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A 20 minute sink swap turned into a 2 day flood because of one rusty shutoff valve
My wife asked me to swap the bathroom faucet last Saturday so I figured it was a quick 20 minute job, but when I turned the shutoff valve under the sink it snapped clean off and water started spraying everywhere. I spent 20 minutes shutting off the main line and then the rest of the weekend cutting out the old valve and sweating on a new one, which of course leaked on my first two tries. How do you guys deal with 40 year old plumbing that falls apart the second you touch it?
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paige8709d ago
Of course it did, because a 20 minute job is never actually 20 minutes when your house is old enough to remember disco. That shutoff valve was probably just waiting 40 years for some poor soul to touch it so it could finally die dramatically. I had the same thing happen with my kitchen sink and the valve basically crumbled like a cookie, so now I just assume any valve older than 20 years is gonna snap and I shut off the main line before I even start. Sweating copper is a whole skill too, and those first two leaks are basically a rite of passage, so don't feel bad. Next time just swap the whole section for a push fit fitting and save yourself the torch and the tears.
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