Took me 5 hours to fix a leaky shower head that should have been 20 minutes

I spent an entire Saturday afternoon trying to stop a drip in my bathroom. Turns out the rubber washer had turned into goo and jammed the valve. Lost 5 hours because I didn't think to check the cheapest part first. Has anyone else had a simple fix turn into a whole day project?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade7381mo ago

That rubber washer turning to goo got me too, so now I just replace the whole cartridge first and save the headache.

jordan3301mo ago

Disagree entirely. Replacing the whole cartridge every time is just throwing money away, especially if the rubber washer is the only thing failing. Those cartridges are like 15-20 bucks a pop, while a pack of washers is maybe two dollars from the hardware store (and you get like 10 of them). You're creating more waste too, sending a perfectly good brass or plastic core to the landfill just because a little piece of rubber went bad. Plus, I've found that swapping the whole cartridge can sometimes mess with the water pressure or cause a tiny leak if you don't get it seated exactly right, which is way more frustrating than a gooey washer. Just keep a few spare washers in the drawer, it's the smarter fix.

hall.nora1mo ago

Just swap the whole thing and move on.