March 2023 – Last spring my son and I attempted to DIY something that we should’ve left to the pros.
Here’s the story ….
The kitchen faucet broke. I headed to Rona for a replacement part. No bueno.
I hastily purchased a new faucet and headed home with intentions to call a plumber for an install the following day.
My son had another idea. After a glance at the box the faucet came in, he insisted the two of us could manage this on our own since I had purchased the cheapest and most simplistic of faucets in the store.
The new faucet sat on the counter for 5 days. 🗓
I read the instructions several times and was not 100% convinced we had this under control, but since millennial men like to think they know everything, I said nothing. 👀
On Day 6, I was tired of waiting, so after some minor bickering, away we went.
Removal of the old faucet is where we hit our first roadblock. There was a bendy aluminum cord-like thingy in the way, and we could not figure out how to remove it.
After 10 mins of fooling around, my son headed into the garage and returned triumphantly brandishing the garden shears. His plan? To cut it. ✂️
I was hesitant …. But, he showed such confidence that I eventually acquiesced, and so began the hack job of cutting through the bendy cord.
It was so ludicrous we laughed our heads off, but ultimately, we were able to slash our way through it and remove the old faucet. We were off to the races again!
The next stage went quite smoothly until it came time to connect the new faucet to the water line. It seemed we were about 6 inches short – the exact same length as the bendy cord thing-a-ma-bob we had severed only moments earlier.
We had to admit defeat.
When the plumber actually arrived to finish what we inexpertly started, I realized how many other important little nuances there were to a successful install of this damn faucet. The relief was real.
The moral of the story …. Plumbing is not something you DIY. It was full-on amateur hour at the Benoit house that night. It was everything that I stand against. 🙅♀️
I forever pledge to stay in my lane. I know my superpowers lie in the areas of marketing & communications, event production, sport tourism and sponsorship strategy. I am also a talented gardener by the way (hence the existence of the garden shears in the garage that should never ever do double duty as a plumber’s tool).
Happy Spring! 🪴