DIY: Replacing a faulty bidet

28 April 2015

Yesterday, our bidet in the bathroom broke.  There was a small crack in the bottom part of the bidet, the one which connects the hose to the handle, and of course over time, it eventually grew bigger until it snapped.  I tried to fix it as soon as it happened but the truth was it really had to be replaced.



So, I brought the handle and the hose to Ace Hardware in SM City Sta. Mesa.  Talked with a Sales Clerk and we compared my old handle and hose to the product.  I thought that I just needed a new handle or a new hose.  But it turned out that the part that was broken was part of the hose and that I couldn't buy a hose without buying the entire set.  That little bitty thing at the end of the hose isn't sold on its own.  So I bought the complete set for P294.75 at Ace Hardware in SM City Sta. Mesa.

Eager to start my DIY repair project, I immediately gathered my materials and headed to the bathroom.  The complete set came with a handheld bidet, the flexible hose, the wall mount (including the screws) and the rubber gaskets/washers that you need to put between the hose and the handle.

So, first I put the washer in the hose then attached the handle to the hose.  CHECK. It fit! Yay! Done in one minute.

Next, I put the other washer into the other end of the hose with the screw nut and proceeded to attach it to the water valve.  BUT WAIT! The hose was wiggly and loose and when I turned on the water (Oh yeah you have to turn the water off before you do anything!), it was spraying in every direction so I knew something was wrong.

No matter what I tried, it didn't work properly. So, I had no choice but to go back to SM and have the set replaced with either a new set or a different brand or model.

This time when I went back I even brought the "coupling" that the screw at the end of the hose was supposed to be attached to.  It was the part that was crucial.  The staff at Ace Hardware, Sir Melvin (Customer Service) and Sir Jeff (Plumbing) were very attentive and patient as I explained what went wrong.  When Sir Jeff tried to attach the part I bought to the coupling, he discovered that the thread on that part was faulty.  It didn't allow the hose to be attached the full length which left it loose and wiggly.

So, we tried a different stock and proceeded to do the same thing.  We attached it again and this time it worked!! Yay!

And so fast forward to me racing home and trying the new set and VOILA!! In under 5 minutes I was able to completely replace our faulty bidet!!!

LESSONS LEARNED:

* It may LOOK simple but it may not.
* Bring ALL the parts not just the faulty ones and try to attach all of them right there at the store.  It will save you the trouble of going back when something doesn't fit.
* KEEP your receipts for when you have to replace something.
* Be NICE to the salespeople.  Always have a smile especially when you're complaining :)