CHANGE THAT TAP WASHER

By jonsig Eirik.

Single moms are bringing up half the children in the country,

struggling to get by on a meager income. The toilet keeps
running, the oven element is burned out and the taps drip all
night. Aside from that, everything is in great shape.
To stop that dripping tap, to hire a plumber is out of the question.
A package of tap washers only cost a couple of bucks, but the
plumber will charge from the time he leaves the shop! “Maybe I
can cut back on the food; fill up on soup and crackers?” she
thought.
“Naw, I’m not going to resort to that.” The lady thought to herself,
as she got a paring knife from the drawer and carefully pried up
the little cap on top of the handle, “Just like Jonsig said, it’s
probably a Philips screw; in that case the taps can’t be that old,
and I think there is Philips screwdriver in the junk box in the
carport.” She found the screwdriver, got the screw out, almost
dropped it down the drain, “Jonsig did warn me to make sure the
basket strainer was in place.” She said as she wiggled the handle
till it came off. “He said there were shoulders on the valve so I
could use a wrench to unscrew it; I better go the store before the
kids get home from school.”
“Vot can I help U vit?” The floor lady asked.
“I need a wrench to unscrew the taps on the sink, and new
washers and whatever else.”
“You not have a husband to do all this?’
“No, I don’t have a husband; I have three kids that are too young
to do anything.”
“Vy not you get a plumber?”
“With three kids, I can’t afford a plumber, so point me in the
direction of the hardware department, will you please?”
“U got that vay, and then turn left.”
She went to where the floor lady pointed till she was in an isle
that looks like it might the right one; a gentleman came to wait on
her.
“I’m trying to fix the taps on my kitchen sink. The older kind;
separate handles with a chrome apron deal over the whole thing.”
“With round plastic tops. They keep dripping? And you can’t afford
a plumber?”
“Right on all counts. I managed to get the tops off though.”
“Good. Then you reach in under the sink and turn off the shutoff
valves, they might be hard to move till you get them started. Shut
them tight and try the taps. And then---wait I’ll get a wrench---this
is a crescent wrench, for what you’re doing it would be fine; you
can adjust it to fit anything.” He said taking a replacement valve
from the bin, to show her how it came apart. “You undo the screw
that holds the washer; it may be a slotted screw and very tight. If
it’s badly corroded you might have to carefully cut away at the old
washer till vise grips will turn it out. Have you got a pair?”
“No, just ordinary pliers.”
“Not too good. It’s brass. The more you work at it the harder it
becomes to get a hold off.” He said reaching for a small pair of
vice grips, “Tools are a good investment. These don’t cost too
much, so the next time you need them you’ll have them.” He said
turning out the plunger “This fat little black ring is called an O
ring. It fits snugly into the groove in the plunger to stop the water
from leaking up around the handle. There will be a couple the
right sizes in this assortment of O-rings; a good idea to change
them. And there are brass screws with the washers---Have you
got a good blade screwdriver?”
“No, just an old worn one.”
“You should have one with the different bits so everyone fits
something. One thing more; do one at a time, and on the remote
chance the seat is cracked you might be looking at a new set of
taps, but we’ll be having them on sale next week. If you need to
replace them, I’ll lend you a basin wrench; taps are not that hard
to change. Now, unless your kitchen taps are a totally different
make, in which case we’ll come up with something, are you okay
with all this?”
“I think so. And for a lot less money than a plumber would
charge.” She said going back to the checkout. Go for it girls!
Jonsig