My bathroom sink redevelopment disaster in Portland

I was fixing a drip in my bathroom faucet, no big deal right? Wrong. I took apart the whole stem and cartridge, and when I tried to put it back, one of the tiny rubber seals just snapped in half. It was the last thing I expected, and of course it was on a Sunday when my local hardware store was closed. I ended up using a cheap O-ring from an old supply line I had in a drawer, but it leaked worse than the original problem. After 3 tries and a soaked bath mat, I just left the water off and used the kitchen sink for two days. Has anyone else had luck with random O-rings or is it always a waste of time?

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leo_campbell20d ago

Cheap O-ring from an old supply line" is the part that gets me, because that's a gamble I've lost a few times too. The thing nobody talks about is that even if the size looks right, the hardness of the rubber matters just as much, and old random rings are often too soft or too hard for the job. My rule now is to always keep a proper assortment kit in the house, it's ten bucks and saves you from two days of kitchen sink baths.