DIY Ethan To The "Almost" Rescue.

Only if you have the CASH$$$

Being a DIY-er,  I know first hand the excitement and terror that comes into solving a seemingly simple and insignificant problem.  Many people would simply call a professional or, in this case, the Landlord to solve the bothersome problem.   They are, after all, probably better qualified to handle such issues.

He doesn't know how to do that?

But there is something about hiring a professional that really bothers me.  Maybe it is the judging looks he gives you when he twists a loose nut and solves the problem.   Maybe it is the awkward way I feel trying to explain how the item in question makes this sound...that it is currently not making.  Or perhaps it is the fact that I do not want to pay someone $100.00 an hour to solve something I could have done.

And so it goes with Plumbing.   I am not a plumber....I'm a Fisheries Biologist, Wood Carver, Student Teacher, Army Soldier, Truck Driver, Furniture Mover and Assembler, Boat Builder, Burger Flipper, and Origami Artist....but not a Plumber.   But with two college degrees and a vast number of job experiences,  I should be able to figure out plumbing...right?

That is exactly what Cheryl is afraid of.

Don't get me wrong!   It is not that I think the job is not worth $100.00 an hour.   If I had to go to some stranger's house out in the sticks to crawl under their dirty cluttered sinks to stop a flood as it is happening ...I would want $100.00 an hour as well!  However,  I do not have $100 to throw at someone to solve my problems.   Nor do I enjoy waiting for the Landlords to arrive next month to "fix the problem."  So Let's watch some YouTube videos and get dirty...

Cheryl might not understand my learning process:  Study.  watch, spend money, try, fail, Spend even more Money, try again, fail again, and then,  finally after spending more money than first promised, I patch things together so they work.   It is rare that I'm allowed to skip a step.

Cheryl the Hulk broke the handle.

It started with the handle finally falling off the bathroom shower.   Goodness knows how old these fixtures are, but the handle had stripped out and needed replacing.  I was impressed that the hardware was able to be removed so easily...and this got the ball rolling.

I like keeping tools simple.

The entire fixture has been leaking and hissing for several months...( maybe even longer!) I looked at this as an opportunity to see if I could fix it once and for all.  I managed to remove the "Faucet Stem" with the simple tools in my arsenal.  Again, I usually get stuck here and have to buy "special tools" to remove impossibly stubborn fixtures.  But not today.

Cold Water side.

Hot water side.

I was able to clean things up and reassemble them.  The Cold water side seems to be at the core of the problem.  It was removed in several sections; whereas the Hot water side came out as a single assembly.

Cold water seat 

Hot water seat

  Looking at the Seat. ( the small part in the back behind the stem)   I could see that it appears corrosion is interfering with the O Ring Seal.   Comparing it to the Hot water side, They do not appear exactly the same.

Looks like I will have to replace the Cold Water seat... but  My cleaning and removal seemed to help a bit.  The leak is still there but not as blatant.  And the hissing has quieted down dramatically.
   I'm mostly impressed that I had only spent 85 cents on a new O ring ( that was not quite right) and did not flood the bathroom or break anything.   So I consider this a "WIN" for The Great Ethan Allen.  Who needs a medal?   I have the knowledge and self satisfaction  that I'm a Winner!  In the foreign field of plumbing...while having no formal training or instruction.  Hurray for ME!

And that is why I'm  a DIY-er.   Solving problems without making them worse brings its own reward that no one else could possibly understand.  If you have read this far and are asking,  "What's the big deal?"   then I doubt I could explain it any better.  And you probably have never DIY-ed.