Drip Dead (31 page)

Then she turned to me.

“Georgie,” she said. Not Georgiana,
Georgie
, like one of my friends. “Thank you. You did far more than any mother could ask, and I will forever be grateful.”

She turned back to address the whole room, and with genuine pride, she proposed another toast.

To my new status as a real plumber.

 

1. Determine what type of faucet you’re working on. Older faucets are usually compression type. Newer faucets are washerless, and come in disc, valve, ball, and cartridge styles. Models vary by manufacturer, so it’s important to get the correct parts.

2. Use penetrating oil before trying to loosen parts with a wrench.

3. Wrap the jaws of your wrench with tape to prevent them from scratching the finish.

4. Plug the drain to prevent small parts from falling down the drain.

5. Line the sink with a towel. If you drop a tool or part you won’t damage the sink.

6. Lay out the parts in order as you disassemble the faucet. That way they will be in the proper order when you want to reassemble them.

7. Examine parts for wear and breakage. Remove and mark the space of any broken or worn ones.

8. Take distressed parts to hardware store and purchase replacements.

9. Reassemble faucet in order, incorporating new parts as needed.

10. Slowly restore water to the reassembled faucet. If it still leaks, turn off water, disassemble, and try applying Teflon tape to the joints.

11. If it still leaks, call a plumber!

 

SINK TRAP

LEAD-PIPE CINCH

DRIP DEAD