Mechanically Inclined, Part II

Even as I typed part 1, my faucet looked like this...

It's been leaking around the part where you lift the lever to make the water come on for a few months. I kept a towel behind it (as you can see in the picture), and, well, I was just tired of it. So, while I was at Lowe's for the disposer/disposal, I thought I'd get a faucet, too. Seems there are several varieties of faucets for various sinks - 1 hole, 3 hole, and 4 hole. Some faucets fit 1 and 3 hole sinks, some 1 and 4 hole, and a variety of other combinations. Who knew? [Mom, this was before your email.]

I chose the disposal, and I came home and checked out how many holes my sink had = 4.

So, on my next trip to Lowe's (for the plug for the disposal), I checked out faucets again. I wanted cheap and simple. Chose one and came home. My logic on the faucet was that my sprayer worked fine, so I got one without the sprayer (that's important later).

The disposal was finished Tuesday night, and I had the faucet, but I was just too tired to carry on at 11:00 pm when I get up at 5:00 am. When I got home Wednesday, I began the destruction of the faucet. This was quite fun as the Peerless faucet instructions included "unstallation" instructions such as: (paraphrased) turn off the water..."try running some water in the sink. Did any water come out? No? Good. It wasn't supposed to." And, following step 1E which is about unscrewing the mounting nut that's holding the flange (that dreaded flange again), is step 1F "Grab your basin wrench and remove the supply-tube coupling nuts. Watch out for falling rust. That stuff is no fun to get in your eyes, and even less fun to get in your mouth." Followed by step 1G "Spit and drink a pop. See? We told you it was no fun to get that stuff in your mouth." HA! Okay, you may not have thought it was funny, but if you're looking at the picture at the top of the post, wanting to run water, and you can't, and you've pulled and pried on the faucet with all your might, you appreciate illustrations with captions like "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey" and any other humor you can find.

So, I begin to loosen the nut that is holding the whole faucet on. It won't budge. It's attached to the flange, by the way, the BIG problem from the disposal. (picture, nemesis = flange #2 with nut circled)

Well, the Peerless instructions said in step 1B to douse the nut with penetrating oil with a can that looks like WD40 in the picture, so I doused. While it was "soaking" (or whatever it does), I studied the installation. Hole 2 would hold the faucet on, holes 1 & 3 would be for cold and hot water supply, hole 4 the sprayer. I looked to see where my old sprayer would connect to my new faucet. Humph. Should have purchased the 4 hold model with a new sprayer (even though I didn't need a new sprayer).

On the way to a meeting (where I needed to pick up Hudson from the church office and take him and Jenna to Jumping Party and then return to church office for said meeting), Jen and I dropped by Lowe's to return faucet #1 and purchase 4 hole faucet model. While there, I decided to grab a hose to connect faucet to water supply. Using my mechanical brains to study under sink and then apply what I saw on the aisle, I chose one. Sat through meeting (somewhat anxiously, I mean, I have a new faucet & big plans when I get home!).

Home, begin to try to unscrew nut. Not budging. Wait for Jeremy with the muscles. He grabs the rug (gasp, internal shriek, it's my new rug I've been visiting Wal-Mart for once a week for 4 weeks waiting for it to be in stock; but fought the urge to wig-out over it).

Not budging for him, either. So, we go to bed at 11:oopm, again (we're not late night people). The next day my sole request is for Jeremy to get the nut loose, but leave it for me to complete. Yes, I guess I'm just insane. Upon arriving home, he had loosened the nut, and left all the appropriate tools out for me. So I crawled under the sink (on the said rug) and unscrewed the nut. I only dropped the wrench in my face once ('cause I'm a quick learner after something that hurts that bad happens), and was happy to remove the faucet. I think I heard angelic noises again, but I'm not sure.

From there it was really pretty easy. I just followed installation instructions and it all popped in quite nicely.
That is, untiiiiiil, I went to reconnect the hoses. At first I had the right hose, but it was too short. So, I returned that hose and grabbed another one. I didn't look at what I grabbed, and both ends were 1/2. I needed one end to be 3/8 (which I had before), but didn't PAY ATTENTION. I left to do some senior pictures with one request of Jer - please get the correct hose.

Upon returning home, I had the correct hose, it was connected, and I was able to clean that nasty grease you see in the picture above out of the sink! Operation kitchen repair complete! Woo hooo!

Then, I went to unload the dish washer, and the dish washer I gave 6 months to a year in the last post produced unclean dishes after two full cycles of washing...grrrrr....

Mechanically Inclined

Maybe "mechanically" isn't the right term here, but I DO thank my father for the mechanically minded brain cells that he passed on to me. I tend to face broken items with a "I can figure this out" attitude. I don't recall a repairman visiting our house at all as I was growing up because if it broken, Dad fixed it. This continued throughout my early adult life at college when the car would break, and Dad would come down to fix. Then, early marriage, Jer and I would look at it, attempt, and call Dad. This continued to the point where one day something broke and either H or Jen said, "better call Pawpaw, because he's a fixer." Now I brag that, "Mommy is a fixer, too."

Jeremy is quite mechanically inclined himself. But, right now he is busy with meetings 3 nights a week, so I want our time together in the evenings to be fun and stress free. So, when the disposer in the sink went out Sunday morning, I knew I had a job to do. Surprisingly, I made it until Tuesday before I set out on the new disposer trek. In Lowe's, I studied the various options, ranging from $79 to over $200. I decided I don't really need multiple stages of grinding, and after 4 years of a disposer that sounds like a 747 taking off, "silent" wasn't a feature I needed. After all, no matter what, it's going to sound silent in comparison. Add to that the squeaks and grinding noises the dish washer is making, and silent is pretty overrated. Plus, now that extra cash can be saved for 1. the faucet on the sink that is leaking 2. the replacement dishwasher when this one goes (I give it 6 months to a year). I chose the $99 option, 5 year warranty. There is a dizzying array of various accessories for your disposer which include options for installation. Not really knowing what I needed, I looked to the box which read, "Odds are your old disposer has a Quick Lock sink mount. This makes replacement as simple as removing the old disposer with a twist and installing the new one." The logical, rational side of my brain said, "Yeah, right," but the optimistic, floofy side of my brain said, "Right on!" I went with the floofy side and arrived home with a new disposer.

Step 1: remove old disposer. Really? Ya think? No directions included (unlike the Peerless faucet box which has a VERY clever un-installation manual that even has humor - I'll share that later). So, here is where my invaluable mechanical brain cells come in (thanks, again, Dad). I study the plumbing situation. Upon careful study, I can tell that 3 locations must be disconnected = check. Step 2, disposer must come off of sink. Study (thank you Dad, again), remove = check. Study old sink flange (look it up) so that, as the box said, I can "twist on the new one." Mouth of new disposer is smaller than sink flange - translation, "Odds weren't." Sink flange must be removed.

Final step, remove sink flange = STOP SIGN. Not budging. Well, while stopped, I study the situation and discover that my new disposer needs a plug added; old plug will not come off of old disposer; add to Lowe's list. Head to Lowe's, get plug, wire plug onto disposer (without directions, thankyouverymuch). Wait for Jer to come home to remove flange.

Jer cannot remove flange. Enter Jer with saw (electric, type unknown to me). My hero saws off the flange.

Install new disposer (note: would not let husband help, must complete task on own). Apply plumber's putty (on Lowe's list with plug), install new sink flange (clear instructions, thank you Badger), connect disposer to sing flange (husband did have to lift while I aligned and twisted connector). Reconnect plumbing = STOP SIGN, but we shoved and twisted and made it work. Flip switch on disposer = nothing. Humph. Examine my wiring job (with directions this time), change wires. Flip switch = sound of angels, okay, a lightly whirring disposer. Go to bed at 11:00 pm.

Morning = breakfast, rush rush, put food down disposer for first time. Brush teeth, return to kitchen sink for something to feel the sensation of wetness on my toes. Humph. Yep, leak. New Lowe's list = plastic PVC thingy to connect disposer disposal tube to outflowing plumbing. Take off "thingy" to take with me to Lowe's to avoid having to describe "thingy" to knowledgeable person. Successful trip, return home. Reconnect, twist, water on...SCORE!

I love my new disposer. Of course, right now I can't use it because I started replacing the faucet, but the old faucet won't come off, so we're without a kitchen sink currently...stay tuned for the next installment of Mechanically Inclined...

Happenings

The beginning of the school year is always rough, so I'm a little behind (there's always an excuse, right?!)...

Can I admit I'm a little embarassed about this first day of school picture? We got all the way to Jen's school (a whole 3 blocks away), and I realized I never took first day of school pictures! So, we came back home, and I, very unphotographer-like, plopped them in the front yard with the sun shining INTO their faces, and took a picture. Ah, it's the memory that counts, right?!


Another new "thing" of mine is the green smoothie...it's a health thing, and I really like it. It really has lessened my desire for sweets.
These are the kids singing before church on Sunday. It was a God song they had made up.

Birthday party pinata. Those holders never hold right, so then the cat got hung. I find it quite funny. Hudson had a bone pinata (for dogs) but it's not as funny hanging after it's holder broke.

The cakes. Yes, I took it simple and those are candles for the primary decorations.

Jenna wanted a video camera for her birthday. I found one that is perfect for her after much searching! Hudson wanted a new bike, and he got a really cool one!