A Plumbing Super Star is BORN!

Today ALMOST started like any other day. Woke up, took a shower... and then, lo and behold, a new project presented itself!

When I went to shut off the cold water, it continued to flow out of the faucet! Not a drip, mind you—A STEADY STREAM!?! I shut the water off at the main where it enters the house until it could be dealt with.

I explained the situation to my husband and promised him I would take care of it. A look of dread spread across his face, perhaps due to a memory flashing through his mind as he privately recalled an $800 plumbing fiasco I was responsible for a number of years ago? After THAT little episode he banned me from plumbing projects indefinitely.

He didn't shoot down my offer to attempt to fix the handle, so I eagerly went and retrieved my toolbox. "Just don't start until I'm out the door," he said as he continued to get ready for work. "Your 'projects' make me nervous." (tee hee hee!)

Home alone at last, I started by removing the center screw which then let the knob separate from the rest of the fixture.

I tried to remove the end of the fixture that was exposed, but it wouldn't budge. Was I missing something? I took some pictures of the situation and headed off to Lowe's.

Jim assured me I was on the right track. He offered some suggestions to try and get this thing further taken apart.

SUCCESS! Okay, now what? More pics and off to Lowe's again. "Remove the grey (thingy?) at the end of the pipe. There are some 'seats' behind it that needed to be replaced to solve your problem," he explained.

Once home, I was able to get the fixture further taken apart. What do you know? There WERE some little black gasket thingy's with springs in there. And upon further inspection, it appeared that one of them was broken!

Off to Lowe's again with parts in hand to be sure identical ones were purchased. Whew! They had what I needed! But these parts were so TINY! And inexpensive! Could they really fix my problem? I must admit, I was skeptical.

Well, after a little bit of squishing, sticking, and wrenching, I was ready to try out my repair. I cautiously turned on the water, and what do you know! NO LEAK! I FIXED IT! All for only $2.39 (and three trips to Lowe's)!

Needless to say, my husband was more than relieved it didn't cost more than it did to fix and was especially glad the problem was resolved! (Do you think this means my plumbing ban has been lifted?)

For today, at least, I am a PLUMBING SUPER STAR!