Adventures in Plumbing

My kitchen faucet has been leaking and my bathroom toilet has been running.  Alas, it was time for Pauline the Plumber to make her appearance at my home.  I took a few lessons from my days as a mechanical engineer and cracked open my home improvement book for a few pointers.  Oddly enough, plumbing is one of my favorite home improvement chores.

I started with the toilet and expected a quick tweak would solve the issue...I was wrong!  After failing to successfully get my toilet to completely stop running after adjusting the float height, I realized there was something wrong with the internals of the existing float assembly.  So I was off to Lowe's for some replacement parts.  I replaced the float assembly, overflow tube and flapper with new, plastic parts...judging from the black ickiness on my hands and in the tank water, I don't think the previous parts had been replaced since my home was built in 1968...blach!  About an hour and a half later and success!

The kitchen sink was another story.  I tried a few different ways to remove the existing stem valve and replace it, but I could never find the right part.  I called my Dad for advice (read: moral support).  He suggested replacing the entire faucet.  Aha!  Another good idea to get the endless dripping that was testing my patience and the depth of my pockets to pay my growing water bill.  I crawled under the sink to try to loosen the nuts holding the faucet in place.  Harrumph!  They were corroded and impossible to turn.  I think a muscle man must have tightened them last time.  After a few contorted attempts to loosen them, I threw a mini temper tantrum on the floor of my kitchen.  I decided it was time to call my neighborhood plumber who does great work at a reasonable price.  Sometimes you have to know when to call it a day...

In all, I was 2 for 3 of my plumbing projects today.  I also cleaned out the trap on my bathroom sink to help it drain better.  While I didn't solve all of the issues, I am feeling good about my successes!