Fix it Yourself

I have a very roller coaster relationship with fixing things around the house. Especially the plumbing. I always like to try to do things myself if I can. And plumbing is one of those things that I can comprehend and, unlike carpentry, doesn’t require lots of skill to get functional.. At least for most home repairs. Plumbing is hidden behind walls and in cabinets. It doesn’t need to look pretty.

So I’ve always made an attempt to fix plumbing things. I’ve unclogged many drains. Replaced several faucets and garbage disposals. Fixed running toilets. All achievable goals and done at the cost of parts.

Then I got it in my head to try and fix more than just immediate problems. When the outside spigot is turned on it made a very loud noise. Fixer of issues that I was, I did some research and found that many houses have something installed on the outside spigot that might cause this problem. It’s been over a year so I forget exactly what, but it amounted to me thinking if I replaced the spigot it would fix the problem.

So I dove into action. And, unaware that outside spigots are sometimes almost glued on, proceeded to twist off the spigot and break the pipe. This resulted in water pouring into the wall. A quick shut down of the water, whole cut into the wall and few hundred dollars to a plumber sorted it all out. But it did shake my confidence in being able to fix things.

When one of the toilets started leaking, my first instinct was that there was a problem with the base drain where the toilet sits. Well, actually the first instinct was that I live with a small child boy who may not be the most accurate. It was a small leak and it was leaving a discoloration on the floor. But it was to persistent to just be an occasional accident. It also appeared to be coming from base. But shaken, I called a plumber to address it.

A few hundred dollars later, we learn that the leak is actually coming from the tank. The discoloration was less disgusting rust from the wingnut and washer corroding from the constant slow leakage of water. My confidence was completely destroyed now. I had been very wrong about the source of the problem.

Then the leak continued. Since it was so small it took awhile to notice. Whatever the plumber had done had slowed at least. Or stopped it for awhile. But it came back.

This time I checked the tank and found it was the source of the leak. I wasn’t going to devote another few hundred dollars for it not to get it fixed again. So I disassembled the tank and replaced the gaskets and bolts holding it on. They had corroded again. Since this is presumably what the plumber had done last time I wasn’t convinced it would work but the parts were only a few dollars so worth trying.

The leak continued. So this time I went ahead and replaced the entire tank. Turns out there was a crack in the porcelain, not a problem with the bolt/gasket. Of course, while doing so, I forgot a fairly vital piece and the first time I flushed it, water spilled all over the floor rather than going down into the bowl. So I took it apart again and this time, finally, there are no leaks.

All it cost me were parts, frustration, time, and perseverance.  Sometimes, that’s more expensive than paying someone else. Sometimes, the skills required are beyond an amateur (like when we needed the hot water heater replaced). But sometimes, sometimes it pays off to keep trying it yourself.