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Monday, October 14, 2024
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The Long Way Home

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.

Steve Fernlund
Steve Fernlund
Typically these “about me” pages include a list of academic achievements (I have none) and positions held (I have had many, but who really cares about those?) So, in the words of the late Admiral James Stockwell, “Who am I? Why am I here?” I’m well into my seventh decade on this blue planet we call home. I’m a pretty successful husband, father, and grandfather, at least in my humble opinion. My progeny may disagree. We have four children and five grandchildren. I spent most of my professional life in the freight business. At the tender age of 40, early retirement beckoned and we moved to Grand Marais. A year after we got here, we bought and operated the Cook County News Herald, a weekly newspaper in Grand Marais. A sharp learning curve for a dumb freight broker to become a newspaper editor and publisher. By 1999 the News Herald was an acquisition target for a rapidly consolidating media market. We sold our businesses and “retired” again, buying a winter retreat in Nevada. In the fall of 2016, we returned to Grand Marais and bought a house from old friends of ours on the ridge overlooking Lake Superior. They were able to move closer to family and their Mexico winter home. And we came home to what we say is our last house. I’m a strong believer in the value of local newspapers--both online and those you can wrap a fish in. I write a weekly column and a couple of feature stories for the Northshore Journal. I’m most interested in writing about the everyday lives of local people and reporting on issues of importance to them.
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