Monday, April 15, 2013

Faucet Fiasco



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.
 
 
 


5 comments:

Patina said...

Oh Martha...I feel your pain. I haven't went through that exact thing but I can relate. I hope that the part that comes in the mail is the exact one you need. And yes, you're right you don't appreciate those little things until you don't have them.
Have a great day!
Debbie

Mary said...

I feel for you. Our family motto is ~ if anything can go wrong, it will. I live in a doublewide trailer and nothing in the plumbing part can be bought at Lowes or Home Depot. It is sooo silly. I feel your pain. It is pretty the faucet but I guess you always end up paying a steep price for pretty. Good luck that the part they send you will actually work.

Andy's Attic said...

I love this post!! You are soooo right. We have no idea how much we depend on the simple little things until they are gone. And we never give a thought to what we would do without them until they break. Hope the right part comes soon.
Annette

Carmella Vancil said...

Sorry to hear about this fiasco, Martha. I went through a similar problem with a vintage faucet and sink. Unfortunately, it was one of the few original fixturse in the house. So when a leak started and the drain clogged, we had little to no luck of getting replacement parts and ended up having to replace the whole thing altogether. I hope things have been fixed by now. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

How fancy your faucet is, Martha! I didn't know that it's still available in the market. I always wanted to have faucet like that but after hearing your problem, I'll definitely think it over. Anyway, you had quite an adventure just looking for the right part, and I'm glad to know that you already found it. Happy washing! =)

--->Levi Eslinger

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