more quick and expensive home repairs
Tim and I are having our downstairs (basement) bathroom renovated. New shower, new toilet, new vanity and of course new bills.
During the middle of all this we noticed that the water pressure had decreased, so T went to the main water main to see if it had not been turned on all the way after turning it off that day. Tim turned the valve and...
SPLASH
Water started leaking out everywhere! As he turned the knob back and forth it either dripped a little, dripped a lot, or sprayed out. We went to bed that night with the water turned off (the dripping a little position) and I called the contractor that next day (Thursday). (he had finished for the week on Wed and would be back on Monday) Come to find out that T had been turning the wrong knob, instead of the backup knob he turned the main knob (not that I really know the difference, but I know now, to turn off the water in my house turn the one on the left, not the one on the right) and that I should call a plumber.
First off I had to find out where the curb stop is (the water turner-offer at the street level), which my city doesn't actually turn off and on, but for $50 will come out and mark where it is.
So $50 later I have a blue flag in my lawn for the curb stop.
Now I call the plumber. He comes out and looks at it, then grabs a wrench and makes a turn...
The water stops dripping.
Come to find out that the valve stem had corroded a bit and stuck to the nut, and when T turned it the nut also turned, causing the leak.
The plumber was very apologetic but told me that he had to charge the "service call fee".
$150.00
He did ask if I had anything else I wanted him to do since I had already paid the service charge. I guess my answer of "tile my shower" wasn't really in his job realm, but for that much money he could have tried.
$200 for a loose nut.
*sigh*
Sucks to be ignorant.
During the middle of all this we noticed that the water pressure had decreased, so T went to the main water main to see if it had not been turned on all the way after turning it off that day. Tim turned the valve and...
SPLASH
Water started leaking out everywhere! As he turned the knob back and forth it either dripped a little, dripped a lot, or sprayed out. We went to bed that night with the water turned off (the dripping a little position) and I called the contractor that next day (Thursday). (he had finished for the week on Wed and would be back on Monday) Come to find out that T had been turning the wrong knob, instead of the backup knob he turned the main knob (not that I really know the difference, but I know now, to turn off the water in my house turn the one on the left, not the one on the right) and that I should call a plumber.
First off I had to find out where the curb stop is (the water turner-offer at the street level), which my city doesn't actually turn off and on, but for $50 will come out and mark where it is.
So $50 later I have a blue flag in my lawn for the curb stop.
Now I call the plumber. He comes out and looks at it, then grabs a wrench and makes a turn...
The water stops dripping.
Come to find out that the valve stem had corroded a bit and stuck to the nut, and when T turned it the nut also turned, causing the leak.
The plumber was very apologetic but told me that he had to charge the "service call fee".
$150.00
He did ask if I had anything else I wanted him to do since I had already paid the service charge. I guess my answer of "tile my shower" wasn't really in his job realm, but for that much money he could have tried.
$200 for a loose nut.
*sigh*
Sucks to be ignorant.