The Rest of the Story

So, after fretting most of the night about the water problem in the guest bathroom, 

My plastic bag wrap was not effective in controlling the leak.

I had an idea of for a solution but as you can see, it was -25 degrees this morning.

I wasn't sure my car would even start.

I waited until about 2pm before I tried the car, only -10 by then, and it fired right up.

So, off to Menards I went, with a photo of my problem and a vague idea of the fix.

I got some good help at Menards and quickly found what I needed.

A quick connect fitting with shutoff valve.

$7.50 each at Menards.

I also needed a PEX cutter, another $7.00.

I came home and watched a couple of videos on YouTube that explained how the fittings went on, and then I went for it.

Before, these fittings were installed when the house was manufactured.

Hot water done.

 The hot side was the first and that was the one that was actually leaking.  It leaked around the seal when I turned on the water, but then I pushed the PEX in again and could feel the grab in the fitting.  No more leaks.

The hardest part was getting my old body down into that space under the sink and getting in a position that I could effective use my arms to press the fittings onto the PEX.

Oh yea, and then getting up again, ha!

The cold side went together easier, but I forgot the little stabilizers required for PEX.  I pulled apart one side and slipped that in, but the other side was tight enough I could not pull it apart, so I left it.

In my mind, those stabilizers are more important on the hot line anyway.

I've had a light shining on some paper towels under the valves for an hour, 

no leaks, 

we are good to go.

These old valves are just a mess.

The incompatibility of my well water with this metal is amazing, a Chemistry experiment for sure.

So, now I have 6 more of these valves to replace, 2 under each remaining sink, then, maybe, we will have all the brass fittings out of this house...yea right, I thought that before.

I missed playing cards today, but I feel pretty proud of what I got done.

Now I'm back to fretting about frozen water lines in the master bath, but with 40 degrees predicted for the weekend, maybe that will soon be a fading memory too.

Old Fashioned in Dad's glass.

It's happy hour!