-grip hacksaw slowly does the trick, the original stop valve falls free. Then the other valve is sawed off. I file off the burrs. Here goes nothing: I push those newly acquired, Roy recommended, compression fitted stop valves onto the raw copper tubing. I sure hope this works - but I still have that sinking feeling.
Next, I read and follow all of the instructions for the Badger 5 installation, in English, Spanish and French. Did I miss anything?
As we say in English, "No".
As we say in Spanish, "No".
As oui say in French, "No".
The bad boy Badger 5 is rewired using the old cables (new cables not provided, I don't know why), the disposal is mounted to the underside of the sink and then plugged into the power outlet. A flip of the switch, and the disposal purrs like a kitten (but it is really has the teeth and heart of a badger, at least according to the label). Next I twist the stop valves a 1/4 turn to the ON position. I am tense.
No runs. No drips. No errors. It works!
In a mood for celebration, I peel out of my damp under-the-sink working clothes, all of them, and perform the traditional plumbers naked victory dance right there on the kitchen linoleum.
My wife hears some commotion and asks, "How's it going in there?"
I say come and see! She does come and take a look, but I think she may have regretted it.
But she is glad the water is back on and for the time being, everything works.
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