Like the old saying goes, you can catch more faucets with honey than with vinegar

Okay so the title is a little off, but it’s still true.  And I’m not sure this is blog-worthy but I still wanted to share it, if that’s okay.  A little over a week ago, I was getting a baking sheet from under the kitchen sink (I lean them against the wall under there) and noticed a small spray of water droplets on the top pan.  Did that just happen?  Where’d those drops come from?  I reached up under the sink and ran my hand along the pipes.  Don’t feel anything… 

That night before going to bed, I laid a large brown paper bag from the market under the pipes.

When I got up the next morning, I filled up my water reservoir tank on my Keurig, got my cereal & toast, was rinsing my dishes… oh wait, the paper bag!  I looked under my sink and sure enough, there was an 8 inch oval wet spot on that bag.  Was that from an overnight drip or this morning?  I’d better contact building management.  I filled out the online service request, took a photo and attached it to the SR.  Then I waited.

A day later, I was sitting here reading (blogs, what else?) when I heard some male voices down the hall by the elevator.  One of them laughed and I knew right away it was Jay, a younger man from West Virginia and our building’s ‘plumber guy’. 

It’s about time!  I’m not going to sit here and replace wet paper bags every morning, y’know! 

I got up to go meet them when I suddenly heard Janet, the woman who lives up the hall talking to them.  I carefully opened my door to listen better and boy, she was really giving them the business.  Apparently she had contacted Steiner about a clogged bathroom sink, and was irritated to learn they weren’t here for her today.  They were installing new plumbing in the studio apt by our floor’s laundry room.  I heard Jay apologize profusely, promise to look into it and then Janet’s door slam. 

Was that necessary?  Wait… wasn’t I ready to do some barking of my own just a few minutes before? 

I emptied a bucket of cleaning supplies I kept in my closet and stuck it under my kitchen sink.  There, no more bags.  I made a promise to myself to be extra nice to Jay when I saw him.

Jay arrived the next morning, apologized for the delay and I told him it was okay, I know he gets pulled in every direction daily.  He got under my sink, determined the leak was coming from a crack in my water-line, and I had a sudden flashback of me yelling “GET IN THERE!” at a baking sheet I tried to jam under there a couple weeks ago.  (Jay said it was age but I dunno…)  He told me he’d replace it straightaway, and asked if I had any other issues.  I said yes, could he turn up my fluoride regulator as I was getting a cavity.  He looked at me for a moment then laughed and told me I should talk to his helper Mike, who thinks fluoride is an “X-Files thing” to coat our brains with aluminum.  We both laughed this time, and I asked if he’d like a glass of iced tea and was surprised when he said yes.

When Jay went downstairs for a new water-line, he returned with it and a flat white box.  Inside was a new kitchen faucet (seen in the top photo).  I said “Wow, that’s pretty nice.  Is that for the studio down the hall?”  He said “As long as I gotta detach your line, I thought I’d replace your faucet.  This one will give you a lot more room for filling big pots and your water pitcher.” 

After all was said & done, I called Steiner (my building’s management) to thank them for the great job Jay did.  They seemed really appreciative, thanked me for the call and told me they’d be sure to pass it along.

Janet, I hope you got that bathroom clog fixed—next time try a little less vinegar.