Tried to fix a leaky faucet in my rental, took 4 hours instead of 30 minutes

Honestly, I thought swapping a cartridge on a Moen faucet would be a quick job. But the old one was completely seized up from hard water buildup in Austin. I ended up having to soak it in vinegar for an hour and use a puller tool I had to borrow from a neighbor. Has anyone else run into a simple repair that turned into a half-day project?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucast8122d ago

Used to think replacing a toilet fill valve was a ten minute job. Then I found the old plastic nut had fused to the rusty shutoff valve, and the whole pipe started weeping when I tried to turn it. Had to call a plumber friend for an emergency house call, which turned a cheap fix into a pretty expensive afternoon.

fiona_carr2622d ago

Heard some people swear by a mix of vinegar and baking soda for stuck parts.

ryan79322d ago

Yeah, I've been there. I ended up using a little heat from a hairdryer on the plastic nut to get it to let go without breaking the pipe. It took some patience, but it kept things from getting worse.