"Dan.Espen" wrote in message
...
"Julie Bove" writes:

"Dan.Espen" wrote in message
...
Fat-Dumb and Happy writes:

I don't know what this country is coming to when a person can't change
their own faucets or look under the counter and determine why the
sprayer hose hangs.

Going to assume you mean the USA, but the OP could be from anywhere.

Usually, it's won't, not can't.

I'm going to cast a little blame on our education.
I don't remember the class where they explained how plumbing works
introduced us to wrenches, the fuse box, a level.

Sure, if you weren't too smart and were taking vocational training
you might have gotten some of that.

Had a plumber here once working on a bathroom remodel.
While he was here I discovered a clogged drain.
He offered to clear it.
I told him, "I'll be damned if I pay a plumber to clear a drain".
Got a really strange look.

Apparently a lot of people are not familiar with snakes.

When I had the drain cleared in a few minutes, he called his brother
(the GC) recounting the story.

Oooh! Do *not* call them snakes in front of a plumber. I had one
totally go off on me. Told me there was no such thing as a snake!

Really? Wikipedia says:

A plumber's snake, sometimes known as a "toilet jack" or "electric
eel", is a flexible auger used to remove clogs in plumbing that cannot
be loosened with a plunger.

What did he want you to call it, an auger?

Yep. Auger. He was really angry when I mentioned the snake. I used to
sell plumbing and everyone referred to it as a snake!

I did manage to clear my slow draining bathtub. Took me the better
part of the day and gallons of hot water, vinegar and a lot of baking
soda.

Bathtubs are tough. The water/chemical approach doesn't really get the
job done well. A snake can work, but it's not easy. I had a tough
bathtub and fooled with chemicals for a long time. Finally I got in the
tub, used the entry point where the lever is, and pulled out loads of
hair and muck.

I did not want to have to remove the overflow thing on the tub. It's a bit
oversized, jetted tub. I have a nice little snaking thing that works well
in the shower but due to the design of the tub drain, it won't go in there
very far.

I think the problem with the tub was lint. I only use it for hand wash now.
The design is poor and I was having extreme trouble getting in and out of
it. After slipping twice trying to get out, despite having all sorts of
rubber mats everywhere and then daughter slipping, we just opted for
showers.

But usually I am no good at plumbing stuff and if anything, I
only make things worse.

As with lots of things, persistence pays off.

Yes. I figured I didn't have much to lose with the clog/slow drain. Wasn't
like I was using harsh chemicals or taking anything apart.