Christmas Plumbing?

Nope. Not a typo. I was feeling SO special, after building a closet without instructions. A few days ago I decided to tackle a few small leaks in my bathroom. The floor was always damp, and that is annoying.

My bidet had broken at the end of the hose. EVERY bathroom in the UAE has a small water hose next to the toilet with a hand held spout (looking suspiciously like the spray hose on kitchen sinks in the USA) that sprays WARM water for personal hygiene. The one in my bathroom was new, just made of cheap plastic and didn't hold up.

My shower head spouted water from the side, and had seen better days. Being a "shower massage" style with a hose, it seemed simple enough to replace the head.

The cold water on the right side of my bathroom sink had a slow drip that constantly made the floor wet.

I didn't want to trouble my landlord.

Off to my neighborhood Carrefour (arabic Wal-Mart)!! I purchased a new METAL hose for my bidet, and a new shower head. When I got home it became clear that I needed a metal head for my bidet and a new metal hose for my showerhead. Should have bought that handy all in one package, instead of trying save Durhams and buying them individually.

The next day I made another trip to Carrefour, and triumphantly returned with more parts. The bidet repair was a smashing success. No leaks, and looks classy! The shower was more troublesome. The bolt would not loosen, even using my Farmer's Insurance rubber jar opener. I took a walk to one of my neighborhood hardware nooks. After a great deal of sign language, I was shown an assortment of plumbing tools and pliers. I selected a hybrid type wrench and marched home. Hurray! The shower hose loosened, and Oila!! Perfect beautiful new shower, no leaks!!

Feeling heady with success, I grabbed the pliers and some plumbers tape and started on the bathroom sink's leak. I was upside down, applying torque with my handy new tool, when suddenly a blast of water sprayed me in the face. I watched in horror as the metal pipe split and a wide gap spewed water with gleeful abandon. I quickly turned off the water supply and looked at the disaster in shock. An hour later, I admitted defeat. The pipes and bolts have rusted together. I need more tools, replacement hoses, and this is not over yet.

Maybe for New Year's--


Merry Christmas, everyone! God bless you all.

Aleta
The Plumber of Christmas Present