This is my kitchen faucet. I love it. It is a piece of artwork. When we were replacing the sink and faucet I decided that since anyone coming into our home will see the sink and faucet, I wanted something attractive. It is one of my favorite things, especially since I spend a fair amount of time standing in front of it.
Anyway, as you might notice in the picture, to the right of the cold water handle, the sprayer is missing. That is because the hose to the sprayer split a week ago Saturday night. (Yes, almost 10 days ago.) About 11 pm to be exact. Of course we turned off the water source and after mopping up we went to bed thinking that the next day we could get a replacement at our handy-dandy local hardware store. Problem solved - right??? Wrong, dead wrong.
Our friend, who is a licensed fix-it guy, (contractor to be exact), came to give us a hand. We are intelligent people who are smart enough to know when we need help. Some people can tolerate being in a classroom day in and day out with 40+ high school kids and others understand what it takes to construct and repair things. My husband is the former and our friend is the latter. He doesn't try to tackle things in a classroom and we don't do many things that involve plumbing or electricity. We know our limits and appreciate people that can make things work again and don't mind compensating them to do so.
Much to our dismay, the generic hose fitting would not work with the sprayer attachment. It needs something specific - something that had to be hunted down and ordered. So by some miracle, I had filed product information for the faucet that was complete with model numbers and part numbers. We had purchased it at one of our local, big-box home improvement stores -- sooo I gave them a call. I was referred to Plumber Dave. Plumber Dave was a very informative, polite gentleman who said bring the hose and sprayer in and he would find something for us.
Off I went feeling much more optimistic about everything. Once I was in the store and Plumber Dave saw the hose and sprayer he said unfortunately they didn't have any pieces, hoses, etc. that would even come close to fitting. BUT - he did tell me call the parts number on the information that had come with the faucet. "Just give 'em the part number and they will send it to you" said Plumber Dave apologetically. Lifetime guarantee! I thanked Plumber Dave for atleast trying and left. So my spirits were lifted a little and off I went to call the parts company - in Georgia. At least there wouldn't be a language barrier in Georgia. Whew!
The PartsHelper people were indeed helpful. After emailing them a picture of the faucet so they could determine the finish color (evidently none of the 8 model numbers I had were of any help), they said they would be shipping the Heritage Bronze hose and sprayer the next day - free of charge. Woo Hoo!!! Then I asked how long it would take to receive the shipment ... 10 to 14 working days. OMG - okay so that took the wind out of my sails just a little and by the way, they don't overnight ... anything. Period. No amount of money will get it to you sooner.
So, that was last Wednesday. This is Monday. We have turned the front bathroom into the "Dish Room", not to be mistaken for the "China Room" in our nation's White House. The bathtub faucet has been lovingly named "The Well" by my husband. We have gotten a routine down for washing dishes, cleaning vegetables, filling the filtered water pitcher and disposing of garbage that would otherwise have gone down the disposal. Much like camping, but much nicer. No bugs/critters and we have indoor plumbing (bathroom #2).
I am relaying this loooonnngg saga just as a reminder that we all need to step back and be thankful for all the conveniences we have available to us on a daily basis. I keep thinking that my kitchen could be a half mile down the street, in a field, like some in the South and Midwest have had to deal with. We have potable water, heat and a roof over our heads. A roof that doesn't have a tree hanging through it. Much to be thankful for. We just have to step back and remind ourselves.
The faucet? Well I will keep you posted. We are hopeful that by the weekend the hose and sprayer will magically appear, be the right parts that actually fit, and that our friend will be available to put it all back together again ... with a happy The End. M.
