http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x7579Oh my.
Coyote_Bandit (1000+ posts) Tue Apr-07-09 03:52 PM
Original message
Plumbing Question
I have a shower stall with separate hot and cold water on/off handles. And I have a drip from the showerhead.
About a month or so ago a guest commented that they thought I had a bit of air in the pipes in that shower stall. Apparently, they thought that because when the water was first turned on it did not start in an even stream. The water flow was a bit uneven and "jerky" (for lack of a better description) when first turned on.
This leak seems like it is something I should be able to fix myself and since money is tight I'd really prefer not to have to spend a couple hundred bucks to have a plumber come if I can avoid it.
I assume the first thing to do is to take the showerhead off and make sure the washer there is in good shape. Beyond that?
Is this something I can fix myself? Or should I just go ahead and call a plumber? WOuld it be possible to find a handyman that does these kinds of plumbing repairs without charging a small fortune?
You know, this really gets my goat.
The primitives are supposed to be on the side of hard-working blue-collars.
But then the primitives don't want to pay them for their hard work.
Anyway.
amerikat (1000+ posts) Tue Apr-07-09 04:26 PM
Response to Original message
1. Sounds like you need to replace the washer to stop the dripping.
It's easy. There are plenty of good videos on the internet.
Try this one. http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-fix-a-le... /
Coyote_Bandit (1000+ posts) Tue Apr-07-09 06:07 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. Thanks
I went to the page you linked and I did not see anything there that even begins to resemble the plumbing hardware in my shower.
I have a tap that turns the hot water on and a separate tap that turn the cold water on. Each tap has a plastic/acrylic cover that turns - kind of like a faucet. Beats the hell out of me how you begin to take the handles off to see whether or not they have cartridges or washers. No visible set screws - or other kinds of screws anywhere. And there isn't a brand name or model number anywhere to help identify such information.
I figure this should be fairly easy routine home maintenance. I also figure it is quite likely that some idiot engineer has concocted a design intended to frustrate homeowners and generate business for the plumbers that install the products.
Now I'm really getting irked.
amerikat (1000+ posts) Tue Apr-07-09 06:21 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. Maybe this is the style that you have.
A plumber will cost at least $85/hr. Try this video.
http://www.ehow.com/video_15854_fix-leaky-faucet.html
Coyote_Bandit (1000+ posts) Tue Apr-07-09 06:35 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. Thanks
The video is a sink instead of a shower - but those handles look familiar!
I'll investigate to see if it is possible to pop the ends off and find a screw underneath to remove the handles and access the plumbing underneath.
Okay, that does it.
I hope the coyote rustling primitive has no choice but to hire a $300-an-hour plumber.
The primitives are such ****ing hypocrites.
