It All Adds Up

Do you have a second?

Yeah, it’ll only take a second.

Okay. So, the sink handle – come here, I’ll show you – the sink handle moves up and down. Watch. Up. And down. The more you use it, the more it’s going to wear out. I think what has been happening is that it’s being turned on. Like that. Down. And then when it’s pushed back up, it’s being wrenched. Like that. See how it sorta’ flicks back? It’s not made for that.

Well, now there’s a leak. Huh.

Drip, drip, drip. See it dripping on the towel? From the handle. Do you see it? How long has it been like that? A couple days? All that dripping adds up. Do you know how many drips are in a gallon? I know. About 76,000. Seventy-five thousand seven hundred and eight – it’s right here on my phone. Look. It’s dripping more than one per second. It’s gotta’ be! All that adds up.

So, here’s what we gotta’ do. We gotta’ start – come here for a second. Here, take this. Shine a light down below so I can see. We gotta’ start by turning off the water. Lefty loosey. These two go to the hot and cold water. Hot. Cold. This one is to the dishwasher.

Okay, so just like if a car hasn’t ran in seven years, it might not run right. Well, we just turned the handle that hasn’t been touched in maybe seven years – five to seven years, do you think? I’ve seen it happen all the time. Hopefully it doesn’t leak. That’s going to be another problem. More water just like up on the towel. Dripping adds up. Gallons, remember?

Look for a second. Did it stop leaking on the towel? Up above. Okay, good. That’s good. Shine the light down here again. No water here, either. Good, good.

You know, your mom and I have always been conservative with the utilities. The average household uses about 3000 gallons of water per month. Last month, I calculated how much we used and do you know how much water we went through? Fifteen-hundred gallons. Seriously. That’s it: 1,500 gallons. That’s only half.

It all adds up.

Let’s see. The problem is probably the cartridge. It’s original to the sink-head. See it moving in and out? It shouldn’t be doing that. The seal is loose. Or disconnected.

Now, here’s what you’re going to have to do.

Let’s find the instruction manual. Did you keep it? Yeah, let’s take a look. Okay, here on the front is listed all the different models. Looks like this one is number 7727 – looks like it, don’t you think? On the back, you should find the warranty information. Here. Lifetime Limited Warranty.

What you’re going to have to do is call them. The number is right here at the top. Just explain what is going on: the handle of the sink has some play and it started leaking a couple days ago. You’ll have to give them the model number. Seven-seven-two-seven. They’ll probably send you a replacement cartridge. Make sure that if they send you the parts, you get them to send you the instructions, too, so that you can install it.

Listen, these people deal with warranty calls all the time. They’ll probably know exactly what the problem is. They’ll know what parts to send you.

Also, I don’t know if you’ll have the tools here to do the job, but I can bring them over. I’ll have what you need.

You know, utilities are expensive. Just keep the water switched off until the parts arrive. Do you know how much we spent last month for water and electricity? Almost $200. One hundred and eighty-nine bucks. Electricity just keeps getting more expensive. We pay like 11 cents a kilowatt hour. It’s a little cheaper than state average, but it’s still too much just to keep the lights on. And for water!

Speaking of, how often are you running your hot water?

Oh, over here. Here’s what you can do. You have these jugs, here. Right here, see? Keep some jugs next to the sink filled with water so you can do your dishes. You can use your tub, too, but you’ll use a lot of extra water. Right. It all adds up. Fill them with the bathroom sink. Here. There. Boom, boom, done.

That’s what I would do.

You’ll probably be okay with jugs for a few days. Just let me know what you find out, alright? Don’t forget to ask them to email you directions.

Alright, well that should about do it.

That didn’t take too long, did it?

Oh, by the way, are you still having problems with your AC unit?