A may be many things, but when it comes to home maintenance, I am a bit of a duffer. Long ago I discovered that if a job required more than a hammer, screwdriver, or paintbrush, I was better to call in a qualified person to do the job rather than do it myself. On the few occasions when I have tried doing the latter, I've usually ended up having to get someone in to fix the mess I have made ... and it has cost me time, money, and a spell of bad temper.
We had a dripping tap in our bathroom, and after looking at it and realising that to replace the washer required pipe wrenches that I did not own, I contacted Homeserve, the insurance company who provide cover for our plumbing and water supply. They arranged for a plumber to call to fix the problem ... which he did yesterday afternoon.
About two hours after he had left, my wife was flushing the toilet in one of our two bathrooms when it stopped working. I was summoned, and discovered that a plastic rod in the syphon had broken in two. Now this is a job that requires no skill or special tools, so I removed the syphon assembly, found the two parts of the broken rod, and set off to buy a replacement.
I couldn't!
It appears that the syphon assembly is one made by a particular manufacturer, and that all the standard 'off the shelf' replacements don't quite fit. By the time I discovered this (after visiting several plumbing supply and DIY stores in our area) it was too late in the day to find a stockist of the part I need that was still open. On returning home a search on the Internet indicated that there is a stockist less than ten miles away, and as soon as the rush hour is over I am off the try to get the necessary part ... assuming that they have one is stock.
We had a dripping tap in our bathroom, and after looking at it and realising that to replace the washer required pipe wrenches that I did not own, I contacted Homeserve, the insurance company who provide cover for our plumbing and water supply. They arranged for a plumber to call to fix the problem ... which he did yesterday afternoon.
About two hours after he had left, my wife was flushing the toilet in one of our two bathrooms when it stopped working. I was summoned, and discovered that a plastic rod in the syphon had broken in two. Now this is a job that requires no skill or special tools, so I removed the syphon assembly, found the two parts of the broken rod, and set off to buy a replacement.
I couldn't!
It appears that the syphon assembly is one made by a particular manufacturer, and that all the standard 'off the shelf' replacements don't quite fit. By the time I discovered this (after visiting several plumbing supply and DIY stores in our area) it was too late in the day to find a stockist of the part I need that was still open. On returning home a search on the Internet indicated that there is a stockist less than ten miles away, and as soon as the rush hour is over I am off the try to get the necessary part ... assuming that they have one is stock.
Stu Rat,
ReplyDeleteThere was some Anglo-Saxon language used, and my knuckles are a bit raw ... but there was no flood and the toilet is now working!
All the best,
Bob
That's about my level of home repair skill, too. I've finally learned I am usually better off calling a pro in to do the work. Best of luck getting the necessary parts and doing the repairs!
ReplyDeleteFitz-Badger,
DeleteAs Dirty Harry once said, 'a man's got to know his limitations' ... and anything other than simple DIY is just plain beyond me!
(I did get the spare parts, and I did manage to fix the toilet so that it does flush!)
All the best,
Bob