So I think I have a little OCD and germ phobia. I only say a little since it rears its head in the strangest ways.** One such example is the fact that I hate the plastic turn handles that come with your standard, run of the mill faucet. There is nothing so disgusting as the idea of turning on the water to wash my hands after I have goobied them with raw hamburger meat or poultry.
To solve this problem, I decide to install a new kitchen faucet. I have never done this before, but the box said it was easy to install. This part was true for the most part. What the box failed to mention was the degree of difficulty one might have removing the old faucet.
My first attempt was made with no success. I even had to call around to borrow the tools the instruction sheet suggested. Unfortunately, none of those tools were right for the job.
Thank heavens for a little think called the internet and google. I typed a vague sentence about removing faucets and the tools one might need. Up pops the solution: a basin wrench. What, pray tell, is a basin wrench? The basin wrench is a specialized tool meant to help one in the awkward positions one must contort to in order to work under the sink. 
Today I tried again with only a few glitches. First, it is important to remove all appropriate nuts before you try removing other nuts. Then, when you strip that other nut of all plastic parts on could use to grip onto with your handy dandy basin wrench, be grateful that the old faucet had copper pipes which are relatively easy to bust in two.
(Not an excellent picture. This is what the old faucet looked like after being ranked from its place.)
After a lot of back and forth glancing at the directions and the faucet, I finally got
it was done in only an hour and a half. I already have felt the satisfaction of my installation when I made our hamburgers for dinner and could use my uncontaminated arm to turn on the sink and wash away all the bad germs.*Notice in several of the pictures how filthy my sink is and how that didn't bother me as much as the handles of the sink.
10 comments:
What a great post. I especially love the picture of irked off rachelle.
And of course those of the kiddos. By the way, we went to hurricane harbor today--FABULOUS!
Do you think that if you got a hurricane harbor pass for whatever 6flags over texas water thing is that it would work here? Because it would be way fun to take the kiddos!
i am impressed! i'm probably the world's worst handyman.
and thank you for getting the bob the builder song stuck in my head!!!!!!!
you are brave... I do not have patience for such projects and would have destroyed the entire sink by the second picture.
YOU TOTALLY ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!
Love the post - can you come change my faucets?
you inspire me...on so many levels ;)
I am soooo impressed. The germs at your house should be impressed, too. I love the kids sitting behind the sink.
I am IMPRESSED!!! I never ever would have attempted that! Way to go!
On antoher note....I totally get what you are saying about not wanting to touch anything with germ infested hands. I use the 'turn it on with my arm' trick too!
Where in the world is your husband who should be your handyman/fix-it-up-chappy!???
He's working hard to save lives.
you're gonna be super jealous when I get around to posting pictures of our kitchen faucet. and one that I didn't have to install myself. sorry.
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