Wednesday, March 15, 2017

I'VE BEEN SNOWED UNDER

    Now from the land of ice and snow my title makes sense. And we did get 20cm (8 in) of snow over a four day period.

    No , I'm talking about being busy. Really busy. So I have not been able to post as often and I admit that reading and commenting on blogs has been less. I have missed reading some blogs meaning I like the blog and would like to read it in more detail.
  
    Sometimes one problem gets tangled up with a couple of other projects and then "I get snowed under". I mean really busy.

   So two weeks a go the micro manager discovered a little water under the kitchen sink. "So I'll just take a little look and see what's the trouble. " I found out the trap was leaking. That's the u shaped thing on the drain. This is a double sink so there are two drains.We went to our handy plumber who sells products and gives advice. He suggested we take out all the pipe under the sink and replace it with ABS (plastic). No, no we said we just want to replace the trap. Off we went to another place to find that we couldn't get what we wanted. We decided to take another look to make sure we were right. Well, we found a leak in another place. Back to the plumber for advice. Well, he still said replace the whole thing. He suggested a couple of options. Well, after puzzling and puzzling we decided to change the one side with plastic. 






    Well lo and behold when I was taking the right side apart the left side fell apart. So then I had to replace both the left side and right side.

    So off we go and buy the supplies. The right side was tough to line up and it leaked. 

   So lesson learned. I buy more supplies and try again. I finally did a great job on both drains.

    So my guy was right at the beginning. He said replace the whole thing and that's what I ended up doing.




   Now some people are saying why are you so silly and do it yourself? Why don't you call a plumber? I like these projects even if they are difficult. Plumbers cost too much money. Plumbers leave you with a big mess to clean up. Plumbers break other stuff!

   However, this is my last project. First, I don't have training or experience so the projects are a challenge. Next , I'm too old to crawl around on the floor and get into small spaces.

   So this is probably my last post on doing a home project.
    

36 comments:

  1. It looks to me like you did an A-one job on that. My husband does a lot of household repairs also; he likes the challenge and it saves quite a bit. Good job, Red!

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    1. Well, thanks. I find that in between jobs I forget what I knew .

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  2. Looks like you did a fine job but I have to tell you a plumber is well worth the cost. They're usually far cheaper than the cost of a divorce, which would surely happen if we had this problem at our house.

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    1. The divorce idea has been raised around here a few times over projects that get complicated.

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  3. I can relate to being "busy". I've taken a break from blogging so I can attend to a lot of unfinished business and tasks that seemed to mushroom and pile up. Then too I wanted to relax, rest and enjoy life a bit more. I do love reading other blogs in the meanwhile but with everything going on I too am a bit behind. Nice to see you like a challenge and can figure it all out.

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    1. I've missed your blog but I understand that life gets busy and something has to go.

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  4. Well done Red! I would never have attempted a task like that. Looks like you did a great job... in the end! By the way when you crawl round on all fours do you bark? And does The Micro Manager yell, "Here boy! Here Red! There's a good boy!"

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  5. Yes the crawling is the most difficult part indeed!. To get up again becomes a challenge nowadays.

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    1. It's surprising how hard it is to get up off the floor at this age.

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  6. Glad you are finished being "snowed under." I like to see your comments sprinkled around among my friends and on my own posts. You did a great job on that, but I am not sure you'll stick to your guns and not take on any more of these projects. :-)

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    1. You're probably right that I will be tempted to do something else.

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  7. Oh, my! We don't have the knowledge to do anything like this!
    I would have thought you couldn't mix copper & plastic, but that's why we hire people.
    I know what you mean about hunkering down.
    It's been a hoot hanging out with grandkids this week. On the floor, stand up, on the floor, up again!!!!

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    1. There are special fittings to join plastic to copper so it's easy peasy. That getting up off the floor is good exercise.

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  8. I'm a firm believer in paying someone to do things like this, but I agree plumbers are insanely expensive. At least you got the immediate problem solved!

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    1. I'm retired so I have time to mess around with projects like this.

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  9. I'd make it worse by trying to do it myself!

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    1. ...and sometimes I don't know my own limits.

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  10. Red. A birdie told me that copper is better then plastic.

    I sure hope this works for you for a while.

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  11. You do far more home projects than I do. I just paid through the nose (labor) to have a plumber install a new garbage disposal. He wanted six hundred bucks just for the unit but I fooled him by picking up the identical unit at Home Depot for ninety bucks.

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    1. contractors will rob you in a heartbeat

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    2. Plumbers like to add on some profit from sales of materials.

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  12. I'm glad all the ones I've seen in my house have been pvc. Never liked the metal ones

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    1. Newer housing is all plastic. I'm not sure when pastic first came in.

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  13. Looks like you did a great job! My husband is extremely handy and does most repairs around the house. I get involved where I can, offer assistance where needed, and my biggest strength is painting. I am very handy in painting just about anything and everything. All these jobs we do saves us tons of money that we can use in other ways.

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    1. Thanks. I'm not handy but I do things anyway. I do painting but I don't really like it.

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  14. I know of no projects that the homeowner does not have to make several trips to the store. I do as few of these as I can. YOu did a very good job, though. Looks as tidy and well-fitted as something new.

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    1. The advice these people give you is quite often incomplete. It's buyer beware.

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  15. Looks solid, when I crawl under the sink I always think of Dagwood Bumstead comics

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    1. Mr. Bumstead. I'd forgotten about him.

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  16. Yay! Good for you! You did a great job. Art always likes to try everything himself first. Then he asks his friends who happen to be plumbers and electricians which is very helpful. So far, it's been good. I've been awfully busy lately. Too much happening.

    My daughter got 12 inches of snow. She says it was the first time she had to shovel.

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  17. Congrats on getting that job completed and it looks professional!

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  18. My hubby said I am wrong. Yes you did right. Some other things need changing in a old home for pipes to be copper. If whole house is plastic.

    I applaud you Red.

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