In the category of "remember to listen to your friends"

[drwex]

(Nothing in the following post should be construed as being negative toward home repair hobbyists and other do-it-yourselfers.)

Once upon a party long ago I was describing a household repair problem that was giving me difficulty. rmd advised: "The tool you want to fix this problem is your checkbook."

Today I watched a professional plumber spend the better part of two hours trying to do a 'simple' change of one corroded bolt on a toilet tank. I paid him his $250 and felt the better for the exchange. Replacing the bolt required fully disassmbling the commode, applying hacksaws and other tools to remove the corroded objects, and various other reassembly tasks I'm sure I would have screwed up over a time period that would have lasted much longer than two hours if done by me.

In the end I have a non-leaking toilet again and a reminder of why I think it wise to listen to my friends.

Comments

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

Great line! I'll have to remember it, for use on my very frugal but astonishingly busy husband. :-)

[edichka2.livejournal.com]

I don't even think about doing shit like that any more. Counter to the interest of domestic tranquility.
- E

[c1.livejournal.com]

I agree that many times, a lot of sanity can be had for a small outlay of coin.
Occasionally, though, it's worth calling friends who you know that might have expertise in this kind of thing.

[lycaena.livejournal.com]

There are many kinds of home repair I will attempt. (My washing machine is currently in pieces as I attempt to figure out why it isn't running properly, for example.) Corroded plumbing is not one of those things. If it involves a hacksaw, welding, high voltages, heights, or complicated power tools, I am right there with you in letting the professionals handle it.