Spent 6 hours on a leaky faucet that should have taken 45 minutes

Ngl everyone online makes replacing a bathroom faucet look like a 30 minute job. I had a single handle Moen that started dripping last Saturday morning and figured I'd knock it out before lunch. Turns out the supply lines were corroded onto the shutoff valves and I couldn't get them loose with a regular wrench. Had to run to the hardware store twice once for penetrating oil and then for a basin wrench after I stripped one of the nuts. By the time I got everything swapped and tested I was covered in water and it was almost dinner time. Has anyone else dealt with those impossible stuck nuts on old plumbing?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_torres601mo ago

Man, that's the universal sign that the plumbing gremlins have claimed another weekend! I swear old pipes have a personal vendetta against anyone trying to fix them. That moment you crank on a nut and feel it start to round off is pure dread. Bet you saved like fifty bucks in labor but lost a whole day of your life. At least now you know where all the hardware stores are in a five mile radius.

sean1191mo ago

Wait, you mean there's a version of plumbing where the nut actually turns smoothly the first time? I've never had that experience. Thought the proper technique was wrench on it, strip it, then take three trips to the hardware store before finally calling a buddy who just wiggles it loose in two seconds. Now I'm all set for the apocalypse though. Got enough pipe tape and brass fittings to start my own hardware store.