Tried to fix a leaky faucet and flooded my kitchen instead

Last spring I thought I'd be smart and replace the cartridge on my bathroom sink faucet. Turned off the valves under the sink, pulled the old one out, but when I turned the water back on the valve handle snapped off and water sprayed everywhere for a solid 3 minutes before I found the main shutoff in the basement. Has anyone else had a simple fix turn into a full plumbing disaster?

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2 Comments

black.margaret2mo ago

Houses from certain decades had those gate valves that corrode internally even if the handle looks okay. Sometimes it's less about being impatient and more about the previous owner's cheap hardware choices.

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wright.cole2mo ago

Tried to fix a leaky faucet and flooded my kitchen instead" sounds like you skipped a step. I actually think most of these "disasters" are people getting impatient and not shutting off the right valves before they start. If you snapped a valve handle off, that's not a faucet problem, that's you not checking if the valve was crusty first. Take five minutes to inspect everything before you touch it and walk away if it looks bad. I've swapped out a dozen cartridges in old houses and never flooded a room because I turn the water off at the street or the main if the local valves feel sketchy. Fixing your own stuff is fine, but blaming the plumbing for your own rush job is just shifting responsibility. Maybe next time do a dry run with the water off before you go all amateur plumber.

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