Who remembers the late Gilda Radner, playing Roseanne Rosannadanna on Saturday Night Live and proclaiming, “It’s always something!” Radner, a baby boomer herself, helped my generation convey our sense of frustration with constant challenges or problems.
Those words have echoed around the Fernlund household for many weeks now as we attempted to resolve a plumbing issue that should have been, according to YouTubers, relatively simple to resolve.
It all started a couple of months ago when we noticed the outflow of water from our Kohler kitchen faucet was diminishing. Like our eyesight fading and hearing going away, it was a slow but deliberate process. It might be something that I, the least handy of handymen, could fix.
The plumbing, electrical, and most other infrastructure in our house were DIY years ago, so with a house like this, it’s always something.
We dove into the internet world of problem-solving. Many YouTube experts reported a similar flow problem (as an older person, I know that flow problem can mean other things, but in this case, it’s water flow from a kitchen faucet) and had what seemed to be sensible solutions.
The easy first step was to remove the faucet’s retractable spray nozzle and soak it in vinegar for a few hours, even overnight, depending on the video you watch. We tried that twice, and the flow continued to disappoint.
The next “cure” was relatively inexpensive: replace the sprayer. Using PRIME’s free shipping, we ordered a Kohler spray nozzle from Amazon. It showed up a few days later and was an exact match of the original. It was a simple switcheroo, but the water flow seemed to be worsening.
Frustration built.
According to Kohler’s website, a surefire cure was to replace the filter built into the faucet base. The Bohunk found the replacement part on Amazon again and had it shipped to us. Although the Amazon tracking promised it was “out for delivery,” it never appeared. We reported the loss a week later, and Amazon shipped another one. Still, the flow was weak.
Finally, not one but two filters arrived the same day.
The YouTube video made it look like I could do it relatively quickly.
Step one: turn off the shutoff valves under the sink. I got everything ready, including all the Allen wrenches I own that might fit the set screw on the faucet handle, 3/32”.
All prepared, I reached under the sink and turned the shutoff valves all the way to the right. I opened the faucet, but the water still streamed out. The shutoff valves were shot. Replacing them was necessary and beyond my physical and skill level.
We contacted a professional plumber and scheduled an appointment. He made relatively swift work of the shutoff replacements, and I asked if he would be willing to replace the filter cartridge for me.
It turned out to be a challenge for him. Blindly finding a small set screw from the bottom of the faucet handle was first. Then, removing the locknut that held the filter in place required a bit of maneuvering with a “skinny” crescent wrench, which he thankfully had.
He popped out the cartridge, and when I compared it with our replacement, I discovered we had the wrong one. I wrote down the part number of the old one, and our plumber put everything back together.
Of course, the flow remained weak.
The Bohunk got a hold of Kohler with the original part number, and they shipped us a replacement, under warranty. Things might be looking up.
Having overseen the plumber, I was confident this replacement is within my capabilities.
After a frustrating number of attempts, I finally loosened the set screw and removed the faucet handle. Next was the locknut. I don’t own a skinny crescent wrench; finding one in town is impossible. My wrenches were too big for the space.
So I bought a socket that I thought was big enough, but it wasn’t. I put the faucet handle back on since it was late in the day and the hardware store was closed.
The next day, I returned the unused socket to the store and ended up buying something I knew about but never thought I’d need: a shower valve socket wrench set. And it easily worked on the lock nut.
After replacing the filter I proudly turned on the shutoff valves and water spouted from the faucet handle. Start over. Reset the gasket on the filter that would prevent leaking. Reinstall the lock nut and faucet handle. Voila’. No leaks
And after all of this, the flow is no better.
It’s always something.
