Carpentry, Plumbing and Electrical Work, All in One Day

I had an interesting 4th & 5th of July. My washing machine decided to start leaking water all over the wash room. This one problem then snowballed into a whole range of repairs which had to be made, much like unraveling a cable knit sweater.

The washing machine control valve was leaking causing the water to overflow in the wash tub. The shut off valve was also leaking which meant that I couldn't turn off the water at the connection behind the washer. I had to shut off the water to the whole house. Once the water was off, I noticed that the electrical outlet that both the washer and dryer were plugged into was not a GFCI outlet. Since it was within 1 foot of both a water line AND the gas line to the dryer, I now had to change the electrical outlet as well. During the process of replacing the leaking shut off valve, the copper pipes INSIDE the wall began leaking (more like gushing water from behind the paneling). Now I've got to shut off the water to the house again and chop a large gaping hole in the wall with a reciprocating saw to see what's going on behind the paneling. The hot water line is now bent and separated from the T connection at the valve (GRRRRRRR). It bent and broke because it was not mounted to a 2x4 inside the wall which meant I also had to install a 2x4 brace behind the pipes. After a quick trip to the hardware store (compression fittings, solder, propane torch) I returned more prepared to injure myself than ever before. I won't bore you with the repair details. Suffice it to say I fixed it all and covered up the hole in the wall with a slightly less ugly piece of plywood (it's all hidden behind the washer & dryer anyway).





I know this is dull reading but I spent so much time working on this that I'm posting it anyway.